DVCAM Guide

What is DVCAM?

DVCAM is Sony's proprietary extension of the DV format and is designed for professional use. Panasonic's own solution is the DVCPRO. DVCAM equipment is more rugged than DV cameras as it is used in news filming and on-the-road recording. They also record to a (slightly) higher quality than DV.

A DVCAM camcorder will take standard DV tape but because of it's wider track pitch and faster tape speeds - DVCAM tape travels at 28.193mm/second in NTSC/60Hz (DV is 18.182) or 28.221 mm/sec in PAL/50Hz (DV is 18.831) - you will typically get only about 65% of the normal storage capacity (i.e. a 60 min tape will give you up to 40 minutes). DVCAM tapes however are available for up to 3 hours of recording on the standard (large) size. A mini DVCAM cassette records up to 40 minutes.

Why DVCAM?

DVCAM will give you more reliable video and audio, locked audio, frame accurate editing, and will handle the rigours of location filming. DVCAM equipment is also better suited to extreme environments. It is advisable to use DVCAM tape rather than DV for it's durability, resistance to stretching/scratching and because of the extra precision that goes into it's manufacture. 

Some advantages of DVCAM

• 50% wider track pitch, higher S/N than consumer DV for greater data retention
• Spectacular multi-generation picture quality with fewer dropouts, robust error recovery
• Rugged camcorder designs with professional controls and capabilities, high-resolution B/W viewfinders etc
• Superior editing with frame accuracy, Pre-Read capability, and double-scan playback
• Powerful i.LINK® technology plus SDI, SDTI, and AES/EBU connectors for fast linear and nonlinear editing
• Multi-format flexibility: edit from all 25 Mbps format tapes (DVCAM, DV, DVCPRO)
• Up to 3-hour recording on a single advanced metal evaporated tape cassette.

Sony DVCAM