LESSON 4: THE CAMERA AND OTHER DIGITAL TOOLS

The human brain is equipped with very special device: logic. Logic, the art of non-contradictory identification, has the
following laws: the law of identity (A is A), the law of non-contradiction (A cannot be both A and not A), and the law
included middle (A must be either A or not A). this may not be making sense to you yet ,but simply put, logic is may
reasoning. For you to see how it works, read the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Aside from enjoying these classic
detective stories from sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you will see that logic is the perfect crime- and mystery-solving device.
To become a detective is to become an expert at logic! High-tech gadgets are nothing without logic.

The camera
Do you have the equipment needed for video production? The most basic digital tools for making your video are a
digital still camera and a video camera.

A digital still camera (also called digicam) takes still pictures which are stored in a media card. After taking pictures,
the media card can be removed and then inserted into a computer so you can upload the pictures you have taken.
The number of pictures you can take is based on the memory capacity of your media card.

A digital video camera takes moving pictures and stores them either a digital video cassette or a digital video disc.
More about these will be discussed in detail later. For now, let us take a better look at our digital video camera so we
can know how to use it.

Newer digital still cameras and digital video cameras have features to capture both still shot image and movies. The
difference between the two lies in the number of options available for still shot image and movies. Digital still cameras
have more options specialized for taking pictures in various environments and settings. Digital video cameras offer
more storage and have more settings to zoom in and out

LESSON OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Identify and handle the different camera parts.

2. Differentiate lens types and the image they create.
3. Identify the different camera movements.
4. Learn the kinds of shots to use.
5. Set up actual shots

LESSON OUTLINE

1. The camera
2. Storage
3. Different shots
4. Other Tools
Basic Digital Video Camera Parts and features

Different cameras that brands and models have their own unique features. But for starters, let us discuss the basic
features of a digital video camera:

1. Manual controls

look for camera that let you control the settings manually. Auto functions are convenient and will serve well
on most occasions but there are certain situations where beings able to manually control the focus, white
balance, and exposure is essential.
2. Audio-video in/out jack- you can connect your camera to a TV or monitor through a cable attached to your
AV in/out jack. This is useful if you want the image you recorded(or are recording ) to be viewed on TV.
3. Headphone jack- by connecting a pair of headphones to your camera, you will be able to monitor the sound
of your video. So, if any unwanted noise comes up, you can immediately make adjustments to avoid it.
4. Microphone jack- the microphone that comes with your camera is already of good quality but, for some
specialized uses such as when you want to get a clear interview of a person in a noisy room, you may need
to use an external microphone. You attach it to your camera though the microphone jack.
5. FireWire in/out—FireWire allows you to transfer audio and video data between your camera and computer.
This comes with all MiniDV and digital8 cameras.

Basic Digital Video arts and Functions

1. Viewfinder—the viewfinder allows you to see what your camera is recording information such as battery
life, time code, time left on tape, etc. may also be displayed.
2. LCD—the LCD on your camera usually swivels out from the side. It displays the same information that
you see on the viewfinder only larger. It allows you to make minor adjustments on focus and exposure
which may not be easily seen through the viewfinder.
3. Lens—the lens collects light and focuses the image onto your cameras sensor chip. It may come with a
manual focusing ring lets you adjust the focus.
4. Zoom Rocker—this lets you quickly adjust your lens angle from a wide-angle to a telephone lens
depending on the kind of shot you need to make.
5. Tape bay—the tape bay is where you put your tape. (Read your cameras instruction manual on how to
properly load your tape) with other cameras, it will have a slot flash drives such as an SD card or a
micro SD card. Other cameras do not have any tape bays or slots but have an internal hard disk drive
where the movie will be saved.
6. On-board Microphone—digital video cameras come with an on –board microphone which works fine for
ordinary use.
7. Record Button—one of the most important things to remember during a shoot is to press the record
button to begin recording. Many important shots have been lost because somebody forgot to this.
Conversely, remember to press this button again to stop recording. This saves you not only recording
space but editing time as well.
8. Battery—Each camera brand and model has its own battery pack. Make sure you use the right kind for
your camera.
9. Tripod mounting nut—this is found at the bottom of the camera. You secure the screw of your tripods
mounting plate onto this to mount your camera on the tripod.

Storage
  Digital Video (DV) Cassette—the smallest format of the DV cassette . called MiniDV, has the physical
dimensions of 65 x 48 x 12 millimeters. It can record 60 minutes of video at standard play (SP) or 90
minutes at Extended play or long play (EP/LP). Its video resolution is 720 x 480 pixels. This means that a
frame of video has 720 pixels of information horizontally and vertically.

