Comparison Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera vs Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

An image stabilization method provided in the design of a video camera. The stabilization function itself is designed to compensate for small camera shakes so that they are not noticeable in the image. This is especially true when shooting handheld, and in fact most modern models are designed specifically for such usage. According to the method of work, there are such options:

— Optical. A special mechanism with a system of gyroscopes and movable lenses, installed directly in the lens, is responsible for the operation of such stabilization systems. It introduces a correction for all tremors, vibrations, etc., and the “picture” falls on the already stabilized sensor. Optical systems are considered the most advanced and efficient, because. their work allows you to use the entire area of the sensor, fully exploit its capabilities and provide good image quality. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the increase in the cost and weight of the cameras, as well as a slight decrease in the reliability of the optics. At the same time, these moments are most often not critical, and stabilizers of this type can be used even in simple and inexpensive models.

— Electronic. Electronic stabilization is carried out due to the fact that not the entire area of the sensor, but only some of it, is involved in the formation of an image for a frame. Simply put, the camera electronics "takes into account" a certain area of the sensor and...transfers the image from it into the frame; and at small displacements, this "area of attention" is also displaced, due to which the visible image remains motionless. The advantages of electronic systems are simplicity of design, lightness, compactness and high reliability; they can be used with even the simplest lenses installed in pocket cameras (see “Features”). Their main disadvantage is the need to reserve a part of the sensor, which reduces the size and resolution of the actually involved area and adversely affects the image quality.

— Optical / electronic. In such systems, both the methods described above are used — both the mechanism in the lens and the reserve on the sensor. This provides extremely high vibration compensation efficiency — the image remains stable even in such conditions in which any single method would be useless. On the other hand, the disadvantages of both options also remain relevant, and the cost of cameras with this feature is quite high.

The highest frame rate provided by the camera when shooting video. The minimum frequency for normal viewing is the classic 24 fps used in cinema. At the same time, most modern video cameras are capable of providing up to 50 – 60 fps, and even higher frequencies can be used for the slow motion effect.

In fact, this indicator is important primarily when shooting dynamic scenes. The higher the frame rate, the smoother the fast motion will look in the frame, the less jerky it will be and the more pleasant the overall impression of the image will be. The reverse side of this is an increase in the size of recorded files (all other things being equal). Therefore, the frame rate can be made adjustable so that the operator can choose the best option for a particular situation.

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 format in which the camera records sound during video recording. Typically, this section indicates the number of channels and the sound system used, the file format, or the characteristics of the audio stream, such as "2ch Dolby Digital (AC-3)" or "PCM, 16bit 48kHz, 2ch". In order not to go into technical details, we note that two channels are the minimum required for surround sound (stereo), and advanced models can work with multi-channel sound like 5.1. As for other specifications, you should pay attention to them when choosing a professional device (see "Features") — in amateur and especially pocket cameras, the sound format does not play a special role. Specific features of various formats are described in special sources.

Diagonal size of the camcorder's own display in inches. The larger the display, the larger the image on it will be, the easier it will be to work with the screen both during the shooting process and when viewing the footage. On the other hand, a large screen has an effect on the size of the camera itself, you don’t need large sizes to work with a frame, and it’s more convenient to view the footage on a full-sized device like a TV. With this in mind, most modern models are equipped with displays with a diagonal of about 2 – 3.5"; larger screens are extremely rare — even in professional cameras (see "Features"), for which compactness is not a priority.

Memory cards types supported by the camcorder. In modern devices, there may be such options:

— SD (SDHC, SDXC). The most popular memory card format for various electronics, including camcorders. The original SD standard allows you to create storages up to 4 GB, the next SDHC — up to 32 GB, and its successor SDXC — up to 2 TB. Reading devices under a certain standard are compatible with earlier versions of cards, but not vice versa: for example, a camera with SD HC support will be able to work with regular SD, but not with SD XC. These types of cards may correspond to different speed classes. These classes are described in more detail in special sources, but here we note that class 4 is considered the minimum suitable option for recording Full HD video. And anyway, the speed of the card should not be lower than the video recording speed provided by the video camera (see above) — otherwise the device just can't function properly. It is also worth mentioning that the rather large size of SD cards (32x24 mm) makes it difficult to use them in portable devices; to solve the problem, the microSD standard appeared (see below).

