10/05/2011

History of the Video Camera

By Dave Lashier


It is almost a sure bet you or your family own a video camera or camcorder. These devices have been around for quite a while and have enabled many people to record the important moments of their lives like never before! For individuals born in the past 5 or 10 years, when you think of camcorders, you probably think of hand held mini dv camcorders which will fit in the palm of your hand, and can easily be taken anywhere, and can record any video imaginable. But, within the past 20 years or so, the camcorder has made great changes, not only in size, but in the capabilities of recording and capturing video, and the capabilities of editing these videos.

Camcorders used to be very large and bulky, nothing like the mini ones on the market today, which are probably 1/4 of the size of what you used to have to carry around with you to family vacations or sporting events. The camcorder was originally created for news and media stations, to catch news "on the run." But, today, camcorders can be used for any purpose, can be found in mini forms (there still are larger camcorders, but nowhere near the size they used to be), and they are also capable of recording in different video formats (depending on the media and they style you purchase). Uses of the camcorder/video camera are endless and are only limited by the users imagination.

So, when did video camera or camcorder make it into the everyday life of us Americans? Do you recall when you first were introduced to a camcorder? Camcorders are "portable electronic devices for recording image and audio together." Before the camcorder, individuals had to use both a camera, and an audio recorder to get both image and sound in one platform. The original use which the creator of the camcorder had in mind, was designed for media stations to catch news and broadcast television images to the public. These camcorders which were initially introduced were a blessing for news stations everywhere, as they now had the option to follow celebrities, breaking stories, and news anywhere in the world, rather than just sit at their desk and read about it.

Early video cameras and camcorders used by TV stations were very easy to spot in a crowd. Whenever a TV station was in the area filming a story there would be normally 3 or 4 people manning a special TV station van and one guy holding a large video camera on his shoulder. Early on camcorders were huge, and had to be mounted on a trolley for it to be maneuvered, and they were wired to remote recorders in separate rooms. Obviously technology has changed over the years and the size and ease of operation of Camcorders has dramatically improved.

So, go to your closet and pull out your newest camcorder and recognize all the advancements in technology that took place over the years to get the device where it is today. Although camcorders were intended only for media and news stations, the consumer has also joined the market for them. Today, camcorders are lightweight, fit in one hand, and are capable of capturing any image, in the highest possible audio and visual quality imaginable.




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