Camcorders Buying Guide

Camcorders Basics

If you haven't used a camcorder in a while, get ready for a very pleasant surprise! Advances in digital technology have taken the once cumbersome video camera and evolved it into a sleek and manageable necessity. Whether you're trying to capture your baby's first steps or record the ultimate vacation video, you'll need to know which camcorders will work best for you. Here are a few of the basics to help you decide.

Digital 8 camcorders
Digital 8 camcorders record studio-quality, 500 line resolution video onto inexpensive analog Hi8 tapes. They work by transmitting analog information into bytes of data, which can be transferred to computers for editing and copying.
Pros: Digital 8 is a great low budget solution for those looking to playback old 8mm and Hi8 tapes. Hi-8mm tapes are inexpensive and hold up to 60 minutes of footage. Hi-8mm tapes can be copied without losing quality.
Cons: Digital 8 cameras tend to be larger and heavier than DV cameras and are becoming less popular as many consumers are turning to the fully digital MiniDV format.
Price: Around $300

DVD camcorders
DVD camcorders transfer their digital images directly to a DVD, producing excellent quality video. They're a great way to start creating your own home movie DVD collection. DVDs come in a number of formats (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM) so, if you want to watch your videos on your DVD player, be sure that your camcorder and DVD player support the same DVD disc formats.
Pros: Convenience. DVD camcorders record video directly onto DVDs. You can view your videos immediately on a computer or standard DVD player, eliminating the need to transfer your recording to another media format. This is great if you?re filming kids - they can watch themselves right away on TV!
Cons: DVD video can be difficult to edit in many video editing programs.
Price: $400 to $900

MiniDV camcorders
MiniDV camcorders are the most popular type of digital camcorder available. They're somewhat smaller than standard digital camcorders and some Mini DV models have up to 530 lines of video resolution, contributing to this format's popularity among consumers and semiprofessional video producers. The high image quality of digital video recorded on a Mini DV cassette is identical to or better than the quality of digital video recorded on a Hi8 or 8mm cassette by a Digital 8 camcorder.
Pros: Due to the popularity of the Mini DV, you'll have a wider variety of choices than any other format. This is a great choice for any budget.
Cons: Because of its compact design, the menu buttons are sometimes difficult to access.
Price: $250 to $4,500 for professional models

Features to Consider
Think about where you will be using your camcorder to decide which features are most important to you. If you will be mainly recording indoor events you'll need a camcorder that performs well in low light conditions. If you're primarily going to be outdoors recording fast motion activities such as your child's soccer game, you'll need a camcorder with image stabilization assistance to help keep your shots steady.

Here are a few of the basic features to consider:

Battery Life
Battery life is a crucial factor in getting the most use of your camcorder. Look for models that have an on-screen battery life display as these will let you know when your battery is becoming low and needs to be recharged. The average camcorder battery lasts about 1-2 hours so investing in a second battery pack is always a good idea.

Cables
Cables to connect your camcorder to your television are not always included. Audio/visual RCA (Radio Corporation of America) composite cables are the most common way to hook-up your camcorder to your TV. These are single pronged cables that carry both audio and video signals to your television using a composite signal. If you prefer higher quality playback, you can use the S-Video (Separate Video) connection with a single 4-pin S-Video cable. This will provide you with the highest quality picture available for home cinema today.

Digital Still Capture
This allows you to use your digital camcorder as a point-and-shoot camera. Most camcorders with still capture capabilities store the still photos on a separate memory card rather than saving it with the video to the digital tape. This handy feature could eliminate the need to carry a separate camcorder and digital camera with you while you're on vacation.

Focus
Focus is the action of adjusting the camcorder's lens so that the images appear sharp and well defined. Most camcorders use an electronic system of menus rather than a traditional lens ring for setting and adjusting focus.
Manual focus
Manual focus is the ability to disable the camcorder's automatic focusing system allowing you to adjust the lens incrementally by hand. Manual focus becomes important in low light, macro or special effect photography where the camcorder is unable to automatically lock on the video subject.

Auto focus or Auto Focus Automatic
An auto focus feature adjusts the camcorder's lens, focusing on the subject directly in front of the camcorder without manual intervention.

Image stabilization
Keep your images steady without having to use a base or tri-pod to support the camcorder. Image stabilization is a digital process that attempts to shift the subject content horizontally or vertically by a few pixels to match the content of the previous frame. The downside of this feature is that sometimes it can cause the vertical resolution to suffer.

Low Light Performance
Poor low light performance is one of the most critical weaknesses of camcorders today. Many rooms are lit well enough for the human eye to see clearly but you'll often notice the video you've recorded in that same room may be dark or grainy. Therefore, you'll want a camcorder with a low "Lux" rating, .3 being the best 7 being the worst (1 Lux is equal to the amount of light produced by one candle). This rating will tell you how much light is needed for the camera to operate and capture video.

Night Vision
Night vision is the ability to capture and record video in complete darkness. The video recording is often very grainy and difficult to watch. Night vision is often used by the military for surveillance.

Screens
Camcorders have LCD screens that allow you to review the images that you have recorded. A large screen will make a difference when you're watching the video playback or performing in-camera editing. Swivel screens come in handy for situations where your subject is not directly in front of you - or for taking self portraits.

Video Resolution
Video resolution is measured by the lines of pixels displayed across the width and height of the screen. Higher resolution means that you'll get clear, crisp images. Camcorder beginners may be comfortable with a resolution in the 200 range while professionals require upwards of 500 lines of video resolution to achieve studio quality results.

Zoom
Zoom is the action of shifting the focal length of the camera's lens to make your subject appear larger in the frame. It can be accomplished either optically or digitally.
Optical Zoom
Also referred to as "true zoom" or "real zoom", optical zoom achieves its magnification by moving parts of the lens forward or backwards. This magnifies the image while retaining maximum quality.

Digital Zoom
Digital Zoom uses a magnification process called interpolation, which artificially enhances the image by adding pixels, often resulting in poor quality images.