Camcorder Buyer's Guide Shooting With Style

About once a week, I'm asked probably the most common question a video producer can ask: What's a good camera to buy? I always answer with, "What's your budget, and are you looking for something more professional- or consumer-oriented? Are you shooting digital films, event videos, commercials or all of the above?" That's where the answer lies, but there are so many good units in both classes, it makes me long for the late 1990s/early 2000s when my answer would have pointed to a small number of cameras. How things have changed!

There are many factors involved with picking out a consumer camera, and they can be broken down into format (DV or HD), media (whether it records to tape, drive, SD card or DVD disc), ergonomics (how the camera feels in your hands), features (does it have film-like features, such as 24p, or perhaps only one CCD or CMOS image sensor), and budget (a consumer camera can cost as little as $100 or as much as $3,000). When it comes to editing, most software can handle all the latest formats. A word of advice, if you're planning to shoot family events or vacations, a low-cost camera is for you. Trying to shoot your child's football game with a $20,000 Panasonic DVCPRO HD camera is like swatting a fly with a nuke. That falls under usage, what you're shooting.

Many of the consumer cameras out now are high-definition-based (HD), whether it's HDV, AVCHD or one of the other flavors. A few are still only standard definition, but, as prices continue to drop with new releases, there are too many great reasons to go HD.

One other factor to consider is that tape-based camcorders are going the way of the dodo bird. Many of today's cameras record to hard-disk drives (HDD), to DVD or Blu-ray discs or to flash or SD cards. There are even hybrid cameras that record to multiple media, like an HDD and a DVD disc. In the consumer HD camcorder market, you have basically two format choices: the tape-based HDV format or the AVCHD format on disc, memory card, hard drive and internal flash memory.

Other things to consider are how the camera is built, settings, ergonomics, features, and more. Do you want one CCD chip or three? Three image sensors will result in more accurate color reproduction than one sensor. How about the newer technology kid on the block, CMOS? A single-CMOS camcorder gives colors and picture quality that closely compete with a 3-CCD camcorder, but it consumes less battery power. Manufacturers are also putting in full-resolution, 1920 x 1080 sensors, giving video producers more resolution and a better picture. Even the professional siblings don't offer that yet.

How does the camcorder feel in your hands? Is it comfortable? Since all consumer cameras are made to be handheld (unless you use a tripod), checking for comfort and weight should be a consideration. Some of the newer camcorders are coming with film-style features, like 24p. Is that something you're looking for in a camera?