Resolution of New Low Cost Cameras $3K HDV - 40K HD
by jack gordon
on
Oct 8, 2005 at 3:25:16 pm
It seems all pretty much the same. Per Panasonic Europe brochure their 40,000 euro HDX-400 1080/25p DVCPRO HD 2/3" camcorder resolves only 700 horizontal lines. The brochure also states 6.7:1 compression. Sony HDV compression varies from 4.7 to 14.7:1, depending on amount of image movement. I asume the new HVX200 will not have any significantly different resolution. Still there is more to picture quality than resolution.
HDX-400 resolves in 1080p about the same as Varicam does in 720p.
You have to move up to a lot more expensive HDCAM to get 1000 lines of resolution.
What does it mean? We all know that image quality on Varicam is superb. The performance our little cameras, mine is Z1, is just amazing.
Re: Resolution of New Low Cost Cameras $3K HDV - 40K HD by Graeme Nattress on Oct 10, 2005 at 1:11:00 am
Ah, but you misquote!
You say "700 horizontal lines", which to anyone reading it would mean 700 lines of vertical resolution, as vertical resolution is measured in horizontal lines. But...
Panasonic say "700 TV Lines a centre", which is a measurement of horizontal resolution, not the vertical resolution you imply from your quote. Also TV lines, as you know, are TV lines per picture height, which given it's a 16:9 camera, would imply a horizontal resolution in absolute terms 1244 lines, which is about right for a sensor with 1280 with horizontal pixels, is it not??
Vertical resolution is not mentioned by Panasonic.
Graeme
- www.nattress.com - Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP
Re: Resolution of New Low Cost Cameras $3K HDV - 40K HD by Graeme Nattress on Oct 10, 2005 at 1:11:00 am
Ah, but you misquote!
You say "700 horizontal lines", which to anyone reading it would mean 700 lines of vertical resolution, as vertical resolution is measured in horizontal lines. But...
Panasonic say "700 TV Lines a centre", which is a measurement of horizontal resolution, not the vertical resolution you imply from your quote. Also TV lines, as you know, are TV lines per picture height, which given it's a 16:9 camera, would imply a horizontal resolution in absolute terms 1244 lines, which is about right for a sensor with 1280 with horizontal pixels, is it not??
Vertical resolution is not mentioned by Panasonic.
Graeme
- www.nattress.com - Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP
Re: Resolution of New Low Cost Cameras $3K HDV - 40K HD by jack gordon on Oct 10, 2005 at 2:16:44 am
Of course I meant horizontal resolution. I know how resolution is measured. Plus I referenced my post. 700 line spec on 1080p camera costing tens of thousands of dollars? Sony $1.8K HDV consumer camera has 800 line horizotal resolution.
Re: Resolution of New Low Cost Cameras $3K HDV - 40K HD by Graeme Nattress on Oct 10, 2005 at 1:23:20 pm
But:
a) That resolution vanishes when the camera moves, like you indicate in your other post. Whether it is visible to the eye or not, that resolution is for still images only
b) Most monitors / projectors / TVs that people watch HD don't have enough resolution anyway to see much at that detail
c) Resolution is less important than contrast when looking at overall picture quality, hence a larger chip with a lower resolution, and better glass on the camera will produce an overall better looking, lower noise, higher dynamic range image.
d) There's no point producing resolution beyond the limits of your recording format.
e) The specmanship game of "my resolution is better than yours" gets us no-where. Resolution does not, never has, and never will define "picture quality" in any meaningful way without the incorporation of a multitude of other factors like I mention in C) above, and hence, quite pointless beyond checking that any gear meets it's rated specs so you know that it's functioning correctly. You can't compare picture quality by comparing numbers, you've actually got to look at the images. It's just the same with egonomics - you've got to actually use the device, not just look at pictures of it.
Graeme
- www.nattress.com - Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP
