Features to look for in a camcorder
Feature to look for in a camcorder
If you’re on the look out for a new digital camcorder then you need to know
what type of features to look for. It’s easy to get confused and hard to make
sense of all the specifications. Looking for the right features is the key
in finding the best camcorder for
your needs. While you compare digital
camcorder reviews and ratings, there are some
items to consider.
You should have a general idea of what you need the mini
dv camcorder for.
Do you need a video camera for home movies? Or are you looking for a professional
camcorder, for your next feature film? Think about what you are looking for
so your camcorder comparison shopping won’t take as long.
Zoom
All digital camcorders have a zoom feature. Older analog camcorders only
had optical zoom, but new digital video cameras have both optical and digital
zoom. There is a difference between these two types of zoom. Optical zoom physically
lengthens the lens,and will still give your videos high image quality.
However digital zoom basically blows up the scene in a digital format. The
problem with digital zoom is that when you zoom in on a subject the video becomes
pixilated and blocky with little squares giving the video a blurred and distorted
look.
If you’re wondering which zoom is better and more important, optical zoom.
The more distance that your optical zoom can do, the more flexibility that
you have when focusing in on a subject. I suggest a minimum of 10x optical
zoom for most consumers.
CCD Sensors and Resolution
The video quality in a dv
camcorder is dependant on the CCD, which is an
abbreviation for charged-coupled device. The CCD is an image sensor that
converts light into pixels to produce images; your digital camera works in
the same way. You can find camcorders with one CCD or three CCDs.
One CCD camcorders are less costly however you will compromise the color quality
in the video. 3 CCD camcorders on the other hand provide the best color quality.
The reason being is that there are 3 CCDs. Digital camcorder models with
three CCDs (one each for red, green and blue) give your video the most
vivid colors possible, but the price is more than 1 CCD video cameras.
Viewfinders & LCD Screens
It’s important to find the best possible viewfinder when comparing camcorders.
The viewfinder is the heart of the camcorder without it you can’t see what
you are filming. Viewfinders cam in black and white, if you buy a cheap
camcorder you will be stuck with a black and white screen. Personally
I like my color screen, you can see the exact color and video quality as it
will appear in the video. Sizes for LCD screen range from 2 to 4 inches across.
Digital Video Editing & Still images
Almost all newer digital
video camcorders have FireWire (IEEE
1394). This feature enables you to transfer digital video footage from your
camcorder to your computer system in the fastest possible way. The newest models
even have the ability to take digital still images and video and transfer
them to your computer for emailing to friends and family.
About the author:
R Gazzo offers info on where to find the best
digital camcorders. You can read camcorder
ratings as well as camcorder
reviews, on Sony
camcorders , Canon
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