Camcorder Buying Guide

mitchbuchannon | Nov 20, 2009 | View Comments

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canon_fs200_vanity350 Digital Camcorders are ideal for those people who want to capture the interesting and memorable incidents in life in vivid detail but want something more than still images. With time the technology used in digital camcorders has progressed by leaps and bounds and their size has reduced considerably. While the latest camcorders are not as compact as digital still cameras, they still can be taken in small travel bags. Smaller size pocket camcorders are also available but they cannot match the quality of professional level video recorders. Anyhow, a person who wants to buy a camcorder for personal use needs to know certain aspects of digital videography well.

The first important aspect a person needs to consider before selecting a camcorder is the recording media used by the model. Generally, three types of camcorders are available in the market these days. The entry level camcorders use MiniDV as the footage storage medium. While storing media on steps may seem outdated in this digital era, it remains the most affordable option. One drawback is that the footage is recorded in a linear way making random access an impossible task. The second type of camcorders uses MiniDVD as the recording media. These models are supported by a number of PC based video editing applications. However, Mini-DVD discs are not available everywhere. The hard drive based camcorders are most expensive among the lot. They offer plenty of storage and shooting randomly becomes easier with these models. Some manufacturers are also offering camcorders that use SD and SDHC cards as the storage medium. This is better for fast and hassle free data transfer between the camcorder and the PC.
Another question that haunts many camcorder buyers is whether they should buy a HD enabled model or a device that records in standard definition. The majority of the camcorders nowadays support 720p HD video recording but it results in huge footage files. Some of the HD camcorders use the latest AVCHD format and this is not supported by a lot of PC based editing applications. Besides, the users need a really powerful PC to capture and edit HD content from a camcorder.

Apart from the storage and recording format, the buyers need to check the hardware features of a camcorder carefully before purchasing it. Almost all camcorders have an integrated LCD that acts as the viewfinder and also plays back the recorded footage. A LCD that is viewable in sunlight and large in size is always desirable. Some models have separate viewfinders as well. Widescreen LCD is ideal for those camcorders that records in widescreen format.

To record the faraway scenes and objects every camcorder have lens with zooming capability. The buyers need to know the optical zoom level of a camcorder as the digital zoom affects the picture quality. To minimize accidental shakes, the camcorders have image stabilization feature. A camcorder that has optical image stabilization should be preferred over another that has electronic image stabilization. A video footage cannot be complete without recording the sound and hence the position of the mic in a camcorder plays a vital role. Other factors that control a camcorder’s performance are low light shooting mode, noise cancellation, menu controls etc. Therefore a camcorder buyer needs to look into these aspects as well before he purchases a model.