Buying a Camcorder


If you don't yet own a digital camcorder, you need one. Here's a look at the important characteristics of these devices.

HD or DV format

iMovie HD offers you an important choice: should you shoot in standard DV (digital video, also sometimes referred to as SD, or standard definition), or in HD (high-definition video)?

Prior to 2004, shooting in HD required expensive cameras costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, you can get an HD camcorder for less than $1,500. As of this writing, a few HD cameras are available that work with iMovie HD, such as JVC's GR-HD1 and Sony's compact HDR-HC1 (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1. Sony's HDR-HC1 high-definition camcorder costs less than $1,500 (which is cheap compared to most HD camcorders).


HD video captures more image information than standard DV, and comes in two variations (Figure 1.2): 720p measures 1,280 by 720 pixels, and captures each frame in its entirety (known as "progressive" capture, the "p" in 720p); 1080i measures 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, and interlaces each frame (hence the "i"; see Figure 1.3). HD also shoots in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. As you might expect, video shot with HD cameras looks great on an HD television.

Figure 1.2. HD uses much more image information than standard DV video. Also note that HD features a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, while SD uses the television standard 4:3 ratio.

DV: 720 by 480 pixels

HD 720p: 1,280 by 720 pixels

HD 1080i: 1,920 by 1,080 pixels


Figure 1.3. A progressive frame is captured in its entirety, the way each frame of film is recorded. Interlaced video captures every other line (exaggerated here for clarity) so that as the frames are played back, your eye sees the image as a solid picture. Interlacing can capture larger images because it's actually storing about half of the image information for each frame. (Interlacing is also the way most televisions operate.)

Progressive frame

Interlaced frame

Next interlaced frame


iMovie HD supports the HDV (High Definition Video) format, a consumer-level version of HD that uses MPEG-2 compression designed to minimize the data rate and work on consumer-level hardware. For example, you can connect an HDV camera to your Mac using a FireWire cable and import the footage onto regular hard drives. By comparison, working with uncompressed 10-bit HD video requires massive amounts of storage, around 500 GB per hour of footage (see Chapter 7 for HDV storage requirements).

So although you're not getting the same super-high quality as someone shooting with a $200,000 setup, you still end up with beautiful HD footage. Another bonus HDV offers the average shooter is that it stores 60 minutes of footage on a standard MiniDV tape, the same as shooting with a DV camera.

Tips

  • Once edited in iMovie, your HD movie must be exported back to the camera (see Chapter 15) and then hook the camera up to an HD television to view it in HD.

  • iDVD handles incoming HD video, but it can't currently burn the HD-quality version to a DVD. Two competing high-definition DVD formats are jostling for position in the entertainment and computer industries: HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD, each backed by major corporate entities. Considering that the Hollywood movie studios now make more money from DVD sales than from theatrical screenings, it's a hotly contested fight for dominance. Apple is on the board of Blu-Ray, so it's likely (but not guaranteed) that the SuperDrives in future Macs will be capable of burning HD video to Blu-Ray discs. But until the discs begin appearing, iDVD compresses the HD video to make it fit onto today's DVD media.

  • To edit HD in its native resolution, you need a computer monitor at least 23-inches or larger, such as Apple's Cinema HD Displays.

  • The full scope of HD video production is enough to fill several books. For hands-on, in-the-trenches coverage of HD, I turn to Mike Curtis's HD for Indies weblog (www.hdforindies.com). Also check out HD Info Net (www.hdvinfo.net), and, of course, the companion Web site for this book (jeffcarlson.com/imovievqs/).


NTSC or PAL

Standard-definition video is broadcast in one of two formats, depending on where you live. In the Americas and many Asian countries, the standard is NTSC (National Television Systems Committee), which runs at 30 frames per second (actually 29.97 fps). In several European and some Asian countries, the standard is PAL (Phase Alternating Line), which runs at 25 fps. In most cases, you don't need to choose one or the otherit's whatever is predominant in your area. However, some people prefer to shoot in PAL because it's closer to the film projection rate of 24 fps. Either way, iMovie automatically detects the type of camera that is connected and adjusts its settings to accommodate.

Camcorder size

Ah, camcorder envy. You're carrying a new, tiny, handheld camcorder, but then you spy someone whose camcorder is even more compact. For those of us who've had to lug shoulder-mounted VHS cameras back in the day, the miniaturization of camcorder technology is amazing. Although the majority of digital camcorders aren't super small, they're remarkable nonethelessmany fit into a large pants pocket or small purse (Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4. Today's digital camcorders are small enough to fit in your palm.


The small sizes are ultra convenient, but have two drawbacks. You're paying a premium for compactness, so expect to shell out more money for a smaller device. Also, a small camcorder that doesn't weigh much can be harder to keep steady when shooting. If you're looking for something portable to use for grabbing footage anywhere and anytime, go as small as you can afford. If you anticipate more staged shots, where a camera can sit on a tripod for hours, size becomes less of an issue.

