Camcorder Buyer's Guide 2006

Randy Hansen
December 2006

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If buying a camcorder is in your future, you'll want to know what's available and what it's going to cost you. Or, if you're not in the market for a new camcorder, you might want to brush up on the new technologies. So much has changed in just the past year.

If you had been shopping for a camcorder ten years ago, your choices would have been essentially limited to three options: VHS-C, Hi8 and DV. At the time, these products were state-of-the-art and nothing better existed. But not anymore! These days, the choices available to the video hobbyist with a little cash (sometimes very little) are numerous indeed. Presently, an alphabet soup of recording formats now exists including not just Mini DV but DVD, HDV, AVCHD and others (discussed later). All boast better sound, better images, smaller packaging and more versatility than the "gotta have it" camcorders of the mid-90's.

The available camcorders on the market are getting more numerous, varied and specialized. There are camcorders that are tiny like the Sony DCR-TRV280 ($270), camcorders with detachable lenses that can be secured remotely, such as the Samsung SCX-21OWL ($700), and camcorders that record video onto hard drives, like the JVC Everio GZ-MG505 ($1,300). Generally, these camcorders can be divided into three categories: Hobbyist, Intermediate and Professional.

Hobbyist
$350-$500
"Hey, I can afford that"
The camcorders in this category are those intended for the casual or beginning shooter. Starting at the lowest prices, these have minimal features, lacking the plugs, switches and electronic wizardry of the higher-end camcorders. The average user of these products will rarely get beyond pressing the record button and hoping the "auto" setting can handle it all. Many of these camcorders do have manual options, but you often have to dig through menus and sub-menus to achieve the custom look you're after.

Exposure compensation, white balance and audio are handled automatically by the video "nanny" electronically embedded in the camcorder's hardware and software. This may result in occasionally under/over exposed images, off-color pictures and audio levels that can sound artificial. While reading about these issues, it may appear the low-priced video camcorder offers little to please the consumer. However, today's entry-level camcorders, such as the Canon Elura 100 ($400), provide surprisingly high quality images and audio, while users experience fewer of the problems resulting from entry-level products of the past. Happily, chips, processors and other gee-whiz gimmickry once found only in the higher-end products of a few years ago have trickled down to the lower price strata and the main benefit is the consumer. Ah, Capitalism!

The typical camcorder in this price range will come packaged with a single battery and charger (which is usually the camcorder itself), strap, lens cover and a CD of low-end editing software and little else. The lens will often be constructed out of plastic and the audio choice is limited to a single microphone mounted on the camcorder body.

Intermediate
$500-$1,500
"C'mon Honey, I'll use it. I promise!"
The next step on the product ladder is the most interesting because of the huge range of products available and the variety of recording media on the market. Tapes, DVDs, hard drives and flash memory provide users at this level amazing images and stunning sound quality. Products start from slightly higher priced hobbyist camcorders, such as the Panasonic PV-GS59 ($350), to a "Should be/almost is prosumer" level of quality, Sony DCR-HC96 ($800). As the name (and the prices!) imply, these camcorders tend to have more manual adjustments for white balance, audio levels and other controls. They may also have external connections for earphones, hand mics, on-camcorder lights, etc.

At this price stratum, the capabilities of the camcorders tend to increase as the price rises. Lenses have a more powerful zoom, such as the Panasonic PV-GS500 ($1,000) with a 12X zoom, and they have larger chips gathering the image. Simply put, the larger the chips, the more pixels the manufacturers are able to fit on them, resulting in sharper video. Also, features not available at a lower price start to appear as the prices climb. Need a headphone jack? Most of the products in this price range have them. Many also have external functions for manual focusing, external audio inputs for a hard-wired microphone or wireless microphone receiver, a white balance button for precise control of the video image color and a camcorder-top mount for an external battery light much more powerful than the small bulb that may be mounted on the front of the camcorder as it comes out of the box, as well as many other features increasing the quality and control of the camcorder.

Your choice of the medium upon which the image is recorded has also grown a great deal. What used to be a two or three horse race (VHS-C, Mini DV, Hi8) has grown into a stampede of competing formats:

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