CCD

In the television and film world this is the part of the camera that senses the image and converts it into digital data. As such, the CCD is an extremely important part of any camera and fundamentally affects the quality of the picture produced. Camera manufacturers invest heavily in improving their CCDs and newer and better versions are constantly being developed.

Cheaper cameras use a single chip whereas more expensive cameras use 3 chips, one for each colour (red, green and blue).

Chip sizes are 1/3 inch, 1/2 inch or 2/3 inch. Larger chips have more pixels which therefore give a higher resolution picture.

High spec cameras such as Red One and the Sony F35 use much larger sensors giving very high resolution capable of producing images for cinema release.