A Checklist To Find The Best Digital Video Camcorder For You (page 2)

4. Should I use buyer's guides and online resources?

Be sure to look at buyer's guides (like the one on Videomaker's website), which will allow you to compare features between models, and read articles about new cameras and new features. But also pay attention to user reviews. Sometimes these are very helpful, because they show how a camera works in what may not be an ideal situation.

Professional reviewers may have lots of talent and resources behind them as well as an intimate knowledge of camcorders in general to get them excited about the obscure features of a particular model, but they often have the cameras in hand for only a brief period of time, and many times they don't use them under stressful or everyday situations. User reviews from the field saying that the on/off switch is inconveniently located can sometimes be more helpful than a feature rundown from a professional. Read both the pro's take, and then find user-groups sites where the owners of a particular model has already invested time and money into it.

5. Am I being seduced by features I don't need or words I don't understand?

There are things you should look for on a camera. Things like image stabilization, three-chip sensors, good low-light capability are all great things to have on a camcorder. Then there are "features" which manufacturers have invented primarily to mislead the consumer. Things like digital zoom (which isn't really a zoom at all, but more like sitting closer to the television) and megapixels (which don't really measure image quality) are often just an attempt to confuse the buyer. We like to look at numbers - they're easy to compare. We see that one camera has a 300x digital zoom; it seems an obvious assumption that it's 300 times better than a camera that has NO digital zoom, but that's not the case. Digital zoom just enlarges the image, it doesn't zoom the lens in tighter.

Shop prepared! If there's a phrase you don't understand, look it up.

6. How's the battery life? How much are extra batteries?

You don't ever want to be at a critical point in shooting and have the Battery Low indicator flash - it creates a dreadful feeling in the pit of your stomach. Likewise, you don't want to be an electrical socket nomad, moving from outlet to outlet, eyes always alert for a new source of power like a shivering drug user trying to dry out. Be sure to compare battery life on your camcorders and see how much extra batteries cost. At the very least, you should have one extra battery; if you'll often be far from home, you'll want more.

7. What recording media should I be using?

Camcorders record to lots of different media types: Mini DV, DVD, hard drives, CompactFlash, SD and SDHC. While Mini DV is still popular in high-end cameras, lower-end units seem to be trending towards non-volatile media, solid-state cards and built-in memory that will then be transferred to some other media for storage. This is the way digital still cameras have worked for years now. On the one hand, it's convenient not to have to worry about tapes, but, on the other, it's easy enough to duck into an electronics store and buy a bunch of videotapes on vacation, while it's more difficult to find a way to dump your built-in memory to a big hard drive to free up space.