Digital Video and FireWire
There are two major types of camcorders: analog and digital. Analog camcorders record the picture information to tape as a series of waves and electronic pulses. Digital camcorders translate the video into a computer-like signal, and then record it to tape. An analog camcorder is like a typewriter, even as a digital camcorder is like a computer. The benefits of a digital camcorder are that the quality is higher, and no tape quality is lost when you make a copy digitally. Control is also much simpler with a digital camcorder than it is with an analog camcorder. Digital camcorders used to cost upwards of $2,000, but now many models are available as low as $300. Manufacturers are stopping production of analog camcorders altogether.

As nearly all consumer camcorders right now record to digital video, it’s necessary that your camcorder is competent of making excellent transfers of digital data to the Dell vostro a860 Battery computer or other digital recorders. This is done through FireWire, another name for the IEEE 1394 high performance serial bus. Most consumer camcorders have FireWire ports that allow camcorders to be routed to a computer to conveying data. Since FireWire can transport more data at higher speeds than a USB cable can, it is nice to use even as control video in programs. FireWire is standard on camcorders now. It is valuable, but, to verify that your computer has a FireWire jack.

CCDs: Size and Pixels
CCD is small for charge-couple-contrivance, and is regularly referred to as a “chip.” The chip converts visible light into an electronic signal, which the camcorder reads and stores to tape. Generally, the larger the CCD the better; announce camcorders regularly have 1/2-inch to 2/3-inch CCDs, even as consumer camcorders ordinarily have them within the dialogue box of 1/6-inch to 1/3-inch. The larger the CCD, the more light is full in with the image, resulting in brighter pictures with better colors. CCD size becomes quite valuable in low light situations. CCD sizes in consumer camcorders vary with every model and manufacturer, and always should be considered. The difference between a 1/6-in. and a 1/4-in. CCD may seem small, but when those values are squared to measure the surface area, it has a large look on video and low-light quality.

The other key distinction is the difference between one and three CCDs. Professional camcorders always have three CCDs, one for each primary color. Until 2002, consumer camcorders typically only had one. The colors on professional three-CCD camcorders are much brighter, plain, lifelike, and accurate than the colors of one-CCD camcorders. A three-CCD camcorder nearly always beats out a one-CCD camcorder, and the difference in quality both in normal and low-light shooting is noticeable. The best part is that three-CCD camcorders are beginning to make their way into the consumer market. Whereas three-CCD technology previously could not be found for under $2,000, there are now three-CCD camcorders available for below $1,000, and prices are dropping every day.

Another thing to deliberate is the number of pixels on the CCD. The more pixels the CCD has, the sharper the image; but, this is slightly deceptive. A standard video frame has only nearly 340,000 pixels in it. Increased pixels have very small look on the sharpness of the image once they exceed 340,000. Of way, video could never be that simple, and you will typically see sharper images even between 1 Megapixel and 2 Megapixel CCDs. But, this look is subject to diminishing income. It should also be noted that there are two measurements for CCD pixels: yucky, which is the total number of pixels on the CCD, and effectual, which is the number really used on the CCD. The effectual pixel count is what matters.

Zoom
Zoom can be classified as any optical or digital, and nearly all camcorders have both. Normal optical zooms range from 2x to 20x magnification, even as digital zooms range from 20x to 800x. Even as optical zooms use physical movement of the lens mechanism, digital “zoom” is simply digital enlargement of the pixels. Digital zooms result in a blurring of your picture called pixellation. Using a digital zoom will significantly reduce the quality of your video, and we always recommend turning your digital zoom off. We also recommend that regulars just ignore the digital zoom of any camcorder, since it is largely marketing hype and not a quality feature. Manufacturers will feature outrageously large digital zooms of 500x or 800x, which might look impressive on paper. If you were to really use these zooms, but, your video would be unwatchable.

Media: Tape, Sparkle, or DVD
Currently, there are three major types of camcorder media: tape, DVD, and sparkle. (There are both analog and digital media, but we at Camcorderinfo.com concentrate on the digital ones.) These days, most camcorders record to MiniDV digital videotape. A second digital tape format, Digital8, was invented by Sony.

It is valuable to note that digital stills are not recorded to tape, but to Sparkle media, just as with digital still cameras. Different types of sparkle media are used by different manufacturers, including SD, Compact Sparkle, and Sony’s Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo. A very small number of camcorders contain no tape or DVD mechanism and can record video only to a sparkle media card. These sparkle media camcorders are just starting out and haven’t really caught on.

DVD-recording camcorders have become very well loved in the past few years. DVD-recording camcorders record video on smaller-sized DVDs. DVD-recording can cause some confusion, though, since there are a few different flavors of DVD media, each with its own benefits.

