Comparison Panasonic HC-VX980 vs Panasonic HC-WX970

Focal length of a standard video camera lens in terms of a 35 mm full-frame sensor. This parameter is also called the "equivalent focal length" — EFL.

The focal length itself is the distance from the optical centre of the lens (when focus to infinity) to the sensor, at which the sharpest image is obtained on the sensor. It is one of the key characteristics of any lens, because. determines the viewing angles, the degree of approximation and, accordingly, the specifics of the use of optics. At the same time, it is impossible to compare different options in terms of the actual focal length: the laws of physics are such that with different sizes of sensors, the same focal length will give different viewing angles. Therefore, EFL was adopted as a universal characteristic and criterion for comparison. It can be described as the focal length that a 35mm lens with the same viewing angles would have.

The larger the focal length, the narrower the viewing angle will be and the higher the degree of approximation of the visible scene. Optics with EFL up to 18 mm belongs to the class of ultra wide-angle ("fisheye") and is used primarily to create artistic effects. Distances up to 40 mm correspond to "wide angles", 50 mm gives the same degree of approximation as that of the naked eye, the range of 70-100 mm is considered optimal for portrait shooting, and large values allow the use of optics already as a telephoto lens. Knowing these provisions, one can approximately...evaluate the capabilities of the lens and its suitability for certain tasks; there are more detailed recommendations, they are described in special sources.

Also note that modern video cameras are usually equipped with lenses with a variable focal length (zoom), which allows you to change the degree of approximation and viewing angle; see "Optical Zoom" for details.

Video file formats that the camera can use to store recorded footage. If you want to view these materials using a separate device (player, media centre, etc.), you should make sure that this player supports the appropriate formats, otherwise conversion may be necessary.

The data transfer speed provided by the camera when recording video. This parameter is also called bitrate (i.e., the number of bits per unit of time). For any file format used for recording, the general rule is that the higher the bitrate, the better the image quality (especially for formats that use lossy compression). On the other hand, high speed have appropriate requirements for the capabilities of the memory cards used — for more details, see "Memory card support"; and it increases the size of the file accordingly. Therefore, many modern camcorders are able to work with different bitrates; this allows you to choose the best option depending on what is more important for you at the moment — maximum quality or the ability to work with a slow card.

At the same time, we note that in terms of quality, this parameter is important mainly for professional video shooting. If you need a camera for amateur purposes, there is no need to look for the maximum bitrate: after all, such models (and memory cards for them) cost accordingly.

The range of shutter speeds in which the camera is capable of operating during the shooting process.

Initially, shutter speed is the time during which light affects the photosensitive material (film) when shooting a single frame. For digital sensors, this is the period of time during which an image is read from the sensor to build a separate frame. When shooting video, this interval cannot be more than 1/n, where n is the frame rate (see above), but it can be less — for example, shooting at a frame rate of 30 fps and shutter speed of each frame 1/60 s. There are no such restrictions for the photo mode.

Long exposures are good because they allow the sensor to take in more light — accordingly, the “picture” is brighter, which is especially important in low light. At the same time, they increase the likelihood of getting a blurry image — due to the rapid movement of objects in the frame, the operator's hand shaking and other random camera movements that even the stabilization system is unable to compensate for. This effect can be useful for artistic motion blur, especially when shooting video, but in photo mode it is most often undesirable. Fast shutter speeds, on the other hand, allow you to get clear shots, but with less light, and in the case of video, even with the effect of sharp, jerky movements.

Accordingly, different exposure time options will be optimal for each situation, and the wider their range, the more opportunities the came...ra has to adjust to specific conditions.

Presets and white balance adjustment modes provided by the camera.

White balance is a characteristic that describes the qualities of the lighting of the scene and the distortion that this lighting introduces into the colours perceived by the camera. Its used because modern digital sensors are unable to independently adjust to different light sources, as the human eye does. In fact, this means that the same object shot under lighting with different colour temperatures (for example, under a “warm” incandescent lamp and a “cold” fluorescent lamp) will look different without adjustment. To avoid this, the white balance setting is applied.

