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Buying Tips & Advice

There is no doubt that camcorders have come along way over the years.  We all remember the days of VHS but these days, a digital camcorder is the preferred option, as they have much better picture quality, and they are easier to work with if you want to edit the footage.

Most digital camcorders have a FireWire port (also called IEEE1394 or ilink) which makes it very easy to transfer video to any PC that accepts a firewire cable.

Many Choices

There are still a few remnants of analogue cameras on the market - VHS-C, 8mm, and Hi8.  These can be found ridiculously cheap (less than $300) and if all you want to do is shoot some vacation footage and play it back on your tv, they will do the job, albeit with a slightly lower picture quality than their digital counterparts.

As far as the digital options go, you can choose between Mini-DV, MicroDV, Digital8, DVD, and HDV.

DV camcorders are the biggest sellers, either in MiniDV or MicroDV formats.  MiniDV is the more popular, and most people stick with the 1 hour recording time, although it's possible to record around 90 mins in long play mode with a reduced quality.  MicroDV uses a smaller tape format, and is more suitable for someone who wants the smallest possible camcorder size.

Digital8 by Sony was a clever move on their part, because as well as playing and recording digitally, the camcorders also playback the analogue 8mm and Hi-8mm formats. So if you have lots of 8mm tapes lying around, a Digital8 camcorder might be a good option. Since only Sony and a few other companies sell them, they are not as popular amongst consumers, but they will probably be around for a few years yet.

DVD camcorders record directly to recordable DVDs. These camcorders are still in their infancy, and it seems like they are having a few teething problems.  Aside from that, contrary to what you might think, DVD is inferior quality to the other digital formats of DV and Digital8.  If you want the convenience and instant gratification of playing the DVD disc from your camcorder in your home player, then this option might be for you.  Bear in mind however that any camcorder can be hooked up to your TV or VCR very simply in order to replay the footage.

HDV camcorders are the newest addition to the lineup, and they are designed to record HD (high definition) footage at an affordable price.  Critics contend that HDV is not true HD, but anyone who has seen the footage would probably contest that on the basis of the stunning quality.  Needless to say, these camcorders are at the top of end of the price scale, but if you want the best, and you have an HD compatible TV then this would be an option to consider.

Features

Many manufacturers put great importance on extra features, but in reality many of these are just gimmicks.  Try not to be taken in by such extras, as they rarely are the best reason for buying a camcorder.  For example, many manufacturers emphasize incredible zooming capabilities, whereas what you actually are getting is a digital zoom, which electronically zooms into the existing pixel data, and produces such poor quality as to be unusable.

As a final note, spend some time holding different models, pressing the buttons and seeing which is the most comfortable, user friendly and intuitive to use.

Further guides:

Ehow.com - How to buy a digital camcorder.

Technofile - How to buy a camcorder

PCWorld.com - How to choose the best digital camcorder

PCWorld.com - Choosing a DV camcorder

Consumerguide.com - Camcorder Buying Guide

Crutchfield Advisor - Q & A on Camcorders

Consumer Reports on MSN - Guide to choosing a camcorder

Best Buy - 10 things to consider when buying a camcorder

Tweeter - Buying guide for digital camcorders
 

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