MAKER THAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED.
digital camcorders make
shooting video and editing it
on your home computer
a breeze. You can create movies
and output them to your
tape or DVD, or even post
them on the Web. Whether
you want to record shots of
your newborn baby or you
dream of becoming a true
auteur, here’s the information
that will help you make a wellinformed
purchase.
T H E B I G P I C T U R E
while televisions are
now displaying video in high
definition, nearly all digital
video camcorders still record
in standard definition. But
don’t think you’re missing the
boat, because standard-defi nition
models are getting better
and better, and the video they
record is easy to edit and turn
into great-looking DVDs.
A growing number of camcorders
have built-in DVD
recorders rather than tape
mechanisms. DVD camcorders
are typically a little larger
than mini-DV camcorders,
and most video editing software
won’t allow you to import
or edit video recorded with a
DVD camcorder. That’s changing,
though. But the main
attraction, of course, is that
you can pop the disc out of the
camcorder and into a DVD
set-top player.
Key Features
Screen: Having a large LCD
screen built into the camcorder
lets you more easily see
what you’re recording and
facilitates playback previews.
Be careful—some screens
don’t work well in bright sunlight,
an environment in
which you’ll often use the
device. Most camcorders come
with both an LCD screen and
a viewfinder, giving you the
option to use either. The viewfinder
can be useful if you
can’t see the screen in bright
light; it also uses less power
than the screen, extending the
camcorder battery’s life.
Lens: Every camcorder comes
with a zoom lens that lets you
get closer to your subject.
Camcorder manufacturers
don’t always distinguish clearly
between digital and optical
zoom. The spec for maximum
optical zoom is the more interesting
figure: It denotes the
maximum zoom that the lens
itself can achieve without
enhancement. Most modern
camcorders have at least a 10X
optical zoom, which should be
more than adequate for general
purposes. A digital zoom,
on the other hand, magnifi es
after the optical zoom is fully
extended, and the camcorder
then enlarges part of the
image to fi ll the screen. This
method leads to grainy, pixilated,
and generally unpleasant-
looking images. At higher
digital zoom settings, the quality
is so poor that you often
can’t see what you are taping.
Image stabilization: All camcorders
offer one of two types
of image stabilization—optical
or electronic—to reduce jittery
video caused by shaky hands.
With optical stabilization, the
camcorder’s lens mechanism
moves to compensate for
external movement. With electronic
image stabilization, the
image captured by the lens
“fl oats” on the CCD, and the
camcorder uses internal circuitry
after the image has been
captured to interpret the video.
Optical stabilization usually
provides the best results, but
it’s typically found in more
expensive camcorders.
Batteries: The amount of
recording and playback time
you get out of a battery varies,
but most camcorders should be
able to record for at least an
hour with the included battery.
Additional higher-capacity batteries
will cost more.
Microphones: Sound is almost
as important to a video as the
images. We’ve found that
camcorders with microphones
mounted in the front tend to
produce better sound than
those with microphones on
the top; in particular, topmounted
microphones often
pick up the voice of the person
operating the camera,
drowning out everything else.
Some camcorders offer zoom
microphones that emphasize
the subject’s voice when the
zoom lens is used, and some
also come with a socket for
plugging in an external microphone.
Either type of microphone
can be very useful
when you’re recording presentations
or speeches.
Still photography: Many digital
camcorders can serve as digital
cameras, saving still images to
a memory card. Some can save
images at the same resolution
as a 5-megapixel camera. However,
none of the camcorders,
tested by us, has performed as
well as a dedicated still camera.
They neither provide the
same level of control nor the
same image quality.
Controls: Owning the fanciest
camcorder in the world won’t
do you any good if you can’t
use it. We have found that
smaller camcorders can be a
little more difficult to use
because their controls don’t
naturally sit where your fingers
fall, particularly if you
have large hands.
Night modes: Many camcorders
have the ability to fi lm in
very low light, whether with
the help of an infrared light
(which you can’t see, but the
camcorder can), a special slow-
shutter mode that makes the
most of ambient lighting, or
built-in illumination from one
or more LEDs. Some models
offer all three methods. Night
modes can be very useful in
poorly illuminated settings.
