Evaluate, then Purchase...Perhaps a Sony?
Feb 13 '01 (Updated Feb 19 '01)
The Bottom Line Knowing your needs is the first step toward making the right decision.
As with most electronics, making a decision about a digital camcorder boils down to the features you want at the price you want to pay. Prices start around $700 and go as high as $3000 for the "prosumer" models (units that offer many features once limited to professional gear). The other essential question is asking what you want to do with the camera. Most consumers, who I assume purchase camcorders to record family events, will be quite satisfied with cameras in the $700 to $1500 range. Spending more money might give you more features, but there's a good chance you'll never use them.
So what advantage does a digital camcorder have over all the other formats like Hi8, 8mm, S-VHS and VHS? The most talked about is improved image quality. Until the introduction of the digital format, the best quality available to the average consumer was Hi8 and S-VHS, each providing around 400 lines of resolution. Digital improves on that number by producing around 525 lines. Though all the numbers sound impressive, they don't mean much if a person can't tell the difference just by looking. Fortunately the digital format passes this humble test quite well. Though the difference is subtle when compared to Hi8 or S-VHS, it is quite dramatic compared to the tried-and-true-but-oh-so-inferior VHS format.
Despite the greater image quality, digital still suffers from the problem that plagues any non-VHS format - inconvenience. If you want to share your footage with someone else, that person either needs to use your camcorder, have one himself or be satisfied with a VHS copy. Unfortunately the latter option, while being the most accessible, effectively negates digital’s higher resolution advantage. If you've spent time editing your footage, seeing that lesser VHS copy can be quite a blow as you realize your audience will not see the best representation of your efforts.
The other primary advantage to Digital is in the aforementioned editing process, made all the more convenient with the creation of the IEEE1394 transfer protocol. Sony calls it "iLink," Apple calls it "Firewire" but regardless of the label it has revolutionized the video editing process. While it was possible to edit video on your computer prior to its creation, the process was certainly not as accessible nor as straightforward as plug-and-play. Now anