It's Camcorder Season!

Jennifer O'Rourke
December 2005

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However you celebrate it, if visions of new camcorders dance through your head this Holiday Season, you're in luck... because now's the time to think about finally purchasing your first camcorder, upgrading your old one, or taking the plunge to buy that cool, sweet, dream-machine you've always fancied. For months, our editors at Videomaker have been compiling, editing and comparing all the data you need for that new purchase and we've laid it out for you in this Camcorder Buyer's Guide.

While you peruse the Guide, let's look at a few features and terms you need to know, to zero in on which camcorder is the perfect fit for you.

Camcorders come in many "flavors", and just wondering what format you want can be confusing for the first time buyer.

For those of you still yearning for the comeback of parachute pants and big shoulder pads of the 1980s, it's time to move on. The '80s are long past and the VHS camcorder is all but dead. Currently, no manufacturer is making new VHS-family camcorders, and only Sony is offering new Hi8 camcorders. However, media companies like TDK and Memorex report that sales of VHS and Hi8 tapes are still strong, so there is still tape available and there are still uses out there for your old camcorder. (See Don't Mothball that Old Camcorder sidebar.) Most new camcorder purchases tend to be Mini DV, although HDV, DVD and other formats are gaining popularity as prices drop.

You can capture both analog (e.g. from VHS or 8mm) and digital (e.g. from Mini DV or Digital8) footage in your video project, but you'll need to know how to digitize that footage. Whilst DV uses FireWire, you'll need a capture card device for your computer if you want to capture analog footage. (See Video Capture Card Roundup in Videomaker's September issue.) You can also get a small hard drive called a DTE (direct to edit) that attaches to your camera via FireWire saving your digital files as you shoot, so you can save time when you begin editing.

Other camcorders record to DVD, or memory cards. Recording footage shot from DVD camcorders and memory cards require a completely different set of concerns, so you should also take this into consideration when you think about that new camcorder purchase. More on that in a moment.

Those familiar with camcorders of the past 20 years recognize that they used several different sizes or types of videotape formats, but they were all shooting on tape. Until recently. Now we have camcorders that shoot on DVD and flash memory. Comparing them to tape-based camcorders is like comparing apples to chicken wings--they're not even in the same food group. Therefore, we've separated those formats into their own grid. Capturing footage on either DVD or SD cards has both its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage common to both is trying to edit the footage later. The biggest advantage is being able to pop that card or disc into a player and watch your video instantly, without needing to rewind, reload or digitize the tape.

Why would you pick a camcorder that isn't tape-based? For some folks, the smaller the camera the better, and some SD camcorders are pretty darn small. The Fisher FVD-C1 ($800), for instance, is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and shoots about 20 minutes of high-quality, full frame, full motion MPEG-4 video onto a 512MB SD card (2GB cards available). The downside of cameras like this is the price, and many editing software applications have trouble with MPEG-4. But if you want unedited quick point-and-shoot fun, these cameras are a blast.

The DVD camcorders have their own issues to look at, and price is one of them. They record MPEG-2 on 8cm mini DVDs, and many of those discs aren't rewritable, so you can't reuse them like you can with videotape. These mini DVDs hold about 60 minutes of video at a low bitrate; but the higher the bitrate, the less video you can capture. On the plus side, current DVD camcorders have evolved from their early counterparts, which took a long time to respond to commands and were cumbersome to operate. And you can't beat the ease of recording and playing back instantly on newer DVD players. On some of these cameras, like the Panasonic VDR-M50PP, you can edit your video in the camcorder.

Whatever format they shoot on, camcorders nowadays come in a wide variety of prices, sizes, and available features. In the past, the lowest priced camcorder had no whistles and bells at all, and was nearly completely automatic, with the user needing to merely turn it on, press Record, and wave the camera around the room. Not so nowadays. Camcorder manufacturers now know that we're not all as dumb as we might seem, and after watching ten years of America's Funniest Videos, many of us know how to focus and white balance. For instance, Samsung's SC-D353, and Panasonic's PV-GS19, both retailing for $350, have programmable exposure modes, have auto and manual exposure as well and both have EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization), unheard of in a low-end camcorder of just a few years ago.

One issue with camcorders in this range is that almost all of the lower end camcorders don't give the user the option of manual control of the audio levels. What this means is you have to rely on the AGC, or Automatic Gain Control. The camcorder, not you, controls your sound levels. Is this good or bad? Here we go with that big "It Depends." If you want to just point and not have to think about it, then it's a good thing. If you want to get the soft whispers of your child's first words, you might find yourself frustrated with an auto device that wants to pull the sound of the nearby air-conditioner or refrigerator up to compensate for the assumed silence.

Although even the lowest priced camcorder comes with more manual controls, the camcorder is also getting smaller and smaller and with that comes new levels of appreciation and frustration. If you're looking at your first camcorder purchase, you might not need all the advanced functions that come with some of the more expensive and higher-end camcorders, but you'll still need to watch out for a few functions and features that every camcorder should carry to be effective, efficient and fun.

For instance, many smaller Mini DV camcorders load the videotape or the battery from the bottom, and we can't stress enough how difficult this is to work with if you plan to use a tripod regularly. Having to stop and remove the camcorder from your tripod to replace the tape or battery can cost you that one-in-a-million image of Bigfoot disguised as Elvis teleporting off in an alien spaceship. Although small, both of the aforementioned camcorders load from the top. For contrast, Sony's small DCR-HC21 ($400) loads from the bottom, but has an accessory shoe for attaching lights and mics, which the other two don't. Confused about which is best for you? Well, wait until you look at the medium to higher-end camcorders!

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