There are three types of DVD formats that camcorders use: DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM. These formats are somewhat similar to burnable CDs. DVD-R media cannot be erased once recorded. One of the benefits of a DVD camcorder is that it allows you to do in-camera control. You can rub out scenes, go them nearly, and even trim them in some models. This is possible only with DVD-RW and DVD-RAM disks. The downside to these two formats is that not all home DVD players can play DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disks. On the other side, most home DVD players (except some of the earliest) can play DVD-R disks.

Image Stabilization
Image stabilization is an valuable factor in performance, especially if you’re not using a support. Image stabilization removes some of the shakiness that occurs when you are handing a camcorder. There are two types of image stabilization: optical and electronic. Electronic image stabilization uses the camcorder’s internal computer to electronically shift the image in the opposite direction that minor shakes go it. It does this by slightly zooming in on the image, which gives the camcorder a small “wiggle” room. Optical image stabilization follows the same concept, but the camcorder really moves parts of the lens to compensate for the shake. The downside to electronic image stabilization is that it sometimes degrades picture quality. Optical image stabilization is better than Electronic stabilization, just as optical zoom is better than digital zoom. Unfortunately, most consumer camcorders have electronic image stabilization.

Audio
In some ways, the audio you record with your camcorder is just as vital as the video. But, this isn’t likely to be a make-or-break area in your camcorder buying choice. Most camcorders are generally equal in the audio that their attached microphones record – likewise terrible, that. There are regularly problems with tape motor noise, problems from noise from your hands operating the camcorder… and sometimes the camcorder will simply record the incorrect thing. When looking at the audio component of your camcorder buy, look for options. We recommend using an external microphone instead of the one that is included with the camcorder, so you must look for a microphone-in jack. It is also excellent to have a headphone-out jack so you can monitor your audio and right for any problems even as recording. In addition, some higher-end and some middle-tier consumer camcorders contain manual audio control, which allows the user to adjust the audio level of the microphone’s channels; this is valuable when recording something like a concert, or anything very loud or soft.

Still Pictures
Still picture quality is rated in pixels, ordinarily advertised as a number of Megapixels. For many years now, camcorder manufacturers have been integrating still picture functionality into their camcorders. But, as we said above, your best go is to buy a separate camcorder and FUJIFILM NP-40 camera. If you are placing value on still pictures (which many regulars do), look for a high megapixel count, an on-camera sparkle, and a large included memory card.

Automatic Exposure Modes
Many consumer camcorders contain preset shutter speed and exposure settings that place a dialogue box of performance on the shutter speed and the exposure. These presets ordinarily contain sports, low light, sun & ski, landscape, spotlight, etc. If you are not familiar with manual control, these modes can be very helpful.

Widescreen
This term characterizes the aspect ratio of 16:9, and comes up in exchange of 16:9 mode regularly. An aspect ratio is a way of describing the ratio of how long a picture is to how wide it is. In video, the standard aspect ratio is 4:3; that is, 4 inches long for every 3 inches tall. In film, the standard aspect ratio is 16:9. This is why you will sometimes see black bars on the top and bottom of the cover on a show which has been converted to television. It is since the actual show is too wide to show on the whole cover. Even as the television you have at home is likely designed for a 4:3 aspect ratio, many people want that film widescreen look. (Some even have a 16:9 aspect ratio TV.) For this reason, many camcorders contain a “widescreen mode.” Some very expensive camcorders can produce images that are truly in the 16:9 ratio; but, most consumer camcorders, since of the 4:3 size of their CCDs (see above), have to approximate the 16:9 ratio using a number of tricks developed by the manufacturers.

LCDs and Viewfinders
LCDs and viewfinders are mechanisms used for playback on the camcorder itself. Even as nearly all consumer camcorders can be plugged into a television for playback, the LCD and viewfinder offer immediate playback of media. Generally, the more pixels on the LCD or viewfinder the better; pixel are given in thousands, such as 123K (123,000 pixels). LCDs and viewfinder size is measured on the diagonal. A 2.5-inch LCD cover will have sides smaller than 2.5 inches.

Focus
An image is in focus when it is crisp and clear to the viewer. Place another was, a focused image occupies the focal point of a lens mechanism. The focal point of a lens system is the point at which all refracting or reflecting light rays from the lens converge, the focal part being the distance from the lens to the focal point. Camcorders ordinarily have automatic and manual focus options. As far as manual focus options go a focus ring is best; but, many of the less expensive consumer camcorders have any jog dial or button manual focus.

