Its a camera costing over $3,500. I have no idea how many pixels it has as this is not provided in the specs or catalog description. Some similar cameras are listed with about 400K pixels per CCD. But I notice video cameras are not directly compared like digital still cameras by amount of pixels. Why not? Would I be happier with a HDV format camera? Will the high definition be available to me if I do not have a HD monitor or HD TV?
2007-02-23 08:22:41 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Consumer Electronics ➔ Camcorders
Check the explanation in the following camcorder buying guide:
http://www.easycamcorders.com/content/Beginners-Guide.htm
near the middle of the page - under "CCDs: Size and Pixels"
2007-02-23 09:08:51 · answer #1 · answered by Chuckie 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are two types of cameras (well okay, not two, but you know what I mean): SD and HD. SD cameras, no matter how high the CCD resolution, will always lend a max resolution of about .3MP, or 720x480 (NTSC). HD cameras can have up to a max resolution of 2.1 MP, or 1920x1080. You most probably definitely have an SD camera. Therefore, your picture will always offer "disappointing resolution." Maybe you're just used to high-res photos. Video is different, and even if it is a small picture, it will still look good on a TV or screen (if you shot it good). Or maybe I just misinterpreted your question. The poor resolution could also be due to poor video recording factors. Also, if you export with a bad codec in your editing program, it will make your video look bad, not to mention that when you are editing, your video will always be low-res until you export. If you don't have an HDTV, don't go for HDV. If you don't have a fast computer (3.4ghz, 1gb ram, minimum), don't go for HDV. If you don't want to connect your camera to your TV to watch your videos, don't go for HDV. If you said yes to the above, and don't have a blu-ray burner and player, don't go for HDV. I've pretty much listed everything that could factor in to "bad resolution," but if you added more details, that would be really helpful for me to help you. I don't know what you exactly mean by "disappointing resolution," and you didn't describe what the video looks like on your TV/computer. So additional details would be appreciated. Hope this helps!
2007-02-23 10:32:06 · answer #2 · answered by evilgenius4930 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have the TV plugged into your PC's video card? If so, then the poor quality might be explained in a video card that needs upgraded drivers or possibly needs to be replaced with a better card that has more powerful processing and RAM.
If the TV is not hooked up to the computer, do you notice this poor quality when you playback directly from the camcorder or from a burned DVD? If it's from a DVD then the output resolution settings in the application might not be set high enough and might explain the poor quality veiwed on the monitor and TV.
If the playback looks poor directly from the camcorder itself, it could be that the footage itself may have been shot slightly out of focus. Might want to check and make sure the lens is clean. Does the camera have a back focus adjustment? Many prosumer cameras in that price range also have tweeks to adjust picture quality. Make sure these adjustments are set to your preference.
If none of these point you to a simple solution, then it's possible you got a lemon (still got a warranty?), or that your taste will not be satisfied with SD, and upgrading to HD may be the next step.
2007-02-23 11:39:45 · answer #3 · answered by composer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