What are the differences between a camcorder and a professional video camera?

Are there huge differences in the video quality you can get from a HD consumer camcorder and a little “professional” cameras…the type videographers and local news stations use on location. What are the other main differences in capability?

Answer by CT_Gambler777
yes, the speed at which frames are captured can range drastically….along with resolution…..I’m not a pro, but i’m sticking to my answer

Answer by Little Dog
Consumer camcorders have small lenses and small imaging chip(s). This combination results in their not doing too well in low-light situations. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have much larger lenses and larger imaging chips.

Consumer camcorders’ manual controls are generally not easily accessible. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have easily accessible manual zoom, manual focus, manual iris/exposure, manual shutter and manual audio controls… and neutral density filters and video gain control.

Many consumer camcorders generally do not have any mic jack or other audio-in capability other than the built-in mics. A few have a 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo mic jack (but generally no manual audio control). Prosumer models generally have a 1/8″ (3.5mm) stereo mic jack with manual audio control. Pro-grade camcorders have built-in XLR audio connectors.

Consumer camcorders are generally built to be used hand-held, even though no one should ever do that. Prosumer models are larger – and while designed to be hand held, rarely are; the large ENG (Electronic News Gathering) pro models are nearly always shoulder mountable. The advantage of the shoulder mount translates into a much steadier shot – though a tripod or camera crane or other steadying device would be steadier than shoulder mount.

Other features like frame rate, interlaced vs progressive frame capture, add-on lens selection and quality, LANC (a wired remote) jack availability, matte box availability, filter selection, will also come into play.

You will also find that the vast majority of the pro camcorders use miniDV tape or save to an external hard drive that stores in DV or HDV format (same as miniDV tape). Panasonic has a few new internal hard drive or flash memory pro-grade camcorders. Red has a family of them. Sony, Canon and JVC pro lines continue to be on the DV/HDV page.

In good daylight, tripod mounted, no movement of the subject or the camera, with normal audio levels, it would be a challenge to differentiate 1080i/p 30fps video. Deviate from this, and the differences get very obvious, very quickly. Video is captured under lots of different lighting conditions, there may not be time to set up a tripod, and audio levels can be from 0 to REALLY LOUD in an instant… and the reason we capture video is for the motion…

Under many conditions, the ENG camcorder audio is not even used even though it is captured – an external field recorder (Edirol, Zoom, Marantz, M-Audio, Fostex) is used to capture the audio you end up hearing on TV and a separate audio person is employed just to be sure the audio is correctly captured.

So yes, there are huge differences – which is why a low-end consumer camcorder costs less than $ 300 and a decent pro camcorder can be as low as $ 3,000 or as high as $ 60,000…

But a skilled person with a low-end camcorder will always capture much better video than a non-skilled person with the most expensive camcorder…

Answer by mpcsecondtime
First and foremost, a camcorder is a Camera and a Recording device in one unit. Most of the professional cameras you are talking about are camcorders like their consumer counterparts. Having said that, the main difference between the professional cameras and the compact consumer models are the lenses as well as the size and number of imaging sensors or chips.

The professional lenses include longer zoom capability matched with high-grade optical stabilizers. The image sensors are normally 2-3 times the size, capability, and quality of those in consumer camcorders. The average consumer camcorders has one single image sensor processing all of the light at once while professional camcorders normally have a prism splitting the light spectrum into three equal divisions for 3 chips (red, green, and blue). This allows 3 high grade chips to process more light than one single less capable chip trying to process all of the same amount of light at once. You can compare this to 3 experts doing the same work that one untrained person is trying to do.

All of these differences add up to a much butter picture in both quality and clarity. The professional camcorders will also include other capabilities such as being able to film at different rates; such as the venerable 24 frame rate which matches film and ultra-quick 60p for recording high quality high-speed action or making slow-motion video. The color correction, exposure, and white balance control on professional camcorders is also much better.

You really get what you pay for in professional cameras, but they are not for everyone and every situation. If you do not have the need for such features, a consumer camcorder will be fine for you.

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Lance Murphey’s Camera


Image by jwinfred
For the commercial, and television production professional, the XH A1 combines the outstanding performance of a 3CCD, High Definition camcorder with an array of advanced features — all in a compact design. Plus, with its Genuine Canon 20x HD Video Professional L Series Fluorite Zoom Lens, 1/3" Native 16:9 CCDs (1440 x 1080), and DIGIC DV II image processing, the XH A1 ensures uncompromising image quality.

Answer by Zito
We have 7 years making tv commercials and 3 with a sony z1, and we never didn’t make any hd commercial but a bunch of private events.
Check what you need because the z1 don’t have progressive recording,on the other side you can have a very good standard def.
I don’t know the Panasonic or JVC but i know you can have an excellent material with them.

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