Question about imagers and CCD

MrBonquista · Mar 2, 2006

im not too knowledgable about specifications of cameras yet, mainly because i have not taken a class, i have learned on my own.
i was lookin at this camera, the Sony DCR-VX2100 Digital Handycam

You can look at it here.

it says it has 1/3" Advanced HAD 3 CCD imagers with 380k gross pixels each... now i understand a few things... ccd is a type of coloring for the film, (i think) but i really dunno about the others and its hard to compare it to the other cameras i was lookin at by Sony (DCR-HC96). If u can answer this for me, thanks in advance. Can anyone explain to me all those specifications i listed?

DBXMe2 · Mar 2, 2006

Well lets break it down. The HAD stands for Hole Accumulation Diode. I'm guessing now, because this is the first I hear of this Diode thing, that it refines pixel interpolation once they are being converted to Zeros and Ones... on the tape for better image quality. So what does it mean, nothing much.

But, what is not cool about this camera is that, it has less effective pixels then the previous Sony you were looking at. So, the image would be just as big, BUT the other one would be clearer.

The advantages with this camera is also that you have TOTal control on your image. With manual Zoom servos, and focus ring, Shutter speed, and various aperature oppenings. SO, lots of control with this.

It is more ideal to buy this one compaired to the smaller camera, but you'll have to play around with this camera alot and understand everything on it, or else you'll never be able to use the camera to its fullest.

MrBonquista · Mar 2, 2006

thanks, is there any place i can learn bout all this online? like maybe howstuffworks.com type of site? i feel like there is so much i dont know. i probably wouldnt buy this camera for financial reasons, but i was lookin at maybe the DCR-HC96 which, compared to my current camera (DCR-HC20: the first of its kind) the statistics in almost every aspect are alot higher. thanks for the help tho

smanches · Mar 2, 2006

Ok, brief rundown of digital cameras...

CCD refers to Charge Coupled Device. It is a computer chip that can convert light into digital information. They are setup in grid formats so that you can capture 2d images. The resolution of the chip determines how many columns and rows of these pixels are in the grid, the more the better, _usually_.

The cheaper cameras use a single chip to capture all the light to make a digital image. Better camers actually have 3 CCD chips in them with a prism in front. The prism splits the light coming through the lense into the three primary colors; Red, Green, and Blue. There is one chip for each color. This gives the camera much better color and light resolution, hence creating a better image.

Now don't be fooled by the amount of pixels the CCD chip for a video camera has. Although the DCR-HC96 has a 3.3 megapixel chip, it will not help you make better looking video. This camera is based on a chip made for still photography. A standard NTSC television signal is only 345K pixels, so there is no reason to use more than that. This is why the DCR-VX2100 only has a 380K resolution to it; it was designed for video, not stills. The other advantages this camera has, (manual exposure, manual shutter, manual focus, etc.) far outweigh what the other camera can give you.

Sony's HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) technology just makes the chip more sensative to light, and hence better in low light situations. It does not enhance the resolution at all.

When buying digital cameras for video, you really want to look at what it can offer as far as the amount of control it gives you. Great looking video is the same as creating great looking film. It's all about lighting, exposure, composition, editing, etc. You need as much control as you can get, not just the best specs.

MarkG · Mar 2, 2006

Personally, if I was thinking of buying a VX2100, I'd save a bit more and buy an FX1 instead. I don't see much point buying a DV camera today when you could buy HDV for not much more.

MrBonquista · Mar 3, 2006

well thats true, but i hear about the space and RAM it requires to use HDV to its fullest potential. I have a 2 month old Dell inspiron 6000 with 60 gb HD and i think 256 RAM (with two ports) so i dunno if my machine could handle it... would u recommend buying a external HD to handle the space, or updating my computer? (maybe even fillin in the 2nd port of RAM)

smanches · Mar 3, 2006

RAM would help, 512 minimum, 1gig recommended, more is better. HD space is what you really need though. DV and HDV can be up to ~2.5megs per second of footage. This adds up very fast. Since you're just starting, work with what you have, but make goals and plan for what you need to achieve them.

The speed of your machine will make rendering of effects and final outputs take longer, but that's all. It will not prevent you from doing the job at hand. I still use a 6 year old 867Mhz Mac for much of my work, and although it takes a LOT longer than newer machines, I can still do it.

MrBonquista · Mar 3, 2006

thanks, ive got alot of things to think about, as far as making films goes. im hopefully going to transfer (from UTSA) to UT austin's film school so i need to be prepared and knowledgable in that field. Does anyone attend UT austin? (or another film school in texas for that matter)

DBXMe2 · Mar 3, 2006

smanches said:
Sony's HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) technology just makes the chip more sensative to light, and hence better in low light situations. It does not enhance the resolution at all.

well your contradicting your self... because if it gives you better low light conditions then isnt that an enhancement of the image, thus a better resolution... and or I'm using resolution in a different manner then you? lol... But nowhere do I see the HAD doing something with the LUX capabilites of the camera, where did you read that?

smanches · Mar 3, 2006

Yea, resolution can be used in so many ways it's easy to be confused. I was using it in terms of the number of pixels of resolution a CCD has.

Here is a link to Sony's site about HAD.
http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/sys/ccd/sensor/super_had.html