Tech Guide

Camcorder talk

Jan Ozer ZDNet US

Published: 10 Jan 2003

So you're ready to buy a digital camera. When you're shopping, pay attention to the number and size of CCDs (Charge-Coupled Devices), since that information relates directly to video quality. Specifically, three CCDs are better than one, and 1/3in. chips usually deliver better quality than 1/4in. or smaller ones. For this reason, most camcorder specification sheets prominently note the number and size of CCDs.

For example, cameras such as Canon's DM-XM2E and Sony's DCR-TRV950E feature three CCDs, which deliver excellent image quality but also cost a bundle – over £1,500 (inc. VAT). In contrast, most consumer-oriented cameras, such as the Panasonic NV-DS29B (around £400 inc. VAT), offer a single CCD, producing video that's great for holiday and family videos, but not quite up to professional standards.

For a good balance of quality and affordability, consider the Panasonic NV-MX500B, which has three CCDs and delivers very good image quality, but lacks some professional features.

At around £1,250 (inc. VAT), Panasonic's 3-CCD NV-MX500B delivers a good combination of affordability and image quality.

Photos to boot

If you want your DV camera to perform double duty as a digital still-image camera, be sure to check out its maximum still-image resolution. For example, Panasonic's NV-MX500B can capture images up to a 2,048 by 1,496 pixels in size, one of the largest still-image resolutions available on a DV camera. If you really want to capture stills with your camcorder, you should also look for a USB terminal, a flash memory slot and a pop-up flash. But be warned: the stills you get from a camcorder will never equal the quality of those from a good dedicated still camera.

Nuts and bolts

Next, be sure to differentiate between optical and digital zoom. With optical zoom, optics in the lens magnify the image. In contrast, digital zoom increases resolution through a process called interpolation, which adds pixels to those the CCD sensor has collected. In essence, a digital zoom makes an educated guess about what information additional pixels would have contained if more had been collected. If you're taking a picture of a Rothko painting, you'll see little to no degradation. Images that contain a lot of fine detail, however, may not look as crisp.

If you like to tinker with video settings or plan to use your camcorder in a wide range of settings, choose one that offers manual adjustments for exposure and/or a variety of programmed modes for conditions and settings such as night, sunlight, sports and snow. Many of the cheapest DV cameras offer only fully automatic shooting modes, although manual focus is essential for anyone doing serious work.

Also, make sure to check the camera's lux rating, which determines its ability to shoot in low-light settings, such as in museums or at parties. The higher the lux rating, the lower the camera's ability to capture high-quality images in low-light settings. For example, Canon's MV4 has a lux rating of 3.5 compared to a rating of 0.37 for the DM-XM2E. This means that video shot in less-than-ideal conditions will probably either be too dark or, if the camera adjusts the gain to brighten the picture, too noisy.

Although it's easy to love compact cameras, tiny devices such as Canon's MV5i MC deliver notoriously poor audio quality. To achieve a good balance of audio and video quality, you may be forced to pick a bulkier camera, such as Sharp's VL-AX1H. Of course, you can also plug in a microphone if audio quality is important -- most cameras feature a mini-jack that allows you to do so.

Compact camcorders like Canon's MV5i MC (above, left) often deliver inferior audio quality to bulkier products like the Sharp VL-AX1H (above, right).

If you plan to edit your video on a computer, ignore on-board digital special effects such as sepia, black-and-white and mosaic, or inter-scene transitions such as fade or dissolve. You can produce these effects much more easily and accurately using video editing software on your computer. And unless you're into videotaping the nocturnal habits of animals, you also can safely ignore infrared capabilities, which produce video with a green pallor.