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Chapter 9 Shooting Semi-Pro Videos 93

in-camera edits between scenes, including audio dubbing, fade in and out, and
other special effects.

You should also pay particular attention to the camcorder’s image-sensing system.
Most lower-priced camcorders use a single CCD to capture the video image.
Higher-priced models use a three-CCD system that optically splits the image and
feeds color-filtered versions of the scene to three CCD sensors, one for each color:
red, green, and blue. Naturally, a three-CCD camera delivers better color than a
single-CCD model.

Tip

For a better quality picture, look for a camcorder with a bigger CCD. For
example, 1/3" CCDs are better than 1/6" ones.

With these features in mind, there are three levels of camcorders available today.
So-called pocket or “flip” camcorders are the smallest, lowest priced, and easiest to
use. Mid-level camcorders comprise the bulk of the market, with a nice mix of fea-
tures and usability. And semi-pro models are priced several orders of magnitude
higher than mid-level models, but offer a range of features that aspiring profession-
als often drool over.

Pocket Camcorders

Let’s look at the pocket camcorders first. These are often called “flip” camcorders,
after the company (Flip Video—now owned by Cisco) that first came up with the
concept. But many companies, including Sony, Kodak, and Samsung, offer these
compact marvels, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. (Figure 9.1 shows the Flip
MinoHD, a high definition pocket camcorder.)

The advantages of a pocket camcorder are many. First, they’re inexpensive, priced in
the $100–$200 range. Second, they’re easy to use, pretty much a point-and-shoot
affair. Third, they’re optimized for YouTube shooting, automatically recording in the
right file formats, so you don’t even have to use video-editing software if you don’t
want to.

There are also some definite disadvantages to shooting with a pocket camcorder, all
pretty much quality related. Most pocket camcorders have unimpressive lenses,
which results in no better than average picture quality. Most don’t have much in the
way of zoom, either, so you can’t zoom into your subject, at least not much. And
don’t expect any fancy features, either, or the ability to add an external microphone.
These are bare bones point-and-shoot camcorders, nothing more, nothing less.

As such, I don’t recommend pocket camcorders for most businesses. They’re okay if
you’re shooting a static talking head video, but not for much else.