.: Guide to Buying a Camcorder
By:Andrew Gates
Category:Home / Culture and Society / Consumer
Today's camcorder market is full of new brands and changing technology, with products moving towards greater compactness and more 'cross-platform' features. Choosing the right camcorder for you need not be a daunting task provided you take the time to answer some basic questions about yourself and the technology. You can search for exactly the right product, all the way from brand through model number and vendor right here at Myshopping.com.au. It will take a lot of pressure off you.
Camcorders
What kind of camcorder user are you?
At the outset, you need to think a little about why you are buying a camcorder. There are essentially six loosely defined categories:
1) the traveller, buying a camcorder to record travel experiences;
2) the family, usually with young children or soon to be, wanting to record family lifestyle experiences as the children grow up;
3) the grandparent or retiree, often with a little time to look at the world through the lens and capture moments of life that would otherwise slip by;
4) the technophobe, a person with a genuine interest in finding the best bit of gear to make movies and record things of importance;
5) the artist, similar to the technophobe, but has a deeper interest in the pictures and less interest in the technical specification, usually wanting to make movies and document items of interest;
6) the educator or student, maybe a school or classroom teacher, or student with an interest in multimedia. We can add a seventh category: that of the "I just want one" brigade who has no real underlying purpose for the purchase.
Once you have some idea of which category your purchase might fall into, then you have some way of being guided through the maze of choices. There are possibly five basic judgements you need to make about the camcorder you want to buy.
1) How comfortable it is in your hand? Remember, if you're a traveller, you will want to lug your camcorder wherever you go. The last thing you want is a lead weight that makes your hand tired before you've even squeezed the trigger.
2) How easy is it to use? You need to be able to easily understand the basic functions of the camera and reach the controls as you need them.
3) Similar to 3 above, how convenient it is to playback your footage and copy it onto another storage medium.
4) What is the picture quality like? Naturally some picture quality is sacrificed for lower prices and added features in some of the range. But at the end of the day, you really want the best picture quality you can get for the money you are willing to spend. After all, it is picture quality-subjective though it is-that you will judge the camera on in years to come.
5) How much you are prepared to spend. Your purchase decision needs to be balanced between the features and accessories you want in your camcorder and the amount of funds you have available.
The technology
The latest digital video cameras make shooting and editing as easy as falling off the back of a truck, and can help you along the way to winning the grand Funniest Home Video prize. Coupling your digital camcorders with video-editing programs on your computer means you can edit, add visual effects, create titles, add sound effects and play it back at different speeds.
Most digital camcorders use videotape, the most common being a format called MiniDV making it easy to edit it on a computer and output your finished movie to tape, Video CD or DVD. All you need along with your digital camcorder is a FireWire interface on your PC, and a video-editing program.
Some camcorders now use flash media memory cards or sticks to store video, which allows for a smaller camera than digital tape types, but at the expense of lower video quality and smaller storage (although this is quickly changing.) There are two big advantages with the memory stick cameras: one is their portability, especially for travellers, and the other is the small size and easy 'plug-in' accessibility of the storage media.
There are also camcorders that record directly onto mini DVD discs, which you can then play it back in your DVD player. These cameras use an 8-centimeter recordable DVD discs that can hold up to an hour of video, and record a good quality image. One drawback, however is that the discs have to be 'finalised' by the camera before they can be used in a DVD player. However, there are constantly changing standards in disc technology, and it is worthwhile looking at any new developments in this media.
Main Features
Battery: Power consumption varies from camcorder to camcorder. Although it stands to reason that a camera recording to memory stick will have a longer battery life than one recording to DVD or MiniDV tape. However recording and playback time runs out a lot faster than you expect. There are a different ways to address this issue. In many instances you can buy batteries that provider a longer discharge life than the original one that comes with the camera. Ordinarily a camcorder has its battery at the back of the body in an indented housing that has no cover or door, enabling a larger battery (extended life) to fit. A camcorder with room for an expandable battery will give you plenty of recording time while you're still learning.
Screen: One feature commonly espoused by the camera manufacturers is the size of the LCD screen. The bigger it is, the more you can see what you're recording and what you've captured. But the bigger it is, the more battery power it requires too. Also, some LCD screens are not very effective in bright sunlight, and that's one place you will likely be using your camcorder often. Having a viewfinder as well as an LCD screen is a useful option, enabling you to see what you are recording when seeing the screen in bright light is difficult and saving battery power.
Lens: Camcorders come with a zoom lens allowing you to shoot close-up images of distant subjects. Like digital cameras, there is a distinction between digital (zoom) and optical (telephoto) lens capability. A digital zoom enlarges part of the image to fill the screen, whereas optical zoom is the telephoto capacity of the lens itself. The difference is in the final images. Images with high levels of digital zoom can be grainy and lack definition because only a part of the image that is captured through the lens is recorded. With optical zoom, the full image that passes through the lens is captured. Consequently a higher optical zoom is desirable.
