Digital Camcorders
With the new digital age in full swing besides digital cameras another way the digital technology is used plays a huge part in the design of digital camcorders. Gone are the days when a huge bulky heavy lump would sit on your shoulder weighing you down and whirring away noisily in your ear? Gone also are the days when you pulled a large clumpy video tape out of a bag to replace the full tape in your overweight camcorder which was completely full with just a few minutes of filming. And the technology was also awful with very few features compared to what is available today.
As with other digital technology there have been vast improvements and changes in the field of digital camcorders, and over the last ten years or so these changes can be complicated when first looking to buy one. There are a handful of competing formats like with other digital technology that you should be aware of as you do not want to go down a path where the technology is abandoned as what happened with video recorders when Betamax was abandoned leaving lots of people unable to get tapes for there videos.
Don't take another digital picture until you read this book! Someone has finally gotten into the "secret files" of top photographers and is sharing the information for the first time ever! Today both amateur and professional film makers alike can look forward to a small hand held digital camcorder that uses a small chip instead of a tape and containing a video and camera which is very portable. People have taken to digital camcorders and love the better quality images and the multitude of options available. The memory is much larger today which allows you to continue shooting for a greater length of time. Also like other digital products the digital camcorder while becoming more sophisticated is actually dropping in price.
Today camcorders record video images in digital format which allows them to have far sharper and vivid pictures, and the sound quality has vastly improved as opposed to old analogue camcorders. In old analogue camcorders there was a loss of detail when recording and subsequently playing back the film through your VCR. Today because everything is recorded digitally there is no loss of detail when copies are made and this has great advantages.
Digital video (DV) camcorders come in a range of formats, including MiniDV camcorders that use 1/4-inch tape, DVD models that record to 3-inch discs and hard disk drive (HDD) camcorders that save video and stills to an internal hard disk.
Digital camcorders today are both lightweight and compact and just like digital cameras they offer the broadest range of features. They now offer widescreen (16:9) video, specifically intended to match the aspect ratio of widescreen HDTV’s, and most will take digital still images.
One main advantage of digital camcorders is that digital video is easy to transfer to a compatible computer with some serious editing capabilities. Transfers are made through or USB 2.0. Or FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE 1394). Copies can be made without loss of quality. Although there is a slight quality loss when copying to VHS or 8mm tape, but it is hardly noticeable since the original video quality is so high.
MiniDV camcorders are still the most popular format at the moment but the future trend for digital camcorders is definitely a move to non-tape media such as hard drives, recordable DVD and Flash memory. However rapidly growing in popularity are HDD camcorders, which save video data directly to an internal hard disk. HDD digital camcorders are very compact and you do not need to have extra recording disks or cassettes. There are virtually no moving parts in HDD camcorders, so noise is almost zero and mechanical faults are highly unlikely. The one downside that beginners may have is that the recordings must be downloaded to a computer and then stored by either burning to a DVD or memory stick/external hard drive.
So before buying a digital camcorder you should pose yourself a few questions like what format would be best suited for you. Like we said MiniDV is the most popular but HDD is catching up fast.
A lot of the new digital camcorders have advanced features like manual controls and settings so if you only desire hassle-free point-and-shoot operation for recording family outings and vacation videos then these are not for you. So ask yourself what you want a digital camcorder for before buying a high priced version with features you will never use.
Make sure the camcorder you buy has all the accessories you need or at least have the facility for adding them in the future. You may want to add things like a flash unit, video lamp, external microphone, extra battery, or even a telephoto or wide angle lens. You may also want to shoot underwater film so can your digital camcorder be housed in a waterproof housing? You may also want a selection of lens filters depending on what you want to use it for.
One of the main factors is does the camcorder feel comfortable. You could have a great digital camcorder but if it feels uncomfortable and is not easy for you to operate then what’s the use. A unit that handles comfortably for one person may not be comfortable for you. One example is the size of your hands. An ultra-compact, lightweight DV camcorder might sound great in theory, but if the controls are too small for your fingers people with large hands may not be able to use it.
Lastly is the budget. If you know that you only have a certain amount to spend then it is no good looking at the top of the range models you may not be able to afford. Also what is the use of paying over the odds for a model loaded with high-end features if you only want to point and shoot a couple of times a year, say when you are on holiday. Once you know your budget and what you want to use your digital camera for then you can review the units that best suit you.
If you've done your homework, you'll then buying digital camcorders should be no problem.
