Introduction
The advent of digital camcorder technology means that recording
momentous events in your life – weddings, graduations, etc.
– for posterity is easier than ever before. Modern digital
camcorders are compact and lightweight, yet offer superior
picture and sound quality when compared to their analogue
predecessors and a whole host of new, innovative, features.
Digital footage can quickly, and easily, be burnt to DVD,
or transferred to a computer, for editing and distribution.
Top 10 Digital Camcorders
- Samsung VP-D453 – A compact camcorder with decent
features, and capable of producing high quality footage.
A colour viewfinder, 10x optical zoom, and a range of connectivity
options – RCA, composite and S-video – are included in the
£170 price tag.
- Panasonic NV-GS21 – A robust digital camcorder
with 24 x optical zoom, an integral LED video light, and
a wide range of connectivity options as standard. Good value
at around £120.
- Panasonic VDRM55B – A Mini DVD digital camcorder,
allowing footage to be written to 3" DVD-R, or DVD-RAM,
disks. Easy to use, with automatic settings, plus manual
control over focus, white balance and backlight compensation.
Priced at around £120.
- Sony DCRHC19E – An extremely compact, MiniDV –
a ¼" digital tape format, not to be confused with Mini DVD
– camcorder, offering a 2½" touchscreen LCD, and battery
life of up to hours. Once again, priced at around £120.
- Canon MV850i – An easy to use, but, nevertheless,
fairly sophisticated digital camcorder, offering a 1/6",
800,000 pixel, CCD, "Easy" automatic mode, and 22x optical
zoom. Its compact, 2" wide, body is designed to fit snugly
in the palm of your hand, and, although this is a more expensive
camcorder, at just under £300, it produces footage of exceptional
contrast and clarity.
- JVC GRD250 – A compact, stylish, digital camera,
with a 2½" LCD, and 25x optical zoom. A good choice for
the novice, or family, filmmaker, and attractively priced
at less than £150.
- Hitachi DZ-MV730A – another DVD camcorder, offering
easy playback and distribution of your video footage, plus
16x optical zoom, and a clear, 2½" LCD. A decent DVD camcorder
at around £150.
- Sony DCRHC42 – a popular digital camcorder, at
a reasonable price (just over £300), offering a high quality
Zeiss lens, large touch panel LCD, and 12x optical zoom.
- Canon ZR400 – Ideal as a first digital camcorder,
featuring a single, 1.33 megapixel, 1/4.5", CCD, and versatile
for use as a digital camcorder, digital stills camera and
webcam. Includes automatic settings to make life for the
novice videographer easy, and priced at less than £200.
- Sony Handycam DCR-PC1000 – A compact, MiniDV camcorder,
which employs a CMOS, rather than a CCD sensor. Designed
for advanced home videographers, at a price of around £150.
Digital Camcorder Buying & Care Tips
It is important to consider the features and functionality of
any camcorder in the light of your own personal circumstances
and experience. If you are a beginner, for example, you are
likely to be more interested in a basic digital camcorder, with
good automatic controls, than a professional, multiple CCD ("Charge
Coupled Device"), camcorder, costing in excess of £1,000. If
you want to edit your footage to any degree, a "FireWire", or
"IEEE 1394", or similar, connection is required. Making a list
of your own "essential" features can help you to narrow down
the vast number of digital camcorders available to, perhaps,
two or three for closer inspection.
What
digital cameras and camcorders do need, in terms of increasing
their life expectancy, is protection against the elements, and
against being jostled about when you are out in the field. Mistreating
a digital camera or camcorder, can cause damage not only to
the equipment, itself, but also to its battery, which can leak
and cause further damage. Camcorder batteries should, similarly,
not be exposed to high temperatures – which can accelerate the
aging process by up to 80% – and cleaning tape heads, guides,
etc. on a regular basis helps to ensure high quality recording
at all times. |
