Tips On How to Buy a Digital Camcorder

Digital camcorders make shooting video and editing it on your home computer a breeze; here’s an overview to the different formats and a guide to what’s best for you.

Which Format Is Right For You?

: Image via Wikipedia

Tapes used to be the sole option, but no longer. If you are unable to quite choose whether your video recorder purchase should be primarily based on tape, mini-DVD, drive, flash storage, or SD / SDHC card, be certain to consider the following benefits and disadvantages of each mpeg recorder type.

MiniDV tape camcorders:

Tapes could be old-style, but they do offer a selection of benefits. They are simple to repository, so long as you’ve got the shelf space.

Tape-based video recorders are typically less expensive than Mini-DVD or storage-based models, also. Outputting your photographs to a P. C. for editing is also less complicated, as DV and HDV photos works alongside any modern revising program–and on slower Computers .

For the present, tape offers better video quality than any other mpeg recorder type.

that can change very shortly, though ; newer storage-based video recorders record high definition video at a bit rate of 24mbps, which interprets into more recorded info per frame of video and sharper pictures. The main downsides include the price of regularly purchasing tapes ; the undeniable fact that footage is recorded linearly and can not be accessed at random, as it can be on DVD and storage-based video recorders ; the bulkier size of tapes ; and the proven fact that tapes degrade over a period of time.

Mini-DVD camcorders:

DVD video recorders are usually not much bigger than MiniDV video recorders and noticeably bigger than storage-based video recorders. Many video modifying applications will now let you import or edit video recorded with a DVD video recorder.

An advantage naturally, is that you can pop the disc out of the video recorder and into a DVD set-top player”but keep in mind that if you have a slot-loading optical drive on your laptop, these smaller discs may not fit. Mini-DVD discs are often harder to find than MiniDV tapes, as well as a bit dearer. You also will not get the same video quality as you get with lots MiniDV- or storage-based video recorders.

Hard-drive and flash-drive camcorders: Tapeless video recorders are the wave of the future, as more and more major sellers are making the switch to hard-drive- and flash-storage-based models. The real benefit here is not needing to frequently buy tapes or DVDs as storage media, though you will need masses of Computer storage to dump your footage from the mpeg recorder. Storage-based video recorders are also handy when it comes to accessing ( or removing ) clips haphazardly. Hard-drive-based models offer more storage facility, but are also more at the mercy of long term wear than flash-storage-based models thanks to the drive’s moving parts.

Another consideration : It’s infrequently more suitable to have a discernible medium such as tapes or DVDs if you are counting on backing up your pictures.

SD and SDHC card camcorders: With removable flash storage beefing up to astronomic gig levels, many major sellers are also changing to SD- and SDHC-card based video recorders, as well as offering SD / SDHC card slots as a secondary form of storage for hard-drive, flash-drive, tape-based, and DVD-based video recorders. This is a helpful option if you have already got a high-capacity SD card or a P.

C. with a card slot or card reader : You can just pop the card out of your mpeg recorder and transfer pictures without hooking up the camera itself.

What’s more, many new HDTVs, digital photograph frames, and home-entertainment parts have SD / SDHC card slots built in, so you can watch your pictures without connecting your mpeg recorder via wires. Not all SD-compatible devices are also compatible with SDHC cards so take care that any devices you intend to use an SDHC card with are mentioned as SDHC-compatible.

High Definition or Standard Definition?

Most camcorder makers now offer models that record in high-definition ; while these models capture beautiful photos, using high-def includes significant constraints. The video recorders themselves are seriously dearer than standard-resolution video recorders, and not all video modifying software will let you edit HD photos.

There’s also the codec issue to consider : Many storage-based HD video recorders use AVCHD compression, which isn’t compatible with all video editing programs.

AVCHD needs top end revising apartments , for example Height Studio And twelve or Adobe Premiere Elements seven. What’s more, you will need a more-powerful PC ( ideally, a 2.66-GHz Intel Core two Quad Core CPU at the bare minimum ) to deal with the modifying process. High definition miniDV video recorders typically use the HDV format, which works with more video revising apartments ( including Windows Picture Maker HD and Apple iMovie ). Also, even if your revising application does handle HD, you may not be in a position to output your flicks to a simply viewable high definition format–often, these modifying apps let you burn only a standard-definition disc.

Screen:

Having a massive LCD screen built into the mpeg recorder allows you to easier see what you are recording and helps playback previews.

take care when thinking about a video recorder’s screen, though–some do not work well in bright daylight, an environment in which you’ll regularly use the device. Most video recorders come with both an LCD screen and a viewfinder, giving you the choice to use either.

