Features To Look For When You Buy A Digital Camcorder
8102
Product Reviews > Digital Products
Mar 1, 2007
Jim Johnson
Features To Look For When You Buy A Digital Camcorder
A camcorder is a great way to document the important events and experiences of your life just as they happened. Still pictures are great for some things, but nothing beats a high quality recording of audio and video from a special event. Because digital camcorders record information that does not degrade over time you can actually watch it years later and it will seem like just yesterday. So if you are in the market for a compact digital camcorder here are some features to look for before you buy:
1. Make sure that you get a digital camcorder that uses a LCD screen for a viewfinder. Once you get used to using a camcorder this way you will never go back to peering through an eyepiece again. Video is often shot while a person is moving or has to walk, and watching a viewfinder allows you to still see where you are going much better than is possible when using the eyepiece. You can also shoot from angles high above your head or low down to the ground and still keep an eye on the action as you film if the LCD screen can be tilted.
2. Look for a digital camcorder that uses at least a 10x optical zoom, although 15x or 20x is even better. There are two types of zooms used on digital camcorders, optical and digital. The optical zoom is the lens itself zooming in, and it produces a nice sharp image throughout it's focal range usually. The digital zoom simply takes the image already gathered by the lens and magnifies it with no increase of video detail, so video that is shot using a lot of digital zoom can be grainy looking and not very pleasing to the eye. So try to get a digital camcorder that has at least a 10x optical zoom and try not to rely very often on the digital zoom capabilities for the best quality videos.
3. Keep any eye on the power usage of the camcorder that you want to buy. Some sip power and others drink it at a gulp, so look for a camcorder that will let you record continuously for at least 1-2 hours before recharging. Otherwise, you will need to buy an extra battery to carry with you instead.
4. Image stabilization is a very useful feature found in many digital camcorders these days as it will help eliminate some of the shakes that many folks introduce unknowingly into their videos while filming. They may not notice it while they are recording, but once you sit down and try to watch video that constantly bounces around you will really appreciate the image stabilization feature. Of course, image stabilization still cannot make up for wild swings of the camera lens, but it can help control normal camera shake.
There are other features to look out for when you decide to buy a digital camcorder, but the ones mentioned above will help narrow your choice down to those that will most likely do the best job for you and your video needs.
1. Make sure that you get a digital camcorder that uses a LCD screen for a viewfinder. Once you get used to using a camcorder this way you will never go back to peering through an eyepiece again. Video is often shot while a person is moving or has to walk, and watching a viewfinder allows you to still see where you are going much better than is possible when using the eyepiece. You can also shoot from angles high above your head or low down to the ground and still keep an eye on the action as you film if the LCD screen can be tilted.
2. Look for a digital camcorder that uses at least a 10x optical zoom, although 15x or 20x is even better. There are two types of zooms used on digital camcorders, optical and digital. The optical zoom is the lens itself zooming in, and it produces a nice sharp image throughout it's focal range usually. The digital zoom simply takes the image already gathered by the lens and magnifies it with no increase of video detail, so video that is shot using a lot of digital zoom can be grainy looking and not very pleasing to the eye. So try to get a digital camcorder that has at least a 10x optical zoom and try not to rely very often on the digital zoom capabilities for the best quality videos.
3. Keep any eye on the power usage of the camcorder that you want to buy. Some sip power and others drink it at a gulp, so look for a camcorder that will let you record continuously for at least 1-2 hours before recharging. Otherwise, you will need to buy an extra battery to carry with you instead.
4. Image stabilization is a very useful feature found in many digital camcorders these days as it will help eliminate some of the shakes that many folks introduce unknowingly into their videos while filming. They may not notice it while they are recording, but once you sit down and try to watch video that constantly bounces around you will really appreciate the image stabilization feature. Of course, image stabilization still cannot make up for wild swings of the camera lens, but it can help control normal camera shake.
There are other features to look out for when you decide to buy a digital camcorder, but the ones mentioned above will help narrow your choice down to those that will most likely do the best job for you and your video needs.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Find out more about digital camcorders review and cannon camcorders by visiting our Home Theater website.
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
One of the great things about RVs and motorhomes is that you can take your home with you as you travel instead of staying in a series of hotel rooms. However, you will have to arrange a place to park your RV though and most often that will be in a
Category:
Time and technology marches on and things that were considered impossible just a few years ago, are now almost routine. That applies to a lot of things in life, but certainly to the way that we are able to listen to radio broadcasting
Category:
Anxiety attack symptoms often leave a person believing that the worst is going to happen to them. If you are reading this, looking for answers about your specific condition, you need to take note that the way that you feel is not necessarily reality.