The main options for such a setting used in modern cameras are as follows:

— Auto. In accordance with the name, in this mode, the camera electronics independently evaluates the specifics of the illumination of the scene being shot and makes appropriate corrections to the colour reproduction. This adjustment is the most convenient for the operator, because. does not require any additional actions from him — everything is done by automation. At the same time, no such adjustment system is perfect, and does not always provide 100% white balance for the current situation. Therefore, even in the simplest models like pocket ones (see "Features"), this option is rarely the only one, not to mention professional equipment.

— Presets. The ability to select white balance from several options that correspond to...standard shooting conditions — for example, “sunny day”, “cloudy”, “fluorescent lamp”, “incandescent lamp”, etc. Such a system is quite simple even for inexperienced users and at the same time quite reliable and versatile, although its specific capabilities directly depend on the number of presets.

— Manual. Manual white balance setting assumes that the operator himself “tells” the camera which object to consider pure white — based on this, the electronics calculate the lighting characteristics (unlike automatic mode, when the reference object is also determined without user involvement). The easiest way to do this is to use a regular sheet of paper, but the procedure also works with neutral grey objects. Manual mode allows you to very accurately set the white balance for a particular scene, but it requires some time and appropriate skills — and therefore is used mainly in professional camcorders.

— Temperature control. This function allows you to set a specific value for the colour temperature of the light source (in kelvins) — it is this temperature that will correspond to the white balance when shooting. This setup format is faster and more convenient than manual setup, but is not widely used. This is due to the fact that it is well suited only for studio conditions, where the characteristics of each light source are precisely known — in other cases, manual adjustment is usually more reliable.

The number of auto exposure modes (scene programs) provided in the camera design.

Exposure is a certain combination of the main shooting parameters — shutter speed, aperture and sensor sensitivity. Different situations may require different combinations to obtain the best image quality. For example, for shooting dynamic scenes, relatively fast shutter speeds are required to avoid blurring each frame — and for normal illumination of each frame, you need to open the aperture or increase the sensitivity. In portrait shooting, the conditions are dictated by the aperture, etc. Auto exposure makes it much easier to set all the parameters mentioned — instead of selecting a combination manually, the operator just needs to turn on a certain scene programme on the camera.

The more auto exposure modes, the more extensive the camera's ability to adjust to a specific situation, the easier it is to work with it under a wide variety of shooting conditions. At the same time, it is worth noting that when calculating these modes, our catalog takes into account not only automated presets (“portrait”, “beach”, “sunset”, etc.), but also “full automatic”, when the camera itself determines the specifics of the scene, and a fully manual setting mode.

A list of scene programs (also known as auto exposure modes) provided in the camera design. See "Auto exposure" for details on the meaning of these programs.

This function, in accordance with the name, implies the presence of a second camera in the design, the image from which can be recorded simultaneously with the “picture” from the main optics. Such a camera is usually located on a folding screen and is made rotatable, which gives expanded possibilities for its use: for example, the operator can simultaneously film both what is happening and himself; or you can use an additional camera for a wide-angle image, and work with the main optics at high magnifications. Recording in Twin Camera mode is done on a picture-in-picture basis; at the same time, some cameras allow you to simultaneously record an image from the main optics in the usual mode, without an additional window with a picture from the second camera.

Possibility of taking photos during video recording. Usually it is implemented by a separate button, when pressed, the camera captures the visible image as a photo without interrupting video recording.

Of course, modern technologies allow you to save individual frames from an already finished video, but simultaneous photography compares favorably in two ways. Firstly, the resolution of the “picture” in photo mode is often higher than in video recording, and secondly, the procedure of processing a photo differs from the method for processing video frames and allows you to get a better image. So if you need the ability to highlight individual moments in the filmed events, it makes sense to choose a model with this function.