— microSD. in internal design such cards are completely similar to the SD cards described above and differ from them only in their reduced size — 15x11 mm. This allows them to be used even in the most compact modern devices, however, with equal volume, such cards are more expensive than their full-size counterparts, and the size of m...ost modern camcorders allow the use of conventional SD. Therefore, this option is found only where compact size is crucial — primarily among pocket models (see "Features"). microSD cards also have HC and XC modifications and are divided into speed classes; they can be used in SD card readers using the simplest adapters, and sometimes without them at all.

— MMC. A standard similar in many respects to SD — up to the fact that such cards are fully compatible with SD card readers in terms of size and contacts. MMC capacity — up to 64 GB, however, they work a little slower. Because of this, this standard is practically not used “in its pure form”, its support is usually combined with support for the more popular SD.

— MS (Memory Stick). The standard created by Sony is used mainly in the technology of this company, including camcorders. There are many varieties of such media, and not all of them are mutually compatible. MS cards are quite expensive and not as versatile as SD cards, so many cameras that support them can also work with SD.

— CompactFlash (CF). A standard originally created for professional photography; among video cameras, it is also used in professional models (see "Features"). CF cards have a good capacity (up to 128 GB) and high speed; their main disadvantage is their large size, which limits their use in compact technology. There are two CF formats — Type I and Type II; cards of the second type are faster, but do not fit the card readers of the first type due to their greater thickness.

— SxS. The standard, created by Sony and SanDisk specifically for professional camcorders and film cameras, is used in top-class devices. Such cards have high speed of work due to the fact that they use the connection according to the PCI Express standard; and their shape allows to install them directly into the ExpressCard slot on a computer or laptop. The maximum capacity of such media is 32 GB.

— P2. A company standard created by Panasonic exclusively for professional video recording. Inside, the P2 card is an array of 4 SD storages, and externally it is identical to a PCMCIA computer card and can be installed directly into the appropriate slot. The volume of such media is up to 64 GB.

The number of slots for memory cards provided in the design of the camera. In our catalog, this parameter is indicated for those models that have more than one such slots. Most often in such cases there are two of them, but in high-end technology there may be more.

Several memory cards slots not only increase the maximum amount of installed storages, but also provide advanced options for working with them. One of the most useful of these features is the replacement of one of the cards in the process of shooting. Also additional cards can be used to create backup copies, to transfer these copies to other devices (for example, laptops) without removing the main card, etc.

— Component. An interface for transmitting a video signal in an analogue format, dividing the “picture” into three components (hence the name) and transmitting each of the components via a separate wire. Due to this, a fairly high image quality and good bandwidth are ensured: the component interface surpasses S-Video in quality and is suitable even for high definition (HD) operation. On the other hand, it does not provide working with audio — so if you want to hear sound, you will have to take care of a separate channel for its transmission. On stationary video equipment, three separate RCA connectors (“tulip”) are usually used for component connection, the same format can be used in professional video cameras, but in amateur models (see “Features”) the component output has a more compact design — for example, in the form of a 3.5 mm mini-jack socket.

— USB. A universal interface used in computer technology to connect various external peripherals. It is extremely widespread, available in the vast majority of modern desktop PCs and laptops. When connected to a computer via USB, the camcorder also functions as a peripheral device. The most popular use of this connection is for copying footage, but it may include other options depending on the model: remote control of the camera, firmware upgrade, USB streaming, webcam operation (see "Features") . In addition, it is this...interface that is used for direct copying to the HDD (ibid.); in this case, the camera plays the role of a control device, and the storage plays the role of a peripheral.

