Cameras for Compositing

I know this has been done in some detail before, but I have been trying to figure out the following: What is a good camera for blue-screen compositing? I have a used an 8-mm and a MiniDV with Adobe AfterEffects, and it seems that the 8mm tapes work better than the DV (maybe because the DV is compressed). Anyway, would a higher-end DV camera help, or should I attempt the find a really good quality optical camera?

 

I have no idea on this but I have another question that goes along with it.

Digital 8 isnt compressed? [face_shocked]

Digital 8's better then DV?

 

Minidv, if you can.

Digital 8 uses the same compression algorithm as minidv, it's just that typically, the digital 8 cameras are worse (and digital 8 is a proprietary format, so it's only compatible with sony cameras.)

Never use 8mm or less (vhs anything), if you can. And anything above minidv is too expensive...just go with minidv if you can, but digital 8 is fine...a lot of people here work with it.

 

To elaborate on what silverfox said:

MiniDV and Digi8 use the same DV compression. So, theoretically, the image will be the same, for the most part. If you want to get the best results possibly, buy a 3 ccd camera, as they will pick up color better than a single ccd. Also, and probably more importantly, make sure you light your green or blue screen evenly and completely.

As a side note, I read somewhere that for DV cameras, green tends to key better than blue. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I read it, so take that with a grain of salt.

-tm

 

If you want to get the best results possibly, buy a 3 ccd camera, as they will pick up color better than a single ccd.

I know 3CCD is better image quality, but does 3CCD reduce film grain?

 

AWB, you should know better than to ask about film grain on video.

The video noise is part of the camera's signal-to-noise ratio, which is a measure of how strong the signal is compared to the background white noise. A weaker ratio will let noise bleed into the image. 3CCD or 1CCD technically doesn't factor in, but generically, the bigger the chip (e.g. 1/3" better than 1/6") and the more high-quality (i.e. expensive) the camera, the better the SNR. Using a "gain" function to brighten the image reduces the SNR, too.