Help me choose

Hi everyone.

I'm thinking of buying a new camera, i'm not sure wich one to choose i've seen 3 models: CANON MVX4i , SONY DCR-HC90E and DCR-PC1000E. The canon has a 4 megapixel ccd, and is not the more expensive (don't know why) while the PC1000 has 2.8 megapixel and is the most expensive, why? The waters here in Portugal are a bit dark, if someone can help me i'd apreciate.

Thanks.

Hi Lula,

Cant say i am familiar with the Canon or the HC90 Sony. BUt i do know the PC1000. It is a 3 chip camera, this means it has very good colour. It also has manual white balance control which is definitely what you want in UW work.

I believe the megapixel you are referring to is what MP the camera can take a still photo with and doesn't affect video quality.

I know Gates, Amphibico, Light and Motion and Ikelite all offer housings for this camera.

A lot of manufacturers don't support Canons, Ikelite would be your best bet for that one.

I know Amphibico has worked out some sort of Manual white balance through the LANC control. I am not sure what Ike, Gates, or L&M have done to access it.

You might want to click on the Backscatter add on our page and see what housings they offer.

HI!!!!

MikeVeitch, thank you for been the only one to answer.By the away do you know te resolution of the pc1000 is??

Thank you.

By the away do you know te resolution of the pc1000 is??

"The camcorder is equipped with three 1/6 inch CMOS sensors, each containing 670K effective pixels for video, and 690K for stills"

Full review here:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-...rder-Review.htm

Being a dweller of the U.K waters I agree on the three chip and white balance idea, as i started with a Sony TRV50 (1chip) which turned out, as i was a novice not to be that good. You can have a look at second hand Sony PD150 0r PD170's apparently you can get good deals on EBAY or dedicated camcorder shops, ex-demo models. They are renouned for their low light performance 2 and 1lux..

Myself, I'm going more towards High-Def like the A1E..Not as good on the LUX factor (7lux) but then you could always get some lights..?

Dive safe

DeanB

I am currently using a PC1000 camera with a Gates housing.

I love it. I am going to post some footage tomorrow, I will post some here also.

Hello everyone, as you have probably noticed i have had to edit and delete a few posts on here.

Lets try to keep things to a friendly level.

Humour and funny comments are always welcome but lets not divulge into personal attacks please.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread....

Hi all !!

First of all I'm sorry for the previous post , my bad.

Does for example a 1 chip camera with 3 MP better than a 3 chip camera with the same resolution?? What's the difference ?

Thank you

Hi Lula,

Being a novice as well i will explain it the best I can:

The chip is a charged couple device (CCD) that processes the colours that the camera uses to make the picture as natural as can be (sorry bare with me) as with a single chip it has to cope with the information (colours) on its own.

A three chip camera allocates the primary colours in a prisim dividing the red green and blue to its allocated chip. less work better results.

I think thats right....?

I was once told this was a problem for low light and 1 chip was better for sensitivity. But as pixel counts in the chips get bigger this i think has changed..

Hope this helps

Divesafe

DeanB

from what i understand, the MEGAPIXEL has nothing to do with the VIDEO part at all, the MEGAPIXEL is only for when you taking still photos with the camcorder. it's the SIZE of the CCD that matters. The size of the CCD on a camcorder is different that on a digital still camera because of the resolution of TVs and such... that's where the whole NTSC(648 x 486) / PAL (720 x 486) format comes into play (i won't even muddy the waters further by dwelving into 4:3 vs 16:9 aspect ratios). but the manufactures keep TRYING to make camcorders behave like digitial still cameras cos the 'consumer 'wants it - and it kinda makes sense - i mean you're already toting around this piece of equipment with lenses and stuff.... but truthfully... does ANYBODY stop videoing something to take a still picture of it?

anyHoo... found this on HOW STUFF WORKS website.... they've said it better than i ever could

http://stuffguide.howstuffworks.com/digita...rder-casual.htm

Consider CCDs

Though it may seem like an esoteric, technical detail, pay close attention to the camera's charged coupled device, or CCD. The CCD is the image sensor inside the camcorder that's responsible for capturing light as pixels. The CCD detects and translates the brightness of all three primary colors (red, blue and green), and uses this information to produce the final image.

CCDs are small and are sometimes measured in fractions of inches. Bigger CCDs are better. And while it may not seem like there's much of a difference between a 1/6-inch CCD and a 1/4-inch CCD, there is. If you've narrowed your camcorder choices down to two or three, let the CCD size be the determining factor.

In the past, most mid-range consumer camcorders have had one CCD, while higher-end professional and prosumer models have typically used three. However, these days manufacturers are starting to offer three CCDs on some of their more affordable camcorder lines. If it fits in your budget, look for a 3CCD camcorder.

Last word: When you're evaluating the CCD, you'll often see a pixel designation. While more pixels may result in a somewhat sharper image, you shouldn't worry too much as long as the CCD has at least 340K pixels. If you're looking for a camcorder that can also capture digital still photos, the amount of pixels becomes a much more important consideration (more on stills later).

Yea, everyone is pretty much right on.

I would not worry about the MP count of a video camera. It doesn't affect the quality of the video.

A lot of Sony video cameras come equipped with a memory stick and the option to take a still photo and store it directly on there as opposed to capturing a frame from the video. But, when you are in fast paced shooting, as Meekal said, i don't think i would ever turn the camera to still mode to take a photo.

The photos from video cameras i think will be pretty crap no matter if 1mb or 3mb. I think you would be better off capturing it all on tape and then getting a frame from the tape and interpolating it into a still. Sure its a little more work but then you can get any composition you want from the tape...

SO, LULA, don't worry about the MP count, it doesn't affect video quality. Take the 3CCD camera, you will get better colours. Even the stills will have better colour too, if not as high a resolution