Parts
A video camera is comprised of three basic parts that allow it to function. The first is a camera unit, which consists of a lens, a charge-coupled device (CCD), and motors that are in charge of the focus, zoom and aperture. The second part is the VCR, and is located inside the video camera. The VCR works just like the one in most homes, except it is scaled down to fit inside the camera. The third part is a viewfinder, which allows you to see what you are shooting, and receives the video image. Depending on the camera, a viewfinder can come various shapes and sizes.
Image
The lens in a video camera focuses the light, and shines it into a small semiconductor image sensor. The sensor, or CCD, measures light using a 1/2-inch panel of 300,000 to 500,000 light-sensitive diodes called photosites. Each photosite measures the amount of light at a particular point. It then translates that information into electrons; brighter images have a higher electrical charge, and darker images have a lower electrical charge. The CCD is able to create a video picture by recording the light intensity in objects, which produces a picture on the viewfinder.
Recording
Once you install a blank video tape and hit the "Record" button, the camera is able to receive visual information and interpret that information into an electric video signal. The VCR receives the electrical video signals, then records the images on to a videotape as magnetic patterns. Once the images are recorded onto the videotape, they are available for playback on the VCR component in the video camera.
Tags: video camera, electrical charge, images have, information into, that information