miniDV output resolution quality

[Pedro Neves]

Hi all,

I will probably bought a camcorder (sony DCR-HC23) but I have some doubts concerning the output quality of the video. It says that the resolution is 800 000 pixels and the optical zoom is 20x.

Does anyone knows about the possible quality of this camcorder?

Is 800 000 pixels good quality? For instance, is it DVD quality?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Pedro

[Richard_G]

MiniDV resolution is identical to DVD resolution and is fixed at 720 x 480 for NTSC or 720 x 576 for PAL. The 800,000 pixels figure quoted applies only to still images when the camcorder is used as an (inferior) digital camera.

[Pedro Neves]

Thanks for your reply Richard_G.

If the resolution does not influence the final output of the video, what is the main feature that affects the video output?

Regarding HDV and DV, what is the difference? Is HDV also compliant with DVD resolution or better?

Thanks

Pedro

[Richard_G]

The main features that influence the quality of output are the size and number of CCD sensors, the quality of the lens, the amount of light available when the video is shot and whether a tripod was used or not. Are you sure you have the model number correct, as the DCR-HC23 isn't listed on www.camcorderinfo.com ?

HDV is a higher resolution than DVD but has to be downconverted to DVD resolution to put it on a disc. If you intend creating DVD discs HDV is a bit wasted until Blu-ray or HD-DVD become affordable.

[edDV]

The main features that influence the quality of output are the size and number of CCD sensors, the quality of the lens, the amount of light available when the video is shot and whether a tripod was used or not. ...

Adding to this: CCD resolution and number of CCD affect the handling of 16:9 vs. 4:3 aspect, light sensitivity and luma/color resolution. Light gets converted into pixels at the CCD and then the CCD pixels are processed into 720x480 DV format.

DV camcorders range from simple single CCD consumer models to 3x 1/2" CCD broadcast models that sell for more than $25,000. In all cases the camera section sets the picture quality. What most people don't think about is the image processing that goes on between the CCDs and the output to DV format. Consumer and broadcast cameras output at the same 720x480 DV format resolution. Picture quality roughly tracks camcorder cost, camcorder/lens size and CCD quality.

[Pedro Neves]

Sorry, my mistake. The model I have mentioned is the sony dcr-hc35e. At the moment, my doubt is to decide between these two cameras:
sony dcr-35e: 800 000 pixels (20x optical zoom)
sony dcr-46e: 1070 000 pixels (12x optical zoom)

The price difference is about 250 euros. A comparision between these camcorders is the following:

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/CompareProducts.action?site=odw_en_GB&pcReturnUrl=%2Fvie...dels=DCR-HC46E

Should I spent 250 dollars more in the dcr-46e because of the CCD pixels or the difference does not significantly incluence in the final output video image?

Thanks again.
Pedro

[edDV]

Of the two, the DCR-HC46E should have slightly better image quality because of a larger CCD 1 / 5.5 vs 1 / 6 and more pixels if used for video not just for stills.

Keep in mind you are setting the overall quality by choosing single CCD (shared for R G and B) and small optics. Compare to the VX2100 with large lens and three 1/3" CCD, one for each colour. Picture quality from the VX2100 would be much better. Both output the same 720x576 DV format.




PS: A key spec difference

Number of Pixels Act Camera mode (K)

DCR-HC35E 400k pixels only
DCR-HC46E 4:3 Mode ; 690k / 16:9 Mode ; 670k pixels

On the other hand, the 35 has a better low light spec. 5 vs 7 lux.