What does a camera engineer do?
Camera engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real camera engineer resumes:
- Resolve EMC issues with existing products.
- Used broadcast camera to shoot sports for college TV station
- Coordinate with other camera operators and photography director to ensure professional video footage.
- Mail tapes, progress reports, production notes and footage to MTV's NY office.
Camera engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 59% of Camera Engineers are proficient in Design Methodology, Camera Module, and CG. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Camera Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Design Methodology, 59%
Established 3D modeling tools and electrical simulation for correct by design methodology.
- Camera Module, 29%
Coordinated the integration and architecture of the system level camera module between the electrical, mechanical, and software design teams.
- CG, 12%
Programmed CG, scoreboards, and still store
"design methodology," "camera module," and "cg" are among the most common skills that camera engineers use at work. You can find even more camera engineer responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a camera engineer to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "film and video editors and camera operators must communicate with other members of a production team, including producers and directors, to ensure that the project goes smoothly." Camera engineers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "live studio production experience operating camera, and giving cues as directed using headset etiquette and communication. "
Computer skills. Another essential skill to perform camera engineer duties is computer skills. Camera engineers responsibilities require that "film and video editors must use sophisticated editing software." Camera engineers also use computer skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "scan documents and verify the quality of the document images scanned into the computer system. "
Creativity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of camera engineers is creativity. This skill is critical to many everyday camera engineer duties, as "film and video editors and camera operators should be able to imagine what the result of their filming or editing will look like to an audience." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "live video production of scientific conferences across america inventory and product control content knowledge customer and sales representative"
Detail oriented. camera engineer responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "editors look at every frame of film and decide what should be kept or cut in order to maintain the best content." This resume example shows what camera engineers do with detail oriented on a typical day: "report news stories for publication or broadcast, describing the background and details of events. "
Hand-eye coordination. A commonly-found skill in camera engineer job descriptions, "hand-eye coordination" is essential to what camera engineers do. Camera engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "camera operators need to be able to move about the action while holding a camera steady." You can also see how camera engineer duties rely on hand-eye coordination in this resume example: "filmed in coordination with the director of photography"
Physical stamina. Another skill commonly found on camera engineer job descriptions is "physical stamina." It can come up quite often in camera engineer duties, since "camera operators may need to carry heavy equipment for long periods, particularly when they are filming on location." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day camera engineer responsibilities: "operated cameras during physical shoot to deliver quality footage and photography. "
The three companies that hire the most camera engineers are:
- Apple20 camera engineers jobs
- Lucid Motors7 camera engineers jobs
- Qualcomm5 camera engineers jobs
Compare different camera engineers
Camera engineer vs. Live truck technician
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, camera engineer responsibilities require skills like "cmos," "design methodology," "camera module," and "camera sensor." Meanwhile a typical live truck technician has skills in areas such as "audio systems," "audio board," "medical appointments," and "epic." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, live truck technicians reach lower levels of education than camera engineers. Live truck technicians are 7.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Camera engineer vs. Floor director
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that camera engineer responsibilities requires skills like "cmos," "design methodology," "camera module," and "camera sensor." But a floor director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "studio cameras," "teleprompter," "video equipment," and "audio board."
In general, floor directors achieve lower levels of education than camera engineers. They're 7.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for camera engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Galen Duree
Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Camera engineer vs. Director of photography
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, camera engineers are more likely to have skills like "cmos," "design methodology," "camera module," and "camera sensor." But a director of photography is more likely to have skills like "video projects," "dp," "adobe photoshop," and "sony."
Directors of photography typically earn similar educational levels compared to camera engineers. Specifically, they're 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Camera engineer vs. News videographer
Types of camera engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
