CAMCORDERS HELP

WHICH FORMAT?

There are a number of different formats (types of tape) in current use:-

VHS-C is the same tape as in a normal VHS recorder but the cassette size is smaller. You can put the VHS-C cassette into an adaptor and play it in your normal VCR. This has always been its main feature, ie ease of playback without having to connect the camera to your tv or vcr with cables.
However it has been overtaken in picture quality by newer formats so although still ideal for a low-cost family camcorder (£200 ish) there are few models to choose from now.

SVHS-C is similar to VHS-C but has better picture quality. However if using the adaptor-method of playback the vcr has to be able to play S-VHS tapes -and not many do. This is almost an obsolete format now, but before DV became affordable many enthusiasts used it.

8MM. There are three variations of this tape format:-

1) STANDARD-8 is the original version, appeared about 1985, similar quality to VHS, but you cannot use an adaptor to playback. It used to be a very popular format, camcorders fairly low cost (from about £200), it was originally invented by Sony as a camcorder format and is very practical.

2) HI-8 is a better picture quality version of standard-8, which it has largly superceded. A Hi-8 camera could still be considered as good quality low-cost format, especially if replacing an old 8mm camera, but like VHS is now a minority format.

3) DIGITAL-8 is a Sony invented variation giving very high quality pictures, with digital-stills options on some models. Some(but not all) models Sony make will also playback Hi-8 and std-8 recordings, so one of these could be ideal if you are upgrading from those formats and have lots of previously recorded tapes you will want to playback as these cameras automatically detect the recording on the tape and play back whatever it is. One thing to note is that when recording in Digital-8 the tape runs 50% faster so a 90min tape only lasts 60min. But you can use ordinary 8mm tapes (Hi-8 are best). Quality is identical to DV and they have DV-compatable sockets (see below).

DIGITAL VIDEO (DV) -the most popular format now......

The consumer version is MINI DV (just called DV), which is slightly different to the professional formats. The tape is very small so cameras can be made much smaller than all the above formats, so small that some easily slide into a jacket pocket. Picture quality is very good indeed, depending how good a lens and imager (which captures the pictures) the camera has. Many models have digital-stills (DSC) capability, often using a memory card, and come with software and cables (usually usb now) to connect to a computer.

One feature of DV camcorders is that in addition to 'analogue' (normal) connections for playing back via a tv or vcr, they have a 'DV' socket which sends out a digital signal. This is a universal (almost) standard for connecting DV equipment together without losing picture quality. It is often used for connecting a camcorder to a computer, then recording (or 'downloading') the movie to the PC for editing, and then with some models of camcorder (called DV-IN) you can record the edited movie back on to a DV tape in the camcorder. All with virtually no quality loss, something impossible with analogue formats.

DV camcorders start at around £300 and are now very popular. Almost all have little fold-out screens for convenience, most have little speakers so you can hear sound from the camera during playback.

MICRO-MV

This is an even smaller variation of digital video launched by Sony at the end of 2001. The tape is very tiny so the cameras are smaller than the smallest DV ones. Quality is good, and the cameras sophisticated, but they never became particularly popular.

Some DV and micro-MV models even have Internet and Email capability, via Bluetooth (a means of sending data short distances by wireless, eg to a modem).

8cm DVD

The latest format to hit the market is a small version of recordable DVD. They are a bit different to use than tape-based units, and they can be more tricky to guage 'where you are' on the disc. Recording generally starts from where you just left off, and re-recording over something you have just taken isnt so easy as tape. But for general use this format's popularity will only grow. Sony now have a reasonable range and they are pretty compact and easy to use. You can take the discs out and play them in many normal DVD-players of course, which you cant do with DV tape. (Back to the ease-of-use aspect of VHS-C). The Sony cameras use the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats.

CCD IMAGER PIXEL COUNT

This is the number of individual 'dots' which make up the whole picture. (Just look closely at a tv screen and you will see the picture is made up of different coloured dots, or tiny rectangles.) Obviously the more dots (pixels) the smaller they are so the finer the detail. About 1million pixels is the max needed for video, but if taking digital stills then the more the merrier (up to a point!). There are a few models now with 2 or 3 million , but the average camcorder is still nowhere near the number on high quality still cameras (4million is quite common). So a proper DSC is at present still the best for seriously taking still photos, and cheaper!

However the pics taken with many camcorders are great for emailing and produce very acceptable postcard-sized prints. Many can use the tape for recording a few seconds of the still picture, but usually quality will be better if the images are stored on a memory card. -such as smart media, mutimedia, or sd cards, or Sony's memory stick. Some can take 'mpeg movies' and store them on its media card, these are low-quality short movies ideal for attaching to email or using on websites.

EDITING

The traditional approach is by copying to an analogue tape 'just the good bits', but this results in a loss in quality. Editing on to a digital tape format is good, but digital vcr machines are expensive. A PC can be used to 'control' the editing commands, just for convenience.

However a popular way of editing nowadays is to copy the camcorder tape on to a computer (using a lossless digital connection like firewire is best). Then editing can be done wholly on the PC. There are a number of different approaches/software/interface cards, most decent computer stores will advise on the best method, other info can be got from the various computer editing specialist magazines. Pinnacle and Matrox make a popular range of editing products, and the ones just with DV connectons are very common and reasonably priced from many manufacturers. When the tape has been thus edited (it is now stored on the PC's hard-drive) then its best to copy it back on to the camcorder if it has a DV-IN facility, so the whole process is virtually loss-free.

Another approach after editing is to burn it on to a recordable DVD if your PC has a DVD-writer and appropriate 'authoring' software.

One other editing method is to use a dedicated editing system like Casablanca or Applied Magic's Screenplay/Sequel equipment instead of a PC (with all it's common compatability issues). These are reliable stand-alone editors, particularly popular with schools and colleges, as well as for home and corporate use.

We aim to give accurate impartial advice about the products we supply, but as manufacturers sometimes change specifications without warning and new products appear overnight, it is not possible to guarantee our advice is always up-to-date. Always phone us or call in to our shop to get the latest info.