Now that I have decided to give HD camcorders a pass, these are the guidelines which I will be following to zero in on that perfect camcorder I want. I am listing down these considerations for any future buyers as well.
Following are the factors which should be considered while finding that perfect Camcorder:-
1. Settle on the price you can afford — There are camcorders ranging from $300 to $3000 out there. You have to decide how much dough you are going to throw.
Camcorders based on newer technologies, such as hard drive or flash memory, are often more expensive than those with older formats and technologies, such as MiniDV tape.
For me, I have budget of $500 to $800
2. Storage Format — As mentioned above, there are several formats available in the world of digital consumer camcorders. The new camcorders use hard drive, Mini DVD, flash memory etc. whereas old camcorders mostly rely on MiniDV, even though the latter often offer better video quality. Some HD camcorders store their data on MiniDV tapes. But if you plan on editing your MiniDV footage, you’ll have to hook the camcorder to your computer via FireWire, not USB, and capture the footage in a video-editing program, all of which can be a massive time suck.
For me, I have shortlisted MiniDV and HDD (Hard Disk) as preferable format.
Why MiniDV — Pros are that it is supported by wide range of video-editing and video-effects software, and supposed to have better video quality among all. Cons are that lot of rewinding, forwarding may be involved to get to specific video segment.
Why HDD — Pros are compact camcorder designs, both video and still images can be recorded on one card (instead of on a cassette and a memory card), long recording times. Cons are that it is less supported by video-editing softwares, expensive than MiniDV camcorders.
3. Size of camcorder, controls and zoom — The subject says it all. If you plan to take camcorder on vacations, you’ll want something small and portable. But if you’re mostly using it for family events, you might not mind something a bit bulkier. For shooting sports, you might want to look for a lot of zoom, say 20X optical or more. Look for how powerful the optical zoom is, what kind of image stabilization is available (optical is better than digital or electronic), and the size of the camcorder’s LCD. LCDs sizes range from as small as 1.5 inches to as large as 3.5 inches. Some are touch screens (especially Sony’s), which feel more intuitive and direct than a joystick control or multiselector. Also check to see if your camcorder includes a viewfinder. Some manufacturers are doing away with them in order to produce more compact units.
4. Audio and Flash — All camcorders have built-in microphones, but the default may not be enough for you. Sometimes, due to wrong positioning of mike, camcorder picks up lot of noise. Pay attention to what audio features are offered. Some camcorders let you plug in an external microphone, which can improve the sound quality on your video footage. Make sure that you have an intelligent shoe or some sort of hot shoe on top of the camcorder for adding accessories. Accessories can help you expand how you use your camcorder. For example, you can attach a small light to your hot shoe to help you illuminate low-light scenes.
5. Technicalities — Camcorders has 3 major components viz. lens, imager, and recorder. As a consumer buyer you should be concerned with Lens and Imager (Image Sensor).
Lens – Every manufacturer has it’s own Lens quality and as long as you are sticking with good producers like Sony, Panasonic, Canon, you need not be concerned with Lens. They are all good.
Imager – This is where things get more complicated. Most camcorders use either a CCD images sensor or a CMOS sensor. Neither technology (CCD Vs CMOS) has a clear advantage in image quality, however, most camcorders use CCDs. The one big difference between manufacturers in upper-tier models is use of number of Imagers. Panasonic and JVC go towards the 3 CCD route, while Sony and Canon use larger single chips (1 CCD). Larger chips, invariably do better in low light.
Bottomline is that you should consider how many CCDs your camcorder has: one or three. If 1CCD, then what is the size of sensor chip. There isn’t huge differences between 1CCD and 3CCD camcorders when shooting in daylight. In low light, however, 3-CCD cameras generally perform better.
6. Hybrid camcorders — Comeon, nobody wants to carry camcorder and camera together. So hybrid camcorders come to rescue.
Check out what digital-still capabilities the camcorder has. If you plan on having it double as your digital camera, make sure it has at least a 3-megapixel sensor (with no interpolation). You’ll also want to have control over manual settings. And check to see if there’s a built-in flash. You, however, should not expect the same picture quality as you get from Digital Cameras.
So with all the above criteria in mind, go ahead and hit the internet. All the best to you.
