A camera that takes continuous pictures and generates a signal for display or recording. It captures images by breaking them down into a series of lines. For example, NTSC, the U.S. and Canadian analog standard uses 525 scan lines. Each line is scanned one at a time, and the continuously varying intensities of red, green and blue light across the line are filtered out and converted into a variable signal, which is most often converted to digital.
Although many models of analog camcorders and equipment are still available, the industry has long since switched to digital for video capture. See DV, AVCHD, digital camera, camcorder, video/TV history, NTSC and DTV.
This RCA video camera from 1939 used the all-electronic Iconoscope picture tube, but did not even have a viewfinder. That came later. Videotape recording would not come until 1956. (Image courtesy of Early Television Foundation, www.earlytelevision.org)
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