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Wize Buying Guide for Camcorders

There are all kinds of reasons to buy a camcorder from filming your family’s travels to making a documentary to enter into the many film festivals around the world. The camcorder you buy depends on your experience with the medium. If you’re a novice, you’ll want a camcorder that’s simple to use, and if you’re a pro, you’ll want some pretty sophisticated equipment.

Since everything is digital nowadays, few people want analog camcorders (those with videotapes). Not only is everything digital, but also more and more people are turning to high-definition digital. One of the primary advantages of that development is that you can connect your high-definition camcorder to an HDTV, instantly being able to see your picture perfect moments. Also, just because a camcorder is high definition doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to have a better picture than one that’s not. There are many factors that influence the quality of a picture both with standard definition and high definition camcorders. Some of these are sensor size, processor speed, conversion factors and other factors.

You can divide camcorders into 3 groups consumer, prosumer and professional. The average camcorder buyer is a hobbyist who will mostly want a consumer camcorder that does most everything automatically. The next level of camcorder buyer will want a prosumer model that has some controls, multiple sensors (called a 3CCD that splits light into red, green and blue colors) and some creative modes. Last is the professional, who will want even more bells and whistles including the 3CCD sensor, the ability to record in 1080i, the same quality as high definition television broadcasts and the option of recording on removable media such as the miniDV, not to mention a host of manual controls and interchangeable lenses.

Digital camcorders can capture video on removable media such as MiniDV, DVD instant playback, flash drives (similar to what digital cameras record on) or on a HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

If you’re looking for a camcorder that has a hard drive so you can move the video easily from it to your laptop, you might choose a consumer model camcorder such as the JVC Everio Hybrid, which runs about $450. There are also consumer level high-definition camcorders such as the Sony HDR-SR5 High Definition Handycam, which costs about $750 and also has a hard drive.

If you wanted a prosumer camcorder that records in standard definition with a 3CCD sensor, you might choose a Canon GL2, which costs about $3000. It has four programmed-exposure modes, adjustable color gain, sharpness, and black level settings, and slow shutter speeds.

Last is the professional’s camcorder--the JVC GY-HD200UB High Definition 3-CCD MiniDV with 16x ProHD Fujinon Lens for example. It costs about $5,500 and records in high definition on removable media (miniDV).

Another aspect to consider when buying a camcorder is the sensor (CCD or CMOS)--the bigger the sensor the greater the price and resolution of the image. When a sensor is bigger, you get better picture quality and low-light performance.

And what about capturing still images? The specs that tell how well a camcorder catches still images don’t mean much because a camcorder can’t match the quality of a digital still camera. Just about every camcorder includes image stabilization so that shouldn’t be a thing to consider before a purchase, either.

Camcorder technology is changing every day. What was once a spec for only a professional camera can turn into one for a consumer camera overnight. For example 3-CCD camcorders are showing up in the consumer market, some camcorders that have one can be found for less than $1000, but the CCDs are not as big as ones in a professional camcorder.

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