How to Buy a Camcorder -- All Format Camcorder Buyer's Guide

Loren Alldrin
December 1999

A show of hands, please. How many of you remember when there was only one camcorder format to choose from? As you probably recall, the first home video camera wasn't a camcorder at all. It offered a separate camera section attached with an umbilical to a large, open-reel video recorder. When shooting with one of these unwieldy devices, you had a very good idea what you were going to get. Pushing the record button netted you lousy-looking video and sore shoulders, every time. Ahhh--things were simpler then.

Nowadays, choosing and using a camcorder can be a bewildering proposition. Numerous formats are scrapping for a place at the top of the camcorder market, each claiming to be superior to the next. We've got analog and digital formats living together without shame, models that ooze special effects from every button and menu, and camcorders that take flash units and memory cards. What's a confused consumer to do?

The first thing any camcorder user should do is keep reading. We're about to take a stroll through the camcorder market that should answer most (if not all) of your questions. We'll explore the various formats with an eye towards how they differ and we'll point out specific models of interest as we go. For even more details on specific models, see the accompanying all-format camcorder buyer's guide.

So it's time take a deep breath and let Videomaker lead the way. OK--you can put your hand down now.

Deciding what camcorder format you want is probably the first major decision to make. When you're buying a vehicle, the first thing to decide is whether you want a zippy two-seater convertible, a tall 4x4 for weekend excursions to the mountains or a small bus to haul Junior and 13 of his friends around. Much like deciding what role a vehicle will have before you start car shopping, having a good idea of what type of shooting you do (or plan to do) will go a long way toward narrowing down your format choices.

Presently, there are seven different camcorder formats to choose from, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Some are very convenient for watching tapes at home, some offer enhanced image quality for editing and dubbing, while others will do double-duty as a digital still camera. When you understand the seven formats, you'll understand camcorders as well.

For the sake of clarity, we'll proceed from the simplest formats up to the more advanced ones. Our tour starts with the oldest consumer camcorder format still currently available:

JVC's Video Home System (VHS) was developed to allow people to record television programs in their own homes. Little did JVC realize that it would be sparking off whole new industries with that first VHS cassette. Today, VHS camcorders are still selling for one major reason: convenience.

Because you can take a tape from a VHS camcorder and pop it straight into your home VCR for viewing, the VHS format is still the reigning convenience king. VHS tape is cheap and readily available and you can get a full two-hours of recording time on a $4 cassette. The camcorders themselves are inexpensive, making the VHS format one of the better ones to consider if you're on a tight budget. Though a technical dinosaur, the VHS format allows you to dub audio over existing video or vice-versa. Many of the newer video formats don't allow this simple videomaking pleasure.

Drawbacks? The VHS camcorder format has its share. For one, VHS camcorders have to wrap around that large VHS cassette. This makes VHS models the largest and heaviest consumer camcorders available. (Some folks consider this an advantage, as it makes for steadier shooting.) Second, VHS image quality is at the bottom of the consumer camcorder heap. This means tapes don't look great when first shot, and copied or edited tapes look worse. Finally, VHS's mono audio track leaves much to be desired in the fidelity department. VHS hi-fi stereo sounds great (a later revision of the VHS format), but no VHS camcorders offer it. Too bad.

The VHS market is dwindling, but there are still several models to choose from. A good example of the new breed of VHS camcorder is the Hitachi M7500LA ($400). It offers a flip-out LCD display, 16x optical zoom and five-way digital fader.

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