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed refers the speed of the opening, or rotation, of the camcorder’s shutter. (Go figure.) Each time the shutter opens, a certain amount of light is admitted to the CCD. Shutter speeds are measured in rotations per second: 1/60, 1/2000, etc. High shutter speeds like 1/2000 admit less light, since the opening in any given amount of time is small. Slow, or low, shutter speeds admit more light as they remain open longer. A low shutter speed recording of a quick object can result in a blurring or trailing look; a quick shutter can capture tender objects, like athletes, crisply. Diminished light admittance at high shutter speed can be compensated by boosting the exposure / gap.

Exposure / Gap
Exposure refers to the exposure of the imager to light. Even as shutter speed governs the interval of exposure, the iris — more particularly, the gap — controls the amount of light let in at any given interval. The wider the iris, the larger the gap, the smaller the F-stop (the measurement of exposure), and the more light that is let into the lens, resulting in a brighter picture.

Gain
Gain refers to the amplitude or strength of the video signal. On some consumer camcorders, one can boost this signal, increasing the amplitude, or gain. This allows for better low light performance, as the image becomes generally brighter, but it’s regularly at the deprivation of clarity, as noise increases as well. Gain is measured in decibels. (0 dB, 6 dB, 18 dB, etc.)

Webcam
Progressive Scan
Some consumer camcorders, especially expensive ones, offer progressive scan options for the capturing of video. There are two different types of scanning: progressive and interlaced. Video is captured in fields of resolution. It is also captured at a certain frame rate (i.e. 30 frames-per-second, etc.). With interlaced scanning, there are two fields of data recorded within each frame. Each field consists of alternating lines of resolution. Once the two fields of alternating lines of resolution are recorded, a frame is said to be made, consisting of two interlocking frames of resolution. The fields of the resulting frame have been recorded in an alternating sequence. Therefore, in playback, one cannot stop and view a single frame and see a clear picture. Rather, when viewing frames recorded with interlaced scanning, you’ll see a flickering between fields, similar to the VCR flicker when pausing a VHS tape. Ordinarily, consumer camcorders record at 60i, which means 60 frames-per-second with interlaced scanning. This is really 60 fields per second, which when interlocked make 30 frames-per-second.

In progressive scanning, the two fields of resolution that make up each frame are captured collectively at the same time, sort of similar to film in that a series of still images is recorded in sequence. Even as a minute of video recorded at 30p (30 frames progressive scan) would control approximately the same amount of data as a minute of video recorded at 60i, there are slight differences. In all-purpose, progressive scanning rates produce shift that is more similar to the way film does, although interlaced scan produces slightly less smooth shift. Both progressive scanning rates of 30p and 24p are available on camcorders. Even as real 30p is available on some higher-end camcorders, it is regularly approximated by altering a 60i scan. This is even more right with 24p, but unfortunate.

Many independent filmmakers and video nuts lick their chops over the ability of camcorders to record in 24p. Even as this option is nearly always a result of some sort of processing look, the resulting capture is said to approximate the look of film. Indeed, many hobbyists desire 24p since of the possibility of eventual video to film conveying. Currently, you can not find right 30p in a camcorder under $3,000.

The Next Step
CamcorderInfo.com has reviewed, veteran, and analyzed every camcorder on the market to make your shopping experience simple. The next step is to read our reviews and recommendations, which should guide you to the model of your scale. Here’s a list of the different features on CamcorderInfo.com to help you narrow your choice:

Camcorder Ratings The camcorder ratings page summarizes all of our research in one simple-to-follow table. This page ranks every recent camcorder based on its overall score from the CamcorderInfo.com standardized rubric. This page is an simple way to take a quick glance at the ratings of all the models on the market and how much we liked or didn’t like each one. From the camcorder ratings page, there are links to the full reviews of each model. This list also includes the price of each model and many of the key specs, which are very helpful in making your scale.

Camcorder Reviews Directory Our reviews directory main page includes links to all of our reviews, divided by manufacturer and recording format. This is a fantastic place to initiation if you know a specific model or manufacturer for which you want to read a review.

Compare Canon BP-827 Camcorders This page allows you to do side-by-side comparisons of the specifications of all the models on the market. You can also rank the camcorders by the low light or video performance scores which they received.

Camcorder Message Boards Want some personal help? Have a question that hasn’t been answered in a review? Confused by something? If you still have questions, you can question them in our online community, which includes 20,000 members keen to help you pick the right model. Our online community includes over forty different message boards, each dedicated to specific camcorder models. If you have a question about a specific model, you can question it in that model’s message enter. If you have a more all-purpose question, you can question it in our Buying and All-purpose message boards. This community is one of the greatest assets of CamcorderInfo.com and is a fantastic resource when shopping for your camcorder.

Price ComparisonsOur price comparisons section is fantastic if you want to skip the reviews and go straight to shopping. It provides real-time pricing information from 30-50 online retailers for each model. You can jump right to the online store of any listed retailer from the price comparisons section.

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