Sound capture. Camcorders usually have a front-mounted microphone. Those with a microphone located below the lens, or at the bottom of the front housing usually produce a better sound capture than those with a microphone mounted on top of the camera. Some camcorders have zoom or highly directional microphones that can zoom into the subject when the zoom lens is used. If you are frequently filming in difficult auditory environments or want to capture 'news style' content, it is best to have a socket for using an external microphone.
Stills: Most digital camcorders allow you to take still images and save them to a memory card. However they rarely offer the same level of control or quality as dedicated digital still cameras.
Controls: Comfort and control go somewhat hand-in-hand. Be sure that the camera you choose is comfortable in your hand and that the important controls are easy to access with your fingers while your eye is glued to the viewfinder. Confusing layouts and labels on much current technology conditions many of us to accept automatic functions and controls. But sometimes the automatic settings simply don't cut it with the conditions in which we're filming. Check out how much of the camera's functionality can be turned 'manual'. You should be able to, for example, make a manual 'white balance,' control the aperture on the lens to adjust the amount of light that is let in, and possibly digitally adjust the gain of the captured image.
Low light functions: Choosing a camcorder that has the ability to film in very dull light may be important, especially if you want to shoot at night or indoors. A special slow shutter mode helped by an infrared light can make filming in ambient lighting very effective, as can built-in illumination from one or more LEDs.
Accessories
Some accessories are necessary for you to have success with your camcorder. You might consider the type of carry case, with good pockets to house additional batteries; storage media lens cleaners and so on. You should consider additional battery power, preferably one with an extended life. You may want to consider a tripod, additional lenses, and a camera-mounted light. You will certainly need storage media for which system you choose. You can check out the full range of accessories for any brand or model by searching our database at Myshopping.com.au.
Article keywords: camcorder, video cameras
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare video cameras and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read camcorders reviews and specifications.
.: New Consumer Articles
1). Looking For The Fastest Private Jet?
Fastest private jet that can be bought off the market is the Cessna Citation X. This article describes what are the features of this jet that makes it so desirable.
2). Choosing a Home Inspection Company
Whenever a house is bought or sold a home inspection is a common practice that alerts both homeowners and buyers to the condition of the property in question. When you are in need of a home inspection in Canada or the US, you should choose only those who incorporate the Standards of Practice of ASHI/CAHPI (American Society of Home Inspectors/Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors).
3). How To Keep Money In Your Pocket With An International Phone Card
Before the phone card appeared on the scene, travellers had to endure high calling costs.
4). Corvette Z06 Burns More Rubber for Less Cash, a New Comparison Study Reveals All
What are the Top Ten Fastest American Cars according to Forbes magazine? Who is #1 with a top speed of 273 mph? This is article unveils the list and explains why the Corvette Z06 delivers the a good value for speed junkies.
5). Information On Armor-Piercing Ammunition
This article describes armor-piercing ammunition and its influence on other armor.
6). Five Facts About Bullet-Proof Armor
This article contains information on the history of bullet-proof vests and other armor.
7). New Replacement For The 5.56mm And The 7.62 Short
This article tells you about the 5.56mm and the 7.62 short and new replacements.
.: Top Consumer Articles
1). PSP Blender Review - Only For Hardcore Users
PSP Blender must be one of the best inventions since toast. I want you to know that with a PSP Blender membership you unlock the source of never-ending fun. You can literally put your hands on any game you wish, even the hottest ones that you can't find anywhere else. My favorite thing about PSP Blender is that you can customize your PSP to whatever mechanical creature you wish it to be.
2). Problems with Household Pests Such As Ants And Mosquitoes. Get Natural Pest Control Now!
Pest control is the way to go to get rid of household pests such as annoying ants and mosquitoes.
3). Consumer Electronics Items
Introduction:
The daily use of electronic equipments are known as consumer electronics and includes TV, telephone, DVD, CD, PC, laptop etc. These equipments are manufactured throughout the world. With the advancement in electronic engineering at a continuous pace, a number of new variety electronics items flood into the market every year and the cost the existing products reduces continuously and it is one of the biggest advantage of consumer electronics industry.
4). A Natural Pest Control Method That’s Safe &Toxic-Free? Look For Plant-Oil Based Mosquito Repellent
Want to get rid of mosquitoes without using toxic insecticides? Try out new forms of natural pest control and mosquito repellants.
5). Tips to prevent hemorrhoids - including tips on diet, toilet habits and exercises
Hemorrhoids Prevention - Tips on better diet, toilet habits and exercises to prevent hemorrhoids
6). Business Gift Giving Etiquette
In general gifts are given in business to promote goodwill and foster good relationships. They are also given to show appreciation. How do you know what is a
proper gift?
7). Having Problems Achieving and Maintaining Erection? You May Be Suffering From Erectile Dysfunction.
Suffering from erectile dysfunction? Find out more about its causes here