Digital Camcorder Shopping Tips

Bob Brown asked:




With all of the choices on the market, it can definitely be overwhelming choosing a digital camcorder. There are several things to consider when shopping. A lot of brands can now record in high definition, but, there are some limitations to having an HD camcorder, such as incompatible video editing software.

The amount of zoom should also be taken into account, but, not the digital zoom. The higher the digital zoom, the more the resolution is decreased, making for blurry, pixelated pictures.

The optical zoom, however, will actually let you zoom in on your subject without sacrificing the picture quality. The optical zoom and the digital zoom are often not differentiated clearly on the manufacturer’s information. Keeping this in mind, paying close attention to the specs, and not being ‘fooled’ by a high digital zoom number on the camera box, will help to make sure you wind up with clearer zoomed pictures and videos.

Another thing to consider is the size of the viewing, or LCD, screen. The LCD screen is both the viewfinder and the playback screen, so having a large one would be beneficial. The cost will go up as the size of the screen goes up, however. On the subject of size, the size of the camcorder itself, along with the weight, are important things to consider. Most electronics for sale today boast of their tiny size. This has not always proven to be a good thing. If the camera is too small for you to properly hold onto, or operate the different functions, then you will want to think about getting a larger one.

A very important feature of a digital camcorder is the microphone. If you can hear more of the activity around the person filming than the subject, then this is definitely a good thing. One way to help alleviate this issue is to make sure you get a camcorder with a front-mounted microphone, as opposed to a top-mounted microphone. Some camcorders even come with audio zoom for the microphone, that zooms the audio when the picture is zoomed.

There are lots of different features to check out when buying a camcorder, like what kind of battery is needed and how long it will last. Doing some research online and asking lots of questions at the store will help you make an informed decision.

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