20 PART 1 GETTING TO KNOW DIGITAL CAMERAS
High-end video cameras allow
zoom lensesto be swapped
as is possible with professional
digital still cameras. Most have
some sort of system to minimize
shakiness caused by movement
or vibration. These high-end
cameras usually use one of
two anti-shake methods. One
uses a lens elementcalled
avari-angle prism that
changes its shape to deflect
light rays so the movement is
hidden. The other method uses
small motors to move a lens
element horizontally and
vertically to accomplish the
same deflection. We’ll look
at both the methods in
Chapter 8, “How New Tech
Changes Photography.”2
How a Professional
Digital Video Camera Works
The everyday tool of documentary film makers, a staple of crews working to create
“film at 11:00,” and the object of technolust by amateurs chaffing under the
restraints of the common camcorder, the professional videocamis the
answer for anyone aspiring to be the next Spielberg. The latest models
are capable of HDTV-quality images. Not only is it packed with fea-
tures that matter to a pro, it is built rugged enough to survive daily
use under adverse conditions not usually encountered at a six-year-
old’s birthday party. Finally, let’s not forget the cool factor. While the
size of consumer camcorders is shrinking, almost by the hour, the
videocam is a heavy, glowering monster—a camera that tells the world
you’re serious about your video, serious enough to pay the big bucks
and endure the big backaches.
For the professional video maker, sound is as important
as images. High-end video camera microphonesare
expensive and have directional capabilities to isolate
the sounds being recorded from the surrounding bustle.
They may even perform neat tricks, like being able
to gauge which way the wind is coming from
so the mike can alter the directional
function to filter out wind whoosh.1