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Digital Camcorders – What to look for when you buy a camcorder

Digital has been the biggest revolution in recording technology since film came out. Arguably a bigger change than colour film because digital does not degrade. Analogue recording to tape always has the risk of damage to the tape and film degrades over the years but digital can be copied infinitely without losing the original clarity.

The other big change with camcorders is price. Just like computers, digital camcorders have fallen in price. However, the cheapest is not always the best to go for.

These are the things to look out for:

LCD Screen Size

The larger the screen size, the easier it is to judge what the recording will look like on a bigger if not 'the big screen'. Get one that swivels and tilts so you can see what the camcorder sees even if it is being held at an angle or waist high.

A good size screen enables you to walk around holding the camera, keeping an eye out on where you walk. Tiny screens mean you will inevitably trip over at some point!

Image Stabilisation

This is a feature that used to only be found on high-end cameras but is now available on some of the cheaper machines. You may think you are holding the camera still or smoothly moving it around but, trust me, the picture will be shaking and jerking.

Still Capability

It can be useful to be able to take a still photo. Not just to replace the still camera but often it is an easy way to take a background shot for the video title when you edit it.

Auto Focus

There's nothing worse than taking a blurred video. Auto-focus means your shots will be crisp even when you are in a rush. Imagine racing to get your daughter winning the race at school sports and trying to adjust focus

Power Capacity

Some camcorders just suck the power out of batteries and it's worth getting the rechargeable high-capacity type of battery. Not only will these be cheaper to run but you are less likely to find the camcorder has shut down at a critical moment.

A spare battery is really useful, one on charge whilst the other is in use.

Lens Quality & CCD

The higher resolution cameras will give a better result, especially when editing but more critical than resolution is the quality of the lens. Our second hand camera doesn't have the capacity of the more modern ones but the lens quality makes a huge difference to the eventual picture quality.

Always search around for the best deals. There are many makes and many models. I suggest looking at the big names at the lowest prices ie Sony, Canon, Panasonic, JVC etc.
 Mini DV and the latest DVD camcorders will give you the best results. Some, especially those at under say £150 are just elaborate still digital cameras with a movie mode. Best to buy wisely and be cost effective in the long run

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