Facts About the Camcorder
Camcorders let you record everything from favorite sporting events to life's important moments with all the sound, color and movement. Their falling prices, portability and ease-of-use have put them in the hands of everybody from children to business executives. The best way to evaluate one is to go to your local electronics retailer and play with the floor model.
Manufacturers
Sony leads the manufacturing market with more models than anyone else. Other popular brands include Canon, Panasonic, JVC, Samsung and Hitachi. Expect to pay $300 to $500 for a good-quality model. However, prices range from $100 for a Flip camcorder that records at YouTube quality all the way to several thousands for professional rigs.
Media
The miniDV format uses a special cassette tape and allows frame-by-frame editing. However, you cannot jump randomly at any point in the video and transfers to a PC require that you play the entire tape in real-time. DVD and memory stick camcorders record video on compact media that can be randomly accessed and quickly transferred. Hard drives eliminate the need for any recording media and can store several hours, more than any other format. Combo models combine the capacity of hard drives and the flexibility of compact media.
Resolution
The cheaper standard definition is fine if you play your videos on smaller sets or upload them to the Internet. However, if you have a newer high definition (HD) set, your recordings will appear pixelated. In this case, buy an HD model, which is more expensive but can record at 720p or 1080i resolution, which is currently the best resolution. Note that the higher the resolution, the more storage space it takes.
Ports
A camcorder may feature a variety of input and output ports for attaching transfer cables and peripherals. Be sure the ports match whatever devices you intend to use. For example, if your computer uses Firewire ports, make sure your camera has Firewire input because most camcorders typically have USB. Most camcorders have standard plug-in jacks that allows the use of off-the-shelf microphones and lights. However, Sony is notorious for using its own proprietary hardware formats that require you to buy their accessories.
Features
Flip-out liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are common to consumer versions. Viewfinders are rare except on expensive professional models. Image stabilization reduces shaking from handheld filming. Optical zoom relies on lenses to increase picture size, producing better image quality than a digital zoom. All cameras will have an auto setting that adjusts the shutter speed, aperture and focus. If you prefer to adjust these manually, make sure the camcorder has controls for doing so.
Tags: compact media, make sure
