Category — 3ccd

I stumbled upon this website called Justin.TV, which is of course all about Justin. He’s this crazy 23 year old kid who wears a camera all day/nite.

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They even joke that he’ll wear it until the day he dies. So when he’s on a date or goes to the bathroom, it’s broadcast on the internet. Why? I have no idea. He says he just wanted to expose people to his life. I guess he thinks it’s cool and interesting. Sounds a bit egomaniacal to me. I don’t think he’s using a top of the line 3ccd camcorder or anything. The footage is a bit rough and takes awhile to even out (at least from the little I watched today).

*image from justin.tv via webware.com

I’ve been hooked on these BBC crime dramas. They have this weekly program, “Mystery Mondays”, where they show them back to back. They use top of the line 3ccd camcorders. They’re not using some canon mini dv camcorder, it looks very filmic.

With tv shows it seems, that is it very hard to get the technical specifications (i.e. what type of cameras they use). I feel like it’s just assumed, that it’s television and that’s not relevant. With film, I feel like people study it and take it as something more deliberate.

Nevertheless, I think these dramas are engaging and more interesting than anything on “CSI”. The American shows try and glitz everything up with the CGI of the body’s decomposition. On “Silent Witness”, one of the BBC dramas, they were following serial killers who trying to prove their philosophical ideas with murder. More of a thinking man’s tv show than just straightforward action. It’s about characters and the story. It doesn’t have boring “Masterpiece theater” type of pontification. It’s just intelligent stories with good acting.

Read up about the shows on BBC’s site.

When buying or considering a camcorder, there are different ccd levels. The ccd is the “charge-coupled device”. It’s basically the sensor that captures the light (i.e. the image). If you have a bigger ccd, you can pick up more light. The ccd is the like the film in a film camera.

The two basic types are the 1ccd or 3ccd. The panasonic GS300 is a good 3ccd camcorder. And there are tons of inexpensive 1ccd camcorders.

If your into film and movies, like me, I ‘d spring for a 3ccd. It’s digital though, so a 1ccd isn’t crap. It’s really about what kind of an investment you are willing to make. If you’re a parent, and just want to film your kid’s play, then a 3ccd is a bit excessive. But some people only want the best.

Personally, I’m on the market for a 3ccd.

More info on CCDs at How Stuff Works