How to Buy a Digital Camcorder
Your First One
for you to get the best deal for your video camera.
If you are looking to buy your first digital camcorder, you will need information on the following areas - Brands, Cost, and Features.
Based on the information you gather in these areas, you will then need to decide what best suits your requirements and your budget.
So here is a primer on how to buy a camcorder.
Brands & Budget
As far as the brands are concerned, the major players in this area are - Sony, JVC, Panasonic & Canon. They all are equally good and have their own following in different areas of the world.
Digital camcorders do not come cheap! Budget can vary depending on the features available in the camcorder; it can easily be in the range 400$ to 3000$. A high-end model like the Sony HDR-FX1 will cost you a bomb at 3000$.
It is important to realize here that no one particular model will fit your requirements for a long time. With changes in technology and changes in your own skills & aspirations you may end up owning multiple video cameras. Especially if you take the professional route, you will have to make sure that you have the latest gear all the time.
So probably you may need to go in for something that suits your needs as of today. You then use it for a couple of years, and then if you think that you need to go in for a higher level, buy the higher model.
Features To Look For!
Let us now take a look at the various factors which you should consider when purchasing your first digital camcorder.
Analog or Digital?
Digital is the way to go! It is easier to get your video from a digital camcorder into a computer and edit it. The video quality is also great. Unless you are getting an analog camcorder for a very cheap price or you don't mind ok quality video, you should go in for a digital camcorder. You can still import video from your analog camcorder into your computer using an analog-to-digital conversion device.
Firewire
This is a must for you to be able to transfer your video to a computer. All the models nowadays come with this feature and should not be a problem really.
Optical Zoom
The higher the better, though this is not same as digital zoom which most of the salesmen keep harping on. At higher levels, digital zoom distorts the videos making them useless!
Lens Quality
"Branded" lens is preferable for your camcorder! Sony anyway uses Carl-Zeiss whereas Panasonic use Leica lens. Canon, on the other hand, is well known for producing good lenses as well; so they use their own lenses.
Number of CCDs A CCD (Charged coupled Device) converts light into digital data, and helps in recreating the images. A 3-CCD camcorder is better than one CCD but then it costs more.
LCD Size When it comes to LCD, "the bigger the better". It helps you to clearly look at your recorded video. But if it is adding too much to the cost, you can go in for a smaller size.
Stabilization System Most of the higher models would have this feature. It basically takes care of accidental jerks & shakes. Again, if it is adding too much to the cost, avoid it.
Digital Still Image Capability If you already own a digital camera, you may not need this feature. At the same time if you are just a hobbyist, you may find this feature convenient since you do not have to carry both your camera a well as camcorder when out on vacation.
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