I've always known that 3CCD cameras are the way to go as opposed to 1CCD, but how about cameras that have 1 CMOS sensor. Is 1 CMOS sensor going to suffer the same effects 1CCD has; less than great color reproduction?
Re: 3CCD vs 1CMOS by charlie steiner on May 24, 2008 at 11:39:22 pm
I have a 1-CMOS HDV camcorder and I love the look. to really know what it looks like you should go to a store where you can see the camera you're interested in on a monitor....
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Re: 3CCD vs 1CMOS by Ryan Mast on May 25, 2008 at 5:40:31 am
I was seriously surprised at how well the A1 (single-CMOS HDV) performed. Here's a video I created last summer, shot entirely on an A1:
You'll always have to do color correction, same as you would on a 3-chip. In good lighting, the single CMOS was close enough to the 3-chip CCD Z1 to combine footage, with a little tweaking.
The biggest difference is not the color or midtones; it's the highlights and dynamic range. A good 3-chip CCD has a little bit better dynamic range, and you're less likely to blow out colors (particularly skin tones) if it's a little overexposed. But, the CMOS chip won't smear with bright lights, like the CCD does. But the CMOS has occasional rolling shutter artifacts, depending on what you're shooting. I don't think either is "best;" it depends on your price range, what you're shooting, and what you're willing to live with.
On that video, I did do a lot of work to try to fix and enhance color -- sometimes replacing a blown-out sky with blue. I was also trying to make the camp look a little more colorful and appealing than it actually is... There was seriously no way to fix the pond, though. No way in the world to make that pond look good...
If a 1-chip CMOS is what fits your budget, go for it. Light well, and you'll be fine.
Re: 3CCD vs 1CMOS by Rob Grauert on May 25, 2008 at 10:54:31 pm
Great video. I'm not into God, but the production values were great.
Thanks for the input. As usual, this question gets the "depends what you're doing" phrase somewhere in the answer, which I'm content with. You've always got to think about what you're doing anyway.
I've still got my eye on the EX1 though. I was just curious about the single CMOS set up because someone asked about it and I didn't have the best answer.
