I need to know what the differences between CCD sizes means and whether one is better than another?

Question

Hi there, i am out to buy a camcorder and am becoming quite baffled by it all. One that i have found which looks good states to only have a CCD resolution of 123k Pixels which looks really bad against others with 800k is 123 better than 800 or not and why, please help. The camera that i am looking at can be found at this website. http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~HIT-DZHS500E~dept~camcorders~subdept~HARDDISCCAMCORDERS~brand~hitachi.htm#_

Answer 1

For one, 3 CCDs is generally better than 1 CCD.  This leads to better color rendering.  This is a standard in virtually ALL professional camcorders.

As for CCD size....

A CCD doesn't need a HUGE number of pixels for video.  Video formats are standardized.  You'll find that when compared to still images, the resolution of video is actually quite small, even in professionally-produced TV shows.  It's a standard format, and the resolution of video depends on what part of the world you live in (NTSC / PAL / SECAM format).

The SIZE (inches/cm) of the CCD is more important for video quality.  If the pixels are bigger, each pixel can "read" more light, leading to a higher-quality image.  You can fit bigger pixels on a CCD if there are fewer pixels to take up the space.  If there are too many pixels packed into a small space, this can actually REDUCE video image quality, especially in low light; each pixel is smaller, can't get as much light as quickly, and this won't create such a great image.

With higher pixel COUNTS, a camcorder can take higher-resolution STILL images.  However, you'll find that the better video cameras don't advertise very high-resolution STILL images.  They are video-dedicated, and don't compromise video quality for still image quality.

So, 123k for VIDEO can often be better, but don't expect the best still images.  If you're not worrying about still images at all, then forget about the word "megapixels" and look for actual CCD size (inches/cm) instead.