The viewfinder can be helpful if you cannot see the screen in intense light ; it also uses less power than the screen, extending the camcorder battery’s life.

Also, if you’re considering buying a mpeg recorder that may shoot in wide-screen ( 720-by-480-pixel ) format, look for a video recorder with a wide-screen LCD, so it will not crop your perspective of the video you are shooting.

Lens: Each video recorder incorporates a zoom lens that can let you get nearer to your subject.

The spec for max optical zoom is the more interesting figure : It implies the maximum zoom the mpeg recorder can achieve by moving its lens elements.

Most modern video recorders have at least a 10X optical zoom, which should be more than sufficient for general purposes.

A digital zoom, on the other hand, magnifies after the optical zoom is entirely extended, and the video recorder then enlarges part of the image to fill the screen. This strategy leads to grainy, pixelated, and often unpleasant-looking pictures. At higher digital zoom settings, the quality is so poor that you regularly can’t see what you are taping.

Image stabilization: All camcorders offer one of 2 sorts of image stabilization–optical or electronic–to reduce nervous video due to wobbly hands. With optical stabilization, the mpeg recorder’s lens mechanism moves to compensate for external movement.

With electronic image stabilization, the image caught by the lens “floats” on the CCD, and the mpeg recorder uses internal circuitry after the image has been caught to translate the video. Optical stabilization often supplies the most impressive results ; during the past it was sometimes found in dearer video recorders, but nowadays some tolerably priced models have it too.

Batteries: The amount of recording and playback time you get out of a battery varies, but most camcorders should be able to record for at least an hour with the included battery. Additional higher-capacity batteries typically cost from $50 to $100.

Microphones: Sound is as crucial to a video as the photographs. We’ve revealed that camcorders with microphones mounted in the front have a tendency to produce better sound than those with microphones on the pinnacle of the unit ; top-mounted microphones often pick up the voice of the person operating the camera, drowning out the rest. Some video recorders offer zoom microphones that emphasise the topic’s voice when the zoom lens is utilized, and some also come with a socket for plugging in an external microphone.

Either sort of microphone can be extremely helpful when you are recording displays or speeches.

Still photography:

Many digital video recorders can serve as digital cameras, saving still photographs to a memory card or to tape. Some can save photographs at the same resolution as a 5-megapixel camera ( but keep a look out for models that produce interpolated high-resolution photographs from lower-resolution CCDs ).

not one of the camcorders we’ve tested has performed as well at taking still photos as a dedicated still camera–they don’t supply the same level of control or the same image-quality.

Controls: We have found that smaller camcorders can be a little more difficult to use because their controls don’t naturally sit where your fingers fall, particularly if you have large hands. Of course, heavy, bulky models can bcome tiring to carry, so strive for a balance.

Low-light modes: Many camcorders have the facility to film in awfully low light, whether with the aid of an infrared light, a special slow-shutter mode that makes the best of background lighting, or inbuilt illumination from a number of LEDs.

These modes can be very helpful in poorly illuminated settings, but video captured with these tools enabled will not be nearly as good as video caught in well-lit settings. As an example, slow-shutter modes may lead to moving subjects to smear or spook.

Format: Most video recorders use the MiniDV and DVD formats, but models that capture high definition pictures to onboard hard drives and flash drives customarily employ the AVCHD format. AVCHD has not lived up to its total potential yet, as many video revising programs can’t deal with that format.

What’s more, you can need a stronger PC to edit your pictures. MiniDV models still capture the best-quality video, but maybe not for much longer : more modern AVCHD video recorders can record high definition video at a bit rate of 24mbps, which interprets into more recorded information per frame of video and sharper photographs.

Wide-screen shooting: Several camcorders now allow you to shoot in the 16:9 aspect ratio used by HDTVs, even if the camcorders still shoot in standard-definition resolution. Note that some camcorders use a CCD with a native 16:9 orientation, so you get the full resolution of the CCD when you shoot in wide-screen format, whereas others use a CCD with a traditional 4:3 orientation and thus use only a portion of that CCD when doing wide-screen shooting.

The Specs Explained

While a digital camcorder’s specifications don’t tell the whole story, they can help you narrow your choices. You can use the camcorder’s price, along with specs like LCD screen size, weight, and type of microphone, to weed out the ones that won’t work for you.

Keep in mind that while a big LCD screen and lots of extra features justify a higher price, ease of use and overall size are also important considerations. Even the lightest camcorder won’t do you much good if the controls are too small for your hands; always try the camcorder out before you buy. Remember that the lightest cameras may sacrifice other features, and will often have a top-mounted microphone simply because there’s nowhere else to put it. But weight may be an important enough consideration to justify these trade-offs.