— HDMI. High-speed digital interface for transmitting video and audio signals over a single cable. Has enough bandwidth to work with high-definition video and multi-channel audio. The HDMI output in the camcorder is very convenient for using it as an external player when viewing footage: the vast majority of modern TVs and monitors have at least one input of this standard. It is also widely used in other video equipment.

— S-video. Interface for transmitting video signal in analogue format. Like component connection (see above), this standard does not work with audio and uses separate transmission of signal components — however, in this case there are 2 of these components, not 3. This, on the one hand, somewhat reduces the quality of the “picture”, on the other — allows you to use one cable and one connector instead of three. But one of the significant shortcomings of S-Video is the impossibility of working with HD — the bandwidth is only enough for a standard definition signal.

— IEEE 1394. Also known as FireWire. Although IEEE 1394 is now a very versatile interface used in computer technology, it was originally used specifically in camcorders — primarily to “capture” video from a magnetic tape and convert it to files. This application is relevant even now — almost all cameras with miniDV (see "Media type") have such an output, it is also found among other devices, mostly professional ones (see "Features"). A FireWire connection can provide other options – similar to the USB described above.

— SDI. A digital interface used to transmit video and audio signals, as well as service information. The bandwidth of SDI is somewhat lower than that of HDMI, but for a number of reasons it is much better suited for professional use and is quite widely used in related video equipment, including cameras. But in amateur models (see "Features"), the outputs of this standard are not installed.

— AV-output. Connector for transmitting video and audio in analogue format. This interface is also called "composite", but the classic composite input or output uses several RCA connectors (one for video and one for mono audio, or two for stereo). In camcorders, this interface is usually made in the form of a 3.5 mm jack (mini-jack), and appropriate cables are used to connect to full-size video equipment. The main advantage of the AV-output over other analogue standards (component and S-Video, see above) is the ability to transmit video and audio simultaneously. At the same time, in terms of image quality, it loses to the mentioned options due to the fact that all components of the video signal are transmitted over one cable and the resistance to interference is low.

— Microphone input. Connector for connecting an external microphone to the camcorder. This feature is important in cases where the microphone needs to be placed at some distance from the camera — for example, when shooting TV programs or reports. Professional models (see "Features") may have several of these inputs, and they can also be used for multi-channel audio recording and other specialized applications. Please note that XLR microphone connectors are listed separately in our catalog (see below).

— XLR microphone input. The presence in the design of the camera at least one input for an external microphone using an XLR connector. The role of the external microphone is described in detail above. As for XLR, it is an interface widely used in professional audio and video equipment, including cameras. Its main feature is the possibility of the so-called balanced connection; this connection is highly resistant to interference even with long cable lengths and is well suited for use with high quality microphones. The connector itself is quite large, but given the sizes of professional video cameras, this is not a drawback. It is worth noting that 1 channel of sound is transmitted through one XLR input, so several of them can be provided — usually two, for stereo recording.

— Headphone jack. The presence of a headphone output in the design of the video camera. The main function of this feature is to listen to the sound that accompanies the captured video. Headphones generally provide better quality than the built-in speaker (see "Features") and are even more comfortable in some situations, such as in a noisy environment or when silence is required. Another purpose of the headphones is to control the sound characteristics right during the recording process, but this feature is usually found in professional models (see "Features"). Most often, a standard 3.5 mm mini-jack socket is used as a connector, but there are other options; all of them are included in this section — except for the XLR described below.

— XLR headphone jack. The camcorder has a headphone output using an XLR connector. The features of the connector itself are described in detail above in the paragraph “XLR microphone input”, and the role of the headphones is described in the paragraph “Headphone output”. At the same time, we note that XLR, being a professional interface, is intended not so much for listening to recorded materials, but for other, more serious tasks — in particular, monitoring sound during filming.