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OK so I find things that can be of value to you from time to time in the world of digital video. Instead of burying it in the bottom of pages I just like to put it up top here where you can get immediate value. OK?

CCD's in your DV. What does digital video mean for you?

With small lightweight compact DV cameras abounding these days, it is time to junk those old VHS/SVHS cameras and get one of these DV cameras. DV offers excellent quality, flexibility and most of all the ability to transfer via Firewire to your computing device for editing your treasured images.

From palm sized DV cameras that you can take anywhere to full sized 3 CCD cameras that can do all kinds of things including creating cinematic films! Yes Hollywood movies have been shot on DV, edited digitally and then transferred back to film stock. Film makers love it.

DV cameras

Now what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of video cameras of any kind? Be honest now. The very first thing that comes to mind! I would be willing to bet that it has Sony in the name if you are thinking of high quality video cameras. Having worked as a professional video cameraman for over twenty years at the highest level of network television I have to tell you that Sony does it all.

I have used Sony broadcast video cameras since almost the beginning of portable TV cameras, back when they were back breakers. Now I still use the latest versions of the those cameras, anything from the SX, Beta SP, and even the new Optical disk cameras they are coming out with in the near future. I love the look, feel and ergonomics of Sony TV cameras. What can I say?

But you know what camera is my favorite these days when I can just pick one up and have fun making creative pictures? It is a Sony digital video camera. The PD-150 to be exact. That camera just rocks. Now each and every cameraman has their own favorite but what I want to tell you is DV rocks and you have to get involved using DV to capture your life, your business, your fun, you name it.

I bought my DV camera to work on a gig that called for the relatively new format of DV at the time. I had used it for some alternative camera work in my network job so I knew what it could do as far as images go. Then I started using it for my personal videos, playing around with the features and then in conjunction with my NLE (non linear) video editing system I discovered how cool it really could be.

Now I grab it all the time to shoot still shots, moving images, conduct an interview, you name it. I now have a whole stable of clients who use only DV. It is easier on my back and it makes for good client relations.

So I use a Sony PD-150 in my house. What other DV camera options are there out there for you? The PD-150 is what they call a three chip camera. That means that it has three CCD’s (charged couple devices) that capture the light passing through the lens and convert it into digital images that get recorded on tape (today anyway, DVD recording is not far off for all of us). This is a higher grade of recording than most consumer cameras which might only have one CCD in them. You will want to determine what level of quality you want to get for your DV camera. The three CCD models generally cost $1500 and up. However you can get some awesome images out of DV cameras costing much less.

Did you know that filmmakers have made feature length movies shooting with cameras like the PD-150? Yes by using the 16x9 aspect ratio in the camera and utilizing the ultra portability of the small camera they were able to shoot their whole film on digital video. Then they import the DV into their NL editing system (often using Final Cut Pro from Apple) where they have almost total control over the “look” of the footage, from coloration to filtering, image speed, and so on. Then when the project is done editing they export it to film for viewing in theaters. They get a unique look, incur far less production expense than using film, and they can edit the video they shot this afternoon tonight.

Click here to read more about DV filmmaking in Hollywood

Sony - MiniDV Handycam® Camcorder DCR-HC20

Canon ZR85 / 680,000 Pixel CCD / 20x Optical Zoom / 400x Digital Zoom / Digital Video Camera

Panasonic PV-GS120 3 CCD / 1.2 Megapixel / 10x Optical Zoom / 700x Digital Zoom / Digital Camcorder

DXG DXG-301V Digital Video Camera / 3.2 Megapixel / 4x Digital Zoom

If you want to do some serious digital video editing you should check out the Video Queens' site. She has some great stuff, free resources, and some cool samples to boot. Tell her I sent you.

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