Format: Most camcorders use
the MiniDV and DVD formats,
but a few other formats
available, such as Sony’s Digital
8, MicroMV, and flash
memory. A Digital 8 camcorder
records digitally to Hi-8 videotapes
and can also play back
videotapes recorded on analog
camcorders; the downside is
that camcorders that use Hi-8
tapes are typically larger than
miniDV models. MicroMV
camcorders (such as the Sony
DCR-IP1) use a type of tape
that is smaller than a MiniDV
tape—and the camcorders
that use such tapes are smaller
than MiniDV models. Flash
memory-based camcorders
are smaller still, but their
recording times are limited by
card capacity.
3CCD models: Some MiniDV
camcorders record video
using three CCD sensors
instead of one. They record
reds to one CCD, greens to
another, and blues to the third.
The camcorder then combines
the footage into one stream.
This process is supposed to
give you better video quality,
and in our tests camcorders
with three CCDs have performed
well. (However, the
CCD wasn’t the only factor in
the overall performance score.)
Wide-angle shooting: Several
camcorders now allow you to
shoot in the 16-by-9 aspect
ratio used by HDTVs, even if
the camcorders still shoot in
standard-definition resolution).
Note that some camcorders
use a CCD with a native
16-by-9 orientation, so you get
the full resolution of the CCD
when you shoot in wide-angle
format, whereas others use a
CCD with a traditional 4-by-3
orientation and use only a portion
of it when shooting in
wide-angle format.
High-defi nition recording: Two
or three expensive camcorders
record in a high-defi nition format
called HDV. Sony’s Han-
WHILE MINI DV is the most
common recording format, DVD
camcorders are becoming
increasingly popular.
dyCam HDR-HC1 is one such
camcorder. Because HDV is
highly compressed, it requires
a very powerful computer to
decode the fi les and an HDVcompatible
video-editing application
to edit them. (Few consumer
video-editing applic
-ations support HDV right
now.) Even a powerful computer
will take much more time—
hours, not minutes—to render
HDV fi les than standard-defi -
nition, DV-format fi les.
S H O P P I N G T I P S
are you ready to buy a digital
camcorder? PC World’s recommendations
can help you fi nd a
camcorder that’s right for you.
Check out the LCD screen in
daylight, if possible. Some
screens will wash out in bright
sunlight, and you’ll want to
make sure you can easily see
what you’re recording in any
condition. If you can’t see the
screen in bright daylight, try
using the viewfi nder: It can help
get the job done without eating
up a lot of battery power.
Look at the lens’s optical
zoom ratio instead of the digital
zoom ratio. With a digital
zoom, the camcorder is only
enlarging the image in the
viewfinder instead of really
giving you a closer look. The
optical zoom spec is more
important—you’ll want at
least 10X optical zoom.
For longer recording times,
buy a higher-capacity battery.
The battery that comes with
most camcorders only lasts an
hour or so. If you are ready to
take out a little more from your
pocket, you can buy a longerlasting
battery. So factor that
into your cost if you think you’ll
need it. (Remember, however,
that larger batteries add to the
camera’s weight.)
Front-mounted microphones
get better results. Topmounted
microphones tend
to capture voice of the person
using the camera, and drown
out everything else.
Buy an external microphone
for the best sound.
Factor in some extra bucks
for an external microphone if
you want the best sound possible.
Of course, make sure
your camcorder has a place
for you to plug it in.
Try out the camera’s controls
before you buy. Sometimes
the smallest camcorders
can be difficult to use,
especially if you have large
hands. A larger model may
work better for you if it’s more
comfortable to use.
Check out exposure controls.
All camcorders offer a fully
automatic mode, but different
models have different manual
and semimanual exposure
modes. For example, some
models let you shoot at slower
shutter speeds than others, or
have aperture settings that
allow in more light. Many also
offer scene modes, which you
might be familiar with from
digital still cameras.
Low-light options let you
shoot in the dark. Many cameras
offer an infrared light
or long shutter mode to help
you capture images in the dark.
Know your format. Most
camcorders record onto
MiniDV tapes or DVD discs,
but other formats are available
such as Digital 8 and
MicroMV. Keep in mind that
MiniDV is the most widely
available format—a boon if
you find yourself short on
tape while on vacation.
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