Category:
The beauty of traveling in a morhome or RV is the ability go wherever you want, whenever you want, and take your whole home with you when you do. And RV parks and campgrounds let you do that easily and safely. But there are things that you can do
Category:
It's been known for some time that a good daily exercise routine can help both improve a person's physical health and also their mental outlook as well. The body just seems to respond well to being kept in tune. But even further advancement in
Category:
Home theater is a rapidly growing segment of the home entertainment field. The term is often used, but you may not really know what it means. Don't feel bad as there are plenty of terms and acronyms used in the electronics field that you won't find
Category:
Working out at home has so many advantages over traveling to a gym or training facility. It's certainly less expensive, it can be done around ur own schedule, and there is no wasted travel time. Besides that home fitness workouts let u accomplish
Category:
There are so many acronyms used in defining television technology that is difficult to keep it all straight, and even worse, sometimes the acronyms are almost the same. That's the case with DTV and HDTV. At first glance they would seem to be very
Category:
After you have done your research and decided on the HDTV model that you think will best fit your needs and wants, it's time to decide where to actually make the purchase. In times past, you really didn't have much of a choice, and the local
Category:
Traveling with your whole family can be a difficult thing to plan. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration if you want everyone to have a good time. But choosing the right destination is undoubtedly the most important decision of all. Here
Category:
If you haven't already joined the pilates fitness training wave, there is plenty of time to get on board. Pilates has been adopted successfully by millions as a way to get in shape and stay fit without extensive strength training and aerobic exercise.
Category:
A cruise vacation is always an exciting opportunity to unwind and see places and people that you have never seen before. And in the meantime, you can get away from the regular pace of your normal life. But before setting sail it's a good idea to know
Category:
One of the emerging communications technologies that is constantly improving and gaining in popularity with consumers is VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology essentially allows you to make telephone calls over the Internet using either
Category:
For many years the music industry dictated to consumers how they could buy the music that they wanted to hear. Did you like only one or two songs by an artist? Too bad. You still had to buy the whole album or tape. But the power to select the music that
Category:
If you are in the market for a HDTV you probably are somewhat confused by all of the terminology used in the industry, but actually it doesn't take too long to learn your way around, and be an educated television consumer. When looking for
Category:
Evergreen trees and shrubs are generally more expensive than their counterparts, although many feel that they are well worth the extra expense not only for their year-round beauty, but also their reliability and longevity. Evergreens can range all the
Category:
There has been such rapid changes and improvements in the field of camcorders over the last ten years or so that it may be confusing en you start looking to buy one today. There are a handful of competing formats that you should be aware of and know
Category:
One of the great business tools of the last few years that the internet has brought to the marketplace is video conferencing. This allows a group of people to be able to meet and collaborate together through sight and sound no matter where they are
Category:
Traveling in foreign countries can be a wonderful, uplifting experience that will never be forgotten, but there are also perils and difficulties that can arise on any trip, especially those that are outside your own country. In part 2 of this article
Category:
Trees can contribute to the oall appearance of your front yard perhaps more than almost any other part of your landscaping design. Unfortunately, many new homes that are now being built come with almost no trees on the property at all, or at least
Category:
Other links at Product Reviews > Digital Products
A digital camera comes so handy nowadays. Compared to using a traditional camera that uses film, taking with you a digital camera on your nature trips, tours, special occasions and formal gatherings is more convenient and fashionable too as most digital
Category:
There are many reasons to own and use hidden digital video recorders. You may need them to keep an eye on things around your home, office, warehouse, or other places of business. You may even need to have one to protect your mobile home, vacation home or
Category:
There has been such rapid changes and improvements in the field of camcorders over the last ten years or so that it may be confusing en you start looking to buy one today. There are a handful of competing formats that you should be aware of and know
Category:
Are you planning to purchase a digital camera? Then you may need to consider several aspects while shopping for one. As the digital technology changes every other day, lots of models are hitting the market quite frequently, and that in fact makes the
Category:
Have you ever heard someone say they were going to Tivo a program and wondered what they meant? HD Tivo is a term used to describe a high definition digital video recorder, which permits the owner to record television programming and store it to an
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68222
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
