Digital Cinematography

11

The camera

The television image

Before we can discuss the workings of the camera it is important to understand how a modern video camera transforms the optical image coming out of the back of the lens into a format that can be recorded as an electronic signal which can then, later, be reconstituted into an optical image on the television screen.

The basic principle is very simple and has been used for many years in the publishing industry. If you break down an image into very small sections and give each of those sections a value, this can be recorded. If you look at any of the illustrations in this book, at first sight they seem to be composed of perfectly even areas of greys for the black and white illustrations and many very realistic colours ...