Digital and optical zoom specs don’t tend to vary much across categories, and thus aren’t represented here. Most modern camcorders come with at least a 10X optical zoom. Don’t pay too much attention to the digital zoom, which simply enlarges the image the lens captures. The optical zoom is far more important. In the semi-pro range, you can expect to get a lens with higher-quality optics.

Important: Weight

A camcorder’s weight is a key factor in how easy it is to use; it affects whether you decide to carry it along on your outings. Weight is also one of the most important issues affecting camcorder price: Tiny camcorders often mean higher cost, at least in consumer models. And often those tiny camcorders will have less-capable lenses, fewer features, and harder-to-use controls.

Important: Recording Media

DVD and hard-drive models are fast becoming the most commonly available types; MiniDV models are growing more scarce, even though at this writing they still capture the best video quality and allow the easiest editing. To help you pick which recording media type might be best for your needs, read our explanation of the pros and cons of each camcorder type.

Somewhat Important: Microphone Placement

Look for a front-mounted microphone, if possible. But if you have to settle for a top-mounted mic, look for one with an audio-zoom function. Also look for the ability to connect an external microphone, especially if you anticipate shooting stationary subjects.

Somewhat Important: Low-Light Modes

Special infrared or long shutter modes allow you to shoot in very little light. Higher-end models include battery-thrifty LED illumination built into the camera (but this method doesn’t work nearly as well as a dedicated, external video light).

Somewhat Important: Screen Size

A bigger screen makes it simpler to see what you are recording and helps playback. But remember the screen size will cause a drain on your mpeg recorder’s battery life, particularly if the video recorder uses that LCD as its only viewfinder.

in simple terms a large, bright LCD will drain your camera’s battery faster. Although some models have whopping, 3-plus-inch screens, those large LCDs eventually will make the mpeg recorder bigger, too ).

As for touch screens, that is a private call ; many new video recorders offer access to menu selections and playback controls thru a touchscreen LCD, that might be bad depending on your preferences ( and how clean your fingers are ).

Minor: Ports

Most MiniDV camcorders have FireWire ports for transferring video to your computer; some models will also let you transfer video by using a USB 2.0 port (and if the camcorder captures still images, it will almost always let you transfer them via USB). Almost all models have S-Video-out and/or composite-out ports so you can view footage on a television, but some models also have S-Video-in and composite-in ports, which allow you to record from other sources such as older analog camcorders.

Digital Camcorder Shopping Tips

Are you ready to buy a digital camcorder? PC World’s recommendations can help you find a camcorder that’s right for you.

Check out the LCD screen in daylight, if possible. Some screens will wash out in bright sunlight, and you’ll want to make sure you can easily see what you’re recording under any conditions. If you can’t see the screen in bright daylight, try using the viewfinder: It can help get the job done without eating up a lot of battery power.

Look at the lens’s optical zoom ratio instead of the digital zoom ratio. With a digital zoom, the camcorder is only enlarging the image in the viewfinder instead of really giving you a closer look. The optical zoom spec is more important–you’ll want at least 10X optical zoom.

For longer recording times, buy an extra, higher-capacity battery. The battery that comes with most camcorders often lasts only an hour or so. For $50 to $100, you can buy a longer-lasting battery, so factor that into your cost if you think you’ll need it. (Remember, however, that larger batteries add to the camera’s weight.)

Front-mounted microphones get better results. Top-mounted microphones tend to capture the voice of the person using the camera, drowning out everything else.

Buy an external microphone for the best sound. Factor in an extra $50 to $100 for an external microphone if you want the best sound possible. Make sure, of course, that your camcorder has a place for you to plug it in.

Try out the camera’s controls before you buy. Sometimes the smallest camcorders can be difficult to use, especially if you have large hands. A larger model may work better for you if it’s more comfortable to handle.

Check out exposure controls. All camcorders offer a fully automatic mode, but some models have manual and semimanual exposure modes. For example, some models let you shoot at slower shutter speeds than others, or have aperture settings that allow more light in. Many also offer scene modes, which you might be familiar with from digital still cameras.

Low-light options let you shoot in dim settings. Many cameras offer an infrared light or a long shutter mode to help you capture images in darkness.

Look for wide-screen shooting. If you own an HDTV, you’ll get a full picture (no black bars at the top and bottom) if you shoot with a wide-screen model.

Pick the right format.

MiniDV video recorders are still the best shot re software compatibility, and purchasing an HD mpeg recorder may mean you will need to bulk up your PC and your video editing package as well.

Do not expect to edit photos caught with an AVCHD video recorder using most video modifying programs. What’s more, you will have to use a modifying program that supports the MPEG compression format for mini-DVDs, or first convert the video into a format the program understands.