High Definition Cameras

We live in an HD world.  Everyone has a high definition television, and now we want to capture all of our memories in HD so we can relive them in the best light possible.

Why do you need a high definition camera?  Lets start with color. No matter how good your DV camera is, even if it is a 3-chip model, you are constrained by the DV format’s low bitrate dedicated to color information. If you zoom in on a single frame of colorful DV footage, you’ll see that the color data is at a much lower resolution then the luminance data. When the DV codec was being developed, they took advantage of the fact that people do not perceive color at as high a resolution as we do luminance.

So watching a DV clip, you won’t likely notice this loss of color information. But when a blue screen effect is used on DV footage, the edge of the effect will appear pixilated and… craptastic. Today’s blue screen effects often try compensate specifically for DV’s lower color resolution, but you can never fully make up for lost data, and a choice will be made between a pixilated edge, or a blurry one.

Aside from blue screens, the extra (or at least adequate) color information stored in HD footage lets you up the saturation. This is common for commercials and music videos. But doing so with DV footage screams out, “my color data was recorded at quarter resolution!”

Just ten years ago, it took a crew of hundreds, a budget of millions, a theater-sized editing bay, and a 100 lb., 35mm film camera to make a professional-quality movie. Not anymore. High definition digital camcorders have opened up this once inaccessible art form to the masses, with several pro cameras going for under $1,000!

Whether you’re planning to stream your movie in HD over the web, burn it to Blu-ray, or project it on a vast silver screen, all five of these Obsessable editor’s choices will meet your needs and help you fulfill your vision. Sundance and Cannes await!