Cmos vs. ccd which is best?

Question

i want to buy a nice hi-def camcorder. does this technology really make that big a difference? I have friends who are indie filmakers that swear by the 3 ccd. does it really matter?

Answer 1

There's an article about the difference between CCD and CMOS at the link.  I think you may be confusing two different issues though - the 3 CCD fans are probably comparing them with single CCD camcorders rather than 3 CMOS camcorders.  3 imaging chips give you better colour fidelity, possibly at the cost of reduced low light performance.

Answer 2

It seems you have combined 2 separate issues.

1.  CMOS vs CCD:  Which is Better?

Neither is better - your choice depends upon your filming needs

http://motionpicturecentral.com/forum/cm...

2.  3CCD vs a single chip: Which is Better?

3CCD is usually the best choice with a few exceptions that you need to be aware of

http://motionpicturecentral.com/forum/3-...

Answer 3

Yes it does, you have a dedicated image device for the three primary colours (split by a prism behind the lens)  this gives far more colour information on the tape.

Single chip cameras use a bayer array, where there is a lot of guesswork going on.  They aren't terrible, just 3x image device is the way to go.

I prefer CCD to CMOS, CCD is well established and the signal seems to respond better to gain than with CMOS cameras.

Check out these other important points:

Size of sensor: you want at least 1/3rd of an inch.  The bigger the better.

No of diaphragm blades: at least 6, less looks terrible on out of focus areas and highlights, the more the better the bokeh.