MicroMV and DVD Camcorders

Don't be tempted to buy very small camcorders that record to MicroMV tapes or directly to smaller-size DVD discs. There's a catch.

To get a decent amount of data on such small tapes, the MicroMV format uses MPEG compression to shrink the image data, resulting in image quality that isn't as good as MiniDV. (HDV cameras also use MPEG compression, but it tends to produce higher-quality footage.) And due to the way MicroMV data is stored, whenever you stop recording, the camera takes the last frame and creates a still photo that occupies a few seconds of tape.

Currently MicroMV only works under Microsoft Windows, and only when using special software. So as an iMovie-using Mac owner, there's no easy way to import your footage and edit it.

The DVD camcorders also use MPEG compression, which degrades the image quality and can't be imported into iMovie. These models are primarily designed for people who have no intention of editing: they'd rather just pop the tiny disc into a DVD player and watch what they shot right away.


MiniDV tape format

To capture the best quality footage, get a camcorder that uses the MiniDV format. MiniDV tapes are compact, store 100 percent digital information, and record between 60 minutes (at standard playing, or SP, speed) or 90 minutes (at long playing, or LP, speed) of footage (Figure 1.5). They're not particularly cheap, but they're not too expensive either. An online search shows you can find them in bulk for around $3 to $5 per cassette.

Figure 1.5. As part of the miniaturization of digital camcorders, the tape media is smaller, too. But despite the size, MiniDV tapes store roughly one hour of high-quality video. The new HDV camcorders use the same tapes and store the same amount of footage.


MiniDV can store roughly 500 horizontal lines of resolution, which means you're capturing more information than other formats (televisions display about 330 lines). It can also record 16-bit audio at 48 kHz, which is slightly better than CD-quality. What's more, MiniDV tapes retain that quality when you record over them, or make copies from other MiniDV tapes. The same can't be said for VHS tapes, which degrade in quality each time you make a copy.

Flash memory

To make cameras even smaller, manufacturers are avoiding tape altogether and releasing cameras that store footage on flash memory (usually CompactFlash or SD cards), the type found in digital still cameras. In fact, some still cameras feature movie modes that shoot nearly as well as a dedicated camcorder. iMovie can import this footage (see Chapter 7), but the data is shrunk using MPEG-4 compression, which degrades the image quality.

Tip

  • It doesn't seem to matter which brand of tape you chooseonly that you stick with the same one. Companies use different lubricants on their tapes, so mixing brands can potentially lead to a sticky, camera-damaging mess.


Wait...Tape?

Isn't a digital camera supposed to avoid tape altogether? Yes and no. Although the camcorder is capturing footage and storing it digitally, tape is still the dominant medium for storing large quantities of data. Future camcorders will probably include small high-density hard drives (such as the 60 GB drive used by Apple's current high-end iPod, or even the much smaller-sized 4 GB drive in the iPod nano), but for now tape is the best solution. The data is still stored as a series of ones and zeros, resulting in better image quality than other tape formats.


Charge-coupled device (CCD)

A traditional movie camera records light onto a strip of film as it passes through the lens. In a digital camcorder, the light comes through the lens and is recorded by a charge-coupled device (CCD), containing arrays of thousands or millions of tiny sensors that note the color of light that's striking them. When you put the sensors all together, they create the image you see on video.

Most camcorders come with a single CCD, varying in size and resolution. In general, more resolution is better, even though video output is the sameyou're paying for better image fidelity, not necessarily a higher number of pixels, as with digital still cameras.

FireWire/i.Link

As you'll soon discover, digital video data is massive, occupying about 3.6 MB per second for standard DV footage (see Chapter 7). Even a short movie would take forever to transfer from your camcorder to your Mac if not for the FireWire connection between the two. Also known on Sony camcorders as i.Link, FireWire is necessary to import movies into iMovie. If the camcorder doesn't include a FireWire port, find another model that does (Figure 1.6).

Figure 1.6. The 4-pin FireWire port on a digital camcorder is smaller than the one on your Mac.


Tip

  • Most digital camcorders don't come with a FireWire cable, even though they include a FireWire port. Check the packaging that came with your MacApple includes this cable with most models (Figure 1.7). If you need to buy one (as a spare, for example), it will likely be labeled as an IEEE 1394 (the standard on which FireWire is based) cable, and has a smaller plug on one end. Expect to pay around $30 for this essential add-on.

    Figure 1.7. Use a high-speed FireWire connection to import your footage into iMovie on your Mac. You may need to purchase a cable like this one, which has both sizes of FireWire plugs.


