Shoot the whole family on holiday

A growing awareness of the capabilities of high-end digital video cameras and lower prices over the past year has resulted in unprecedented demand for MiniDV and direct to DVD models.

There's little question that analogue cameras have lost their lustre and digital is the only way forward, particularly for those who want greater control over their footage, including computer-based editing.

While MiniDV media still dominates there's a major format shift going on as manufacturers migrate away from tape-based cameras to hard disk, memory card and direct to DVD recording.

A further shift to the 'high definition' standard is due to hit these shores within the next eight months to align with the latest TV sets and broadcast standards.

DVD-based cameras are quickly moving to the forefront with Sony leading the bunch. Panasonic in an effort to launch and promote its own DVD-based cameras, was caught off-guard when demand for its MiniDV cameras outstripped supply earlier this year. Other brands also felt the surge of demand.

All this attests to the fact that consumers are increasingly aiming for the high end of the digital video market with 3CCD 'near broadcast quality' cameras of both formats now making up around 45 per cent market share.

The CCD (charge coupled device) is the computer chip that processes the colour separation. Single chip cameras have to resolve information from a prism of red, green and blue through a single filter. These cameras are prone to colour smearing and bleeding, particularly in high contrast situations. They're more than adequate for most home users and sell for between $600 and $1500.

A 3CCD camera however has a separate chip for each colour, resulting in far greater clarity, sharpness and colour distinction, delivering what is close to broadcast quality. Prices at this end of the market range from $1800-$3000.

And of course high definition (HD) cameras are also starting to appear that add even more to the overall quality of the recorded picture. But to see the benefit you will need an HD compatible television. Also, not all editing software will work with HD footage – so there are some 'early adopter' limitations.

Grant Sandon, Panasonic's product manager for still and movie cameras, says the strong uptake of DVD-based cameras is coming from people who see the benefit of being able to record direct to disk and then play it immediately on their home DVD.

While an entry level DV camera is around $600 the equivalent DVD-based cameras still cost around $1000. The DVD camera will record on a range of media from write once to re-recordable disks and typically have a memory card slot as well for additional storage.

There's also demand for hard drive-based camera – for example JVC has three models with inbuilt 20Gb and 30GB drives.

When looking for a new camera consider the overall package of features, not just the looks or the lens. The best advice is to start with brands that have proven their mettle in the market such as Sony, Panasonic, Canon, JVC, Toshiba and Sharp.

Generally the trend is toward smaller, lighter and more versatile video cameras that have automatic settings and a manual over-ride. Most offerings double as still cameras and can capture up to 4Megapixel images.

Always look for optical zoom (eg 10x) as a guide rather than digital zoom. Optical means you are zoning in across actual distance to bring your image closer while digital zoom only looks through available pixels.

The best way to determine quality is to play it back on a high quality monitor. The camera's LCD screen is not the best test of this. Ask the store if you can shoot some footage in various lighting conditions in and around the shop and play it back on a store TV. Look at the cleanness of the image and the colour. Are the colours accurate? Pay particular attention to the blues and how they are reproduced under different lighting conditions.

Most cameras come with a basic editing package to connect your camera to your PC through the USB (universal serial bus) port. However, these low end packages are really only able to handle low resolution edits. For serious film editing you will need to ensure your camera (and your PC) has a FireWire port.

Consider investing in a back up battery that lasts longer than an hour. Look also at the memory card – you should aim for 512Mb minimum and see if you can get a deal on a second card, which, like a spare reel of film, may mean you can take a few more stills or an extra burst of video.

What you buy should be determined by your planned use. Are you looking for an analogue replacement? Or are you hoping to shoot more professional level footage that might have a wider audience? Regardless you need to be confident it will meet your needs and that it has the features that meet your creative ambitions.