Dissecting a Digital Camcorder (page 2)

The Lens

Lens Quality: This is the most important part of your camcorder and usually the most expensive. It doesn't matter how many lines of resolution you have if the image is out of focus. Premium optical coatings do a better job of preventing color fringing and reflections.

Zoom: An important aspect of a lens is its zoom capacity. Modern optics are computer-designed and incredibly complex. Keep in mind that big zoom ranges may sacrifice optical quality and speed, and long zoom settings will require a tripod or an image stabilizer.

Stabilizer: Optical stabilizers let you use those zoom settings to the max, and they don't sacrifice CCD resolution the way electronic stabilizers might.

Speed: Faster lenses capture more light, so you can take shorter exposures. This is especially important for shooting sports events and low-light situations.

The Microphone

We tend to concentrate on the video parts of a digital camcorder, but the audio is just as important. Fortunately, audio is much easier and cheaper to deal with. Audio data is just a fraction of the size of the video data.

It's difficult to put a high-quality microphone on such a small object. Nevertheless, digital camcorder makers have done a decent job within a tight budget and even tighter spaces. If you're looking for better quality, look for an input jack for an external microphone. Then you can hook up whatever you want, including remote mikes.

The CCD

There are two things to look for in a CCD: the resolution and the sensitivity. The resolution depends mostly on how many pixels the CCD has, but is reduced somewhat if electronic image stabilizing is used. The more CCD chips you have, the better. For sensitivity, choose a low-lux CCD that can see well even in low light conditions.

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Dissecting a Digital Camcorder (page 2)

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