Video camera

A video camera is a tool that captures videos, unlike a movie camera that records on film. Video cameras were first made for television, but now people use them for many different things.

Video cameras are used in two main ways. The first is for live television, where the camera shows real time pictures right away on a screen. Some cameras still help with live TV, but many are now used for security, military, and other jobs where people need to see things from far away or secretly. The second way is by saving pictures on a storage device to watch later. For a long time, videotape was used, but today we use optical disc, hard disk, and flash memory.

Recorded video is used to make TV shows, but it is also often used for surveillance and to watch places when people can't be there all the time. This helps people check back on what happened later if they need to.

Types and uses

Modern video cameras come in many different designs and are used for many purposes.

Professional video cameras are used for making television shows. They can be set up in a studio or taken to different places. These cameras let the person operating them make many adjustments by hand.

Camcorders are small cameras that are easy to carry. People used to use them a lot for making home movies and for news reporting. Today, most small video cameras are also camcorders because they record digitally. Some special small cameras, called action cameras, can record in every direction.

Some video cameras are used to keep an eye on places, like stores or offices. These are often small and can move or zoom in on things from far away.

Many computers have webcams that show live video on the screen. Also, most phones today have built-in video cameras and can even record very clear video.

Special video cameras are also used for scientific work, like on satellites or in hospitals. Some of these cameras can see heat or other kinds of light that people cannot see.

History

The earliest video cameras used a mechanical system called the Nipkow disk in the early 1900s. By the 1930s, electronic designs with special tubes took over. These cameras were used until the 1980s when new sensors changed everything.

Today’s video cameras use tiny sensors made with advanced technology. These sensors started with the invention of the MOSFET at Bell Labs in 1959. They improved over time and allowed for digital video recording. This made video cameras easier to use and more reliable. By the early 2000s, most video cameras were digital.

Recording media

Early video could not be recorded directly. In 1927, John Logie Baird tried a new way using discs called Phonovision, but it couldn’t be played back then. Later, in the 1980s, the video was finally recovered.

In 1951, tape was first used to record video. In 1956, Ampex made the first system for selling video called Quadruplex videotape. Two years later, they made a system for colour video. In 1967, Sony made the DV-2400, the first portable system you could use outside a studio. In 1981, the Betacam system let the tape recorder be built right into the camera, creating the first camcorder.

Lens mounts

Some video cameras have built-in lenses. Others use different lenses that can be changed. These lenses connect using special mounts. For example, Panavision PV and Arri PL are used for movie cameras. Canon EF and Sony E are used in still photography. There are also mounts like S-mount used for security cameras.