Small camcorders performing poorly in low light, Superbit DVDs
Week 10, 2003
Q) I purchased a very small Sony MiniDV digital camcorder (around $1,000) to make videos of my one year-old son. I have not had it long but my results are a very mixed bag. My videos outside look absolutely beautiful, like watching a regular channel on TV; my videos in our house look lousy and kind of grainy. The camcorder is too small to mount a decent video light on it, and most lights make everything unnatural anyway, lots of shadows. If I return my Sony and get a different digital camcorder, what would you recommend to get better video quality inside? I want my results to look professional both inside and out!
-T.M. Bielecki, Castle Shannon
A) You have touched upon one of the most vexing drawbacks of the new miniature camcorders: many of them perform poorly in low-light situations, despite outstanding performance in good lighting. Much of this is because along with a small camcorder you get a small CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) chip. The CCD chip is the electronic sensor that is used to record your video images, and small ones don’t gather light as well as big ones. This can result in poor image quality in certain situations where light is not abundant.
If you are serious about upgrading your digital camcorder to get better video quality in
low-light, you must spend much more than the $1,000 you have already invested in your small Sony. The two leading “prosumer” (suitable for both professional and consumer use) camcorders are the Canon GL2 and Sony VX2000. Both sell for over $2,500 and work well in low light situations, which is one of the reasons they are popular with wedding videographers. I doubt you would be disappointed with the performance of either, but besides the expense, the capabilities and features of these cameras are probably overkill for your intended use.
From the information you have provided me, the best path to great-looking videos inside your home may be to use an off-camera video light. If you are looking for a natural look, you should use a light mounted in a softbox, which diffuses and spreads the light evenly. A company called Photoflex (www.photoflex.com) makes an excellent system called the Starlite Digital Lighting Kit which provides everything you need for around $300.00. This is much less expensive than buying a larger and pricier high-end camcorder, and having a light you can move and control will open up new videomaking possibilities for you.
If you do get an off-camera light, be sure to white balance your camera manually every time you use it. Check your camera’s operating manual for the correct procedure. With proper lighting and white balancing, your videos will look better than they ever did before.
Q) Don, I’ve heard a lot about the new Superbit DVD’s. What does Superbit mean? Are they really any better than regular DVD’s?
-Chuck Evans, Pittsburgh
A) Superbit DVDs are special editions that emphasize video and sound quality. On a Superbit DVD, the digital space on the DVD (bits) is used almost exclusively to produce very high image and sound quality, and the difference is noticeable on a top-notch television and sound system. This improved audio and video quality comes at a cost beyond the difference in price. Because almost all the space on the disc is used to optimize video and sound quality, little or no space remains for special DVD features such as deleted scenes and theatrical trailers. Movie fans should evaluate their priorities and decide whether they want the features of a regular DVD, or the performance of a Superbit edition.
