The quality is superior to older analog formats. Another format, Digital 8, is one of the most recent additions to the digital video product line. These formats are primarily used in the broadcast industry by television stations, commercial and industrial producers. Professional filmmakers are beginning to use these digital formats to shoot movies and other entertainment features that were previously shot on film. In this course, we will not be using equipment in this category .
All camcorders share some common features.
They all use videotapes of some format on which the video information is recorded. They all also can record audio as well, usually from a built-in microphone or by connecting an external microphone to the camera. Some cameras have a fixed lens that is permanently attached to the camera while others may use interchangeable lenses. Many older cameras used a through the lens viewfinder which works the same way as a viewfinder on a 35mm camera. Newer camcorders use electronic viewfinders which are actually tiny television screens which display the image that the camera is seeing.