Capture technology just keeps getting smaller and better.

By Chuck Gloman

Tape has been around for quite some time, but the not-so-new kid on the block‚ solid-state recording‚ is creating quite a stir. Solid state technology uses card media to store your audio and video information. Here’s a brief roundup of what’s available from some of the larger manufacturers in solid-state technology.

Shooting with the Panasonic HMC40PUY.

Beginning with Panasonic, there are two distinct offerings in solid state: the Panasonic AG-HMC40, an AVCHD contender recording to an SD card; and the HPX300, which captures images to a P2 card.

Listing at $2,295, the AG-HMC40 is a 2 lb. wonder that records 1920x1080 HD video using MPEG-4 technology — that means 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p, 720/60p, 720/30p, and 720/24p utilizing three 1/4” CMOS chips. With a Leica lens, built in waveform monitor/vectorscope, and no standard-definition capability, the moving images from this camera are stunning. Your only limitations are the size of your SD card.

The $10,700 AG-HPX300 camera has three 1/3” CMOS chips and also records a full 1920x1080 onto Panasonic’s P2 card. This workhorse shoots in the same HD modes as the AG-HMC40 with the addition of DVCPRO HD’s megabyte rate. However, you also can record in DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO, and standard DV (480 lines). At five times the price you have better glass up front (17x verses 12x), HD and SD, and longer recording times onto the costly P2 cards. I intend to do a side-by-side comparison of both of these cameras shortly.

The Canon Vixia HF S11

Canon offers the $1,400 Vixia HF S11 camcorder which shoots to an internal 64 GB MPEG-4 flash drive. With five recording modes (LP, SP, XP+, FXP, and MXP), you get from six to 24 hours of material with the last two speeds being HD. Having just one CMOS sensor, image clarity will not equal larger three-chip models, but for the price there will be few complaints.

In the $800 price range, Canon recommends the Vixia HF200 camcorder with 1/4” CMOS chip. With a 32 GB SDHC card, that halves the recording time of the HF S11, but at half the price you still get true high-definition images.

JVC has the GY-HM100U, with three 1/4” CCDs, which needs a bit more light than comparable CMOS sensors. Also recording onto an SD card, the HM100U has two quality modes: HQ’s 1920x1080 with 1080p/60/30/24; 1440x1080 with 1080i/60; and 1280x720 with 720/60/30/24p. JVC’s SP mode has 1440 x 1080/60i, and 1280 x 720/60/30/24p. This $4,000 camcorder captures sharp images without breaking the bank.

Moving up to the Pro HD department at JVC is its GY-HM700UXT shoulder camcorder weighing in at $8,500. This camera features a detachable Canon 14x zoom lens and three large, 1/3” CCDs. Recording to two hot-swappable SDHC cards or SxS media, the HM700 has variable frame rate recording and data rates up to 35 Mb/s. Depending on the capacity of your storage media, the camera records in 1920x1080 including 1080p/24p, 30p, and 1080i/60; as well as 1280x720 with 720p/60, 30, and 24p.

Sony  offers multiple options with their disc-based XDCAM technology, which will be the topic of a future comparison.

It may be hard to decide which camera would best suit your needs. Most hard-drive-based cameras are considered prosumer but shouldn’t be overlooked. Several manufacturers also offer external hard drives that may be used to record your digital images in the field.

One of the greatest benefits of shooting solid state is that your recorded footage is immediately available for post production. Digitizing videotapes is a thing of the past. This factor alone saves time in editing. Images are available as thumbnail icons and are usually read as a hard drive once connected or inserted into your computer.

Final Cut, Avid, and Adobe Premiere all support solid state technology with their latest versions of software. Once you go solid state, it might be hard to go back.

Chuck Gloman is program director of the TV/Film Department as well as a member of the faculty at DeSales University. He may be reached chuck.gloman@desales.edu.