 Digital versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc (DVD)—DVD is an optical disc media format that can be used for
data storage. DVDs look like CDs but they have bigger storage capacity. The latest digital video camera
models can store data directly onto a DVD. You can play it on DVD players, on the DVD-ROM drive of your
computer, and from the camera used in the recording itself.

 Hard Drives or Flash Drives—newer digital video cameras have to store the video in digital manner through
an internal hard drive or swappable flash drives such as an SD Card or MicroSD card. With flash drives ,you
may eject the drive from your digital video camera, you will need to connect the digital video camera to the
PC using a USB or Fire Wire cable.

CONNECT
Resolution
Most digital still cameras some with at least 2.0 megapixels (two million pixels). Besides taking pictures, they can
shoot and store video at a much lower resolution (320 x 240 pixels) than digital video cameras. It may be true that the
higher the resolution, the better the quality of the video, but remember that a higher resolution uses more memory
and hard drive space . it all boils down to the equipment you are using, the space and memory available on your
computer, and most importantly, your purpose for creating the video. If you want your video to be shown on a small
screen or on YouTube, a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels can be enough. On the other hand, if you want your video to
have a crisper quality, you need a higher resolution.

Different shots
We already discussed the different shot sizes and angle. We also talked about picture composition. This time, we
move on to exploring the other properties of a shot.

According to lens type

Wide-Angle Lens – A wide – angle lens can cover a large area. It is useful for long shots or for showing sceneries. Its
focal length (the distance from a lens to its focus) is shorter than that of a normal lens.

Narrow or telephoto lens—A narrow lens is useful for shooting object that are far from the camera. It is also useful for
showing details, as when shooting close-ups. A tripod is a necessity for these kinds of shot to avoid possible camera
shaking. Its focal length is considerably longer than that of a normal lens.

Zoom lens – digital cameras are sometimes equipped with a zoom lens. Zooming allow you to shoot a long, medium ,
close up shot all in one take without cutting and without moving at a fixed point. When zooming, it is important to
keep the movement as smooth as possible. You shouldn’t suddenly zoom in on a subject as this would result in a
jerky shot. Zooming in scenes used to be popular in the 1970s. these days, the technique is used to put emphasis on
an actor’s reaction.

According to camera Movement and Mounting

beside panning tilting and traveling, there are other shots that depend on camera movement and mounting.
Tracking/Crabbing shot – We track or “crab” by moving the camera left and right. Like the traveling shot, it is used to
follow action.

Dolly Shot – Dollying is done by moving the camera forward and backward. In dollying, you physically move the
camera, unlike in zooming
Crane Shot – doing this shot requires a “crane” where the camera is mounted. This is used to show a large expanse
of the setting, especially if you crane up high enough.

Handheld Shot – the camera movement will depend on the stability of the camera operator but it will certainly be
shaky, ranging from slightly noticeable to blurry images due to body movement. If you are going to shoot using a
handle held camera, find a position that is comfortable. Some shoot with one foot in front of the other .if you are
shooting a static shot, lean against a support such as a building or a post. Hold the camera close to your body.

Other tools
Cables
USB cables attach to the USB slot your camera (usually designated by this symbol:) on one end and to the USB port
of your computer on the other. Through this, you can transfer digital information to and from your devices.

The FireWire cable (also known as IEEE 1394) is commonly used for MiniDV video camera it transfer data more
quickly than a USB cable. However, you might need to buy a FireWire PCI card if your computer does not have one.

CONNECT
Color Systems
The Philippines (like the US and Canada) uses the NYSC color system while most European countries and some
Asian countries (like japan and china) use the PAL color system. One main differences between these color system
is the number of frames that are in each second of video. NTSC system have approximately 30 fps (frame per
second) of video, while PAL system have 25 fps. This is the reason why NTSC videos do not play well on PAL
system and vice versa. The sequential color with Memory (SECAM) is an analog color system invented in France. It
is the first European color television standards. Always make sure you know what color system you are recording in
to avoid complications in post – production.

Computer Specs
You can use regular personal computer (PC). But since you will be working with videos and pictures, you need a
computer with more speed and power so as to accommodate the data processes. The following specifications are
recommended.
 Intel or AMD Dual Core processor
 1 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
 Monitor (800 x 600 screen resolution, 16-bit color depth)
 CD-ROM drive (16x speed)
 256 MB video card
 Sound card with line-in and microphone and speaker/headset
 USB 2.0 port

Software
Most computer operating system already come with their own video capturing and editing software. The windows OS
for example, has Movie Maker while the Mac OS has iMovie. Likewise, your digital camera is bundled with drivers
and software that you can use for capturing and editing video footage. Aside from these, there are also freeware and
open source software available on the internet. Any of these options will do fine. Choose one that you can work with
comfortably.