Do homework, then shop for camcorder
Dollars and Sense
If you’re in the market for a camcorder to record all the festivities over the upcoming holidays, you have plenty of time. And you’ll need it, because there’s a lot to learn before you buy a new camcorder — even if you’ve had one before.
Here are some things to consider:
What are you going to do with a new camcorder? Vacation videos? Parties and family events? Outdoor or indoor sports? Do you want to send copies of the video to relatives? Show videos on your TV? Expand your imagination to cover all the possibilities.
What is your budget? Is it stretchable by a couple hundred dollars if it nets you additional features?
Features you’ll likely want:
“A digital, as opposed to analog camcorder. Analog is old technology and isn’t manufactured as much.
“An LCD monitor AND an eyepiece. The little monitors don’t work well in full sun, and you’ll appreciate having the eyepiece.
“Optical zoom for close-ups from a distance, as opposed to digital zoom that results in grainy images.
“An image stabilizer to reduce the shaking that comes from holding the camera. Both optical and digital stabilization is good, with optical being better.
“Automated exposure controls for point and shoot, as well as manual override controls that give you the opportunity to make changes to the way the video is going to look.
“Presets for different situations such as snow, dark, indoors, nature and more.
“A comfortable fit in your hands, with logical button placement.
“Ports: Look for a FireWire IEEE 1394 for connection to your computer. Make sure your computer has a FireWire jack.
“A separate battery charger. Some cameras require that the battery be in the camera while it’s being charged, which means you can’t record.
“External microphone: If sound is important, an external mic will help to pick up what you’re shooting, not the sound of your voice or the camera itself.
“A store return policy you can live with.
Once you find a camera you like, after asking a lot of questions at multiple stores, check it out on CamcorderInfo.com to see what others have to say about the same model.