History of personal video cameras
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Videos weren’t always as easy to make as we find it nowadays. The size has changed from being a monster machine to a small camcorder to fit in you palm. These cameras also had to be maintained constantly during a shoot or they would overheat. Nowadays, camcorders are high quality machines. The evolution has been successful.
When some of the older videographers wanted to shoot a movie in the past, they would have to lug around a refrigerator sized video camera. Of course no one ever did. The videotape in this video camera would be two inches wide and that took up a lot of the room. This made portable video imaging almost impossible.
Later, in the early seventies the video camera evolved into a “suitcase sized” camera from the “monster machines”. The videotapes for these were ¾ in. to one in. wide which was over twice as small as the original video cameras. This video camera was movable though heaps of equipment had to be moved but it could be done. Most people used trucks like they did with anything bigger.
When the videographers would make a video they would have to constantly maintain the electrical tubes that would change the light into electrical pulses. If these tubes weren’t cooled and maintained constantly, they would burn out and have to be replaced. Not to mention that you wouldn’t be able to complete your video and would have to start over with new equipment.
Nowadays camcorders have digital memory and there is no need for videotape. They are also wireless and can connect to the internet. What will be the next accessory? Images could become 3-D and will look the same on the screen as off. Nobody knows what the future holds but all we know is that in a couple decades, present day camcorders will be nothing of value if you’re looking for a quality video.
In Conclusion, camcorders have evolved since they were invented and they will evolve more. Camcorders will always play a roll in my lifetime. It will be interesting seeing the difference between the home video of my 10th birthday and the one of my child’s. These are thing we can only wait and see how it works out.






