Most modern smartphones and tablet computers have a built-in video camera, so many people use them to take videos. However, do not forget that the original function of the phone is to make calls, and the built-in additional functions are a marketing ploy to increase the number of sales. If you want to get high-quality video footage at the output, you should think about buying specialized equipment that has the necessary functions for this.
Modern technologies do not stand still, competition in the market is constantly growing, which leads to a decrease in the cost of high-quality video cameras. In order to choose a video camera that suits you according to its properties, without overpaying for it, you must take into account the following important characteristics when buying.
Watching a video
It should be borne in mind that the quality of the video depends not only on the capabilities of the camera, but also on what the footage is being viewed on. The quality standard directly depends on the number of dots (pixels) that make up the frame of the footage, that is, the more dots, the better image quality will be in the end.
There are three types of video standard: Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), and AVCHD.
SD cameras are suitable for owners of old CRT TVs with a small diagonal.
HD cameras are relatively inexpensive and have a built-in MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 codec that allows you to compress the image and thereby reduce the file size. Such cameras are suitable for HD Ready TVs.
AVCHD is considered the best standard for amateur camcorders. Such cameras allow you to shoot video in Full-HD format, but they have a significant drawback - a high price.
Adjusting the white balance
White balance adjustment can be manual and automatic. With the automatic, problems often arise when during shooting the lighting changes or someone sharply passes in front of the lens. At this point, the camera automatically changes the balance, and because of this, you have to stop video recording and manually adjust the parameters. It will be better if the camera has only manual adjustment, or at least the function of disabling automatic adjustment.
The matrix
The transformation of the image into an electrical signal occurs thanks to the matrix, which is installed in the video camera. Currently there are the following matrix sizes: 1/3, 1/4 and 1/6. The higher the number, the better. Professional cameras are most often equipped with several sensors, but for amateur cameras, one 1/3 size sensor will suffice.
ZOOM
ZOOM is a function that is responsible for enlarging the image. It can be digital or optical. Digital zoom is much simpler, Photoshop works on its principle, which stretches the image when enlarged. A significant drawback of this method is the reduction in image quality. Thus, when choosing a video camera, be sure to find out if it has optical zoom, since this is the option that allows you to get the best quality footage.