Three-CCD Camcorders

Top-of-the-line camcorders feature three separate CCDs, each of which captures a specific color: red, green, or blue. You're not gaining any more image resolution, but the overall color quality is better than that offered by single-CCD cameras. However, three-CCD devices cost significantly more.


Microphone

Every digital camcorder has a microphone, usually built into the body of the camera, but sometimes mounted to the top or front of the camera (Figure 1.8). One thing to watch out for is where the microphone is housed: if it's too close to the camcorder's motors, it could pick up the sound of the camera operating (including the motors used for zoom control). Whenever possible, experiment with a few different camcorder models to check their audio output. You can also attach an external microphone to the camera. See Chapter 5 for more information.

Figure 1.8. Canon's XL H1 is a high-definition MiniDV camera with all the trimmings. The microphone is mounted above the unit to record what you're shooting, not the sound of the camera itself.


LCD viewfinder

Most digital camcorders include a liquid crystal display (LCD) viewfinder that pops out from the side of the camera and shows you what the lens sees. LCDs vary in size, from 2.5 inches (diagonal) on up. You can use it in place of the built-in viewfinder, which is often advantageous when you need to hold the camera above your head or near your feet (Figure 1.9), or if you're filming yourself and want to make sure your head hasn't slipped out of frame.

Figure 1.9. An LCD viewfinder lets you shoot at odd angles. Rotate the screen to view the shot.


The LCD is especially useful when you want to review the footage you've taken, or show some video to a few people looking over your shoulder. And you'll find it invaluable for fast-forwarding to the end of your footage to make sure you don't accidentally shoot over your existing video.

Tip

  • Remember that it takes power to light up the LCD's pixels and backlighting. Using it often will drain your camera's batteries faster than using the built-in viewfinder. Some cameras now include a switch to turn off or reduce the LCD's backlight to conserve battery power.


Electronic image stabilization

It's likely that I'll spend this entire book saying, "You know what else is great about digital?" So I'll help you get used to it now. Another great thing about a modern digital camcorder is that the software running it can help you stabilize your image and prevent the shaky footage associated with small handheld cameras. To do this, the camcorder uses an outer portion of the total image as reference, then compares movement of objects within the field of view to the outer area (Figure 1.10). If most of the image moves together, the software assumes that the whole camera is moving instead of just the objects, and compensates by shifting the active image.

Figure 1.10. In this massively simplified diagram, the original image (top) is shifted to the right (bottom) by the camera operator's nervousness around such towering animals. The camera compares the image to the pixels in the unrecorded guide area and compensates by shifting the main image to match. (In reality, the camera doesn't use such a huge guide areait divides the entire image into several quadrants and continually compares each guide area to its corresponding image area.)


Electronic image stabilization is helpful, but certainly has its drawbacks. It doesn't record the entire screen, so in some cases you may find that objects on the periphery don't show up in the final footage. It's also not good if you're intentionally moving the camera, such as when you pan or zoom, because the software has to figure out that your motion is deliberate; the end result is sometimes blurry motion that would otherwise be clearer. Still, compared to footage that looks like it was shot during an earthquake, these trade-offs become more acceptable.

Tip

  • Of course, image stabilization isn't so good that it will make the shot you took while running down the street look like it was filmed with a Steadicam. If you need to put the brakes on seriously shifty video, consider software such as Slick Stabilize (part of GeeThree's Slick volume 8 package of iMovie effects) or iStabilize (see Appendix B). Both programs do an admirable job of stabilizing the footage after the fact.


Optical image stabilization

Another option for stabilizing your video is to buy a camera with optical image stabilization. Unlike the digital method, optical stabilization uses a prism composed of two lenses with silicon fluid between them. The prism determines whether the light coming into the lens is refracted (think of how a stick poking halfway out of water appears to bend below the water's surface). If it is, the camcorder adjusts the lenses to remove the refraction (Figure 1.11). An optical stabilizer can work a bit slower than electronic stabilizationsince it's performing mechanical, not digital, adjustmentsbut tends to be a bit smoother overall.

Figure 1.11. An optical image stabilization system uses two lenses to detect light refraction.


Lens optics

The camera's lens is your eye to the footage you'll shoot, so optical quality is an important consideration. The lenses in the majority of cameras are of good quality, but more-expensive models tend to feature better optics. I'm not saying that more expensive lenses are always better, of course. Research different models and read owner reviews online to learn more.

Remote control

It's not like you don't have enough remote controls lying around the house. I thought having a remote control for a camera was a dumb idea until I realized its two main purposes: playing back video when the camera is attached to a television or monitor, and controlling recording when you can't be near the camera (such as when you're in the frame). The remote ends up being more important than I thought.




iMovie HD 6 & iDVD 6 for Mac OS X (Visual QuickStart Guide Series)
iMovie HD 6 and iDVD 6 for Mac OS X
ISBN: 0321423275
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 197
Authors: Jeff Carlson

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