Buying a Camcorder - What you need to know
Buying a Camcorder - What you need to know
Before you consider the camcorder features you need you must decide which type of storage or capture method is best for your intended purpose. The days of VHS and Hi8 tapes are gone. These were analog capture systems that had problems such as drop-outs, stretch and loss of resolution with each generation of copy. Along came digital capture - a sturdier and more reliable capture media with phenomenal advantages for editing and archiving. Currently, there are four types of digital storage: Digital Tape, DVD, Hard Drive and Flash. All of these capture methods represent a quantum leap forward.
Digital Video Tape
MiniDV is far superior to analog tape. It is a very versatile, high quality recording format enabling transfer via IEEE 1394 (also known as Fire Wire and I-link) and because it is recorded digitally onto tape it can be edited without signal loss. This format was a big improvement over analog formats such as Video8, Hi8, VHS and VHS-C.
MiniDV has become a standard for home and semi-professional video production. At present, it offers the highest quality of any of the recordable storage types. However, tape does have some short comings - it is sensitive to moisture, strong magnetic fields, can break and requires real time transfers to a computer for storage or editing.
DVD
DVD (digital video disk) is a consumer format removable disk that can be played back on most home DVD players and computer DVD drives. The DVD disks used in camcorders are small 8-cm disks which are sometimes referred to as MiniDVDs. They are relatively cheap, can be played back in Blu-ray players and are a handy back-up media that can be stored separately from the camcorder - direct archiving. On the down side, recorded at the highest quality the disks only holds 20 to 30 minutes of video per side for a total recording length of one hour.
HDVD and Blu-ray disks are newer DVD formats offering some improvement in quality to the standard DVD.
Hard Drive
HDD (Hard Disk Drive) camcorders record digitally onto an internal hard disk drive similar to a home computer. This approach lets you back up your recorded video onto your computer's hard drive for archiving, viewing and editing. Capacities of these hard disk drives range form 30 GB to 120 GB - enough space for 14 plus hours of high quality recording. HDD can be damaged from shock or fast movement and can fail with low atmospheric pressure or when used in altitudes higher than 10,000 feet.
Flash Memory
Flash memory such as SD/SDHC and Memory Stick is probably the future for camcorder storage. It is less expensive than hard drive storage and because it is Solid State with no moving parts it is a very rugged storage method - resistant to shock, pressure and temperature extremes and even immersion in water. An 8GB card will record 55 minutes of video.
The Latest Improvements to the Four Storage Types
DVD, Hard Drive and Flash Memory
have been further improved with the introduction of AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition). This is a High-Definition tape-less consumer format using an MPEG-4 compression enabling a much faster transfer of data to the computer when compared to DV and HDV camcorders which require a Firewire connection and specialized capturing software. DVD like menu navigation makes AVCHD a more attractive format for consumer use. AVCHD can be edited but requires a fast computer with a multi-core.
If you have a Mac with iMovie '08, it will import AVCHD footage and convert it to Apple Intermediate Codec so you can edit. The latest versions of Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro, Corel's Ulead Video Studeo 11 Plus, Corel's Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6, Pinnacle's Studio Plus 11 & 12, AVID Xpress Pro, Avid Media Composer and Canopus' Edius Pro 4.5 also support AVCHD.
MiniDV is now available as HDV (High Definition Video) which is an improved recording format for MiniDV magnetic tapes using MPEG-2 video compression. This format records higher quality video compared to AVCHD.
Sony HDR-TG1 High Definition Handycam Camcorder
This is the world's smallest Full HD Camcorder! The HDR-TG1 Handycam records Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution video from a lightweight slim body crafted from pure titanium.
It records to convenient Memory Stick Pro Duo media. Sony's ClearVid CMOS Sensor and BIONZ image processor provide spectacular video and stunning 4.0 megapixel still images.
The Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam weighs only 8 ounces without battery. Features include Face Detection, 2.7" Wide Hybrid Touch Panel Clear Photo LCD, Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization, 10x Optical/20x Digital Zoom, Quick On feature, Dolby Digital 5.1ch Sound Recording and Smooth Slow Recording.
A Dual Record feature gives you the ability to capture still images directly to Memory Stick Duo media while recording video in High Definition. This camcorder even has a built in flash!
The list of advanced features incorporated in this tiny camcorder are remarkable. Check out the HDR-TG1 page for a complete description of its capabilities.
Sony HDR-TG1 Camcorder - was $799.99 now $699.99
Sony DCR-VX2100 Mini DV Handycam Camcorder 
Want one of the best prosumer Camcorders currently available? Here it is!
The VX2100 utilizes a new Advanced HAD progressive scan CCD technology which dramatically improves illumination, delivering superior low-light performance without the use of infrared. By increasing the three CCD's sensitivity to light, clearer, brighter video with more lifelike color can be captured, even when recording in dimly lit environments.
Its aspherical lens and duel-position neutral density filter minimize distortion from standard spherical lenses and compensates for varying lighting situations such as studio lights or direct sunlight.
The VX2100 includes a built-in lens cap to protect the enhanced optics package, manual audio control and PCM Digital Stereo Audio in 12 and 16-bit modes.
Other features include a manual focus and zoom ring, built-in color bar generator, 16:9 wide screen recording capability, intelligent accessory shoe, both 12x optical and 48x digital zoom, advanced optical SteadyShot picture stabilization and up to seven hours of operation with the optional NP-F960 InfoLithium battery.
Sony DCR-VX2100 MiniDV Camcorder - was $2,299.99 now $2,199.99
"Prices and stock availability posted in this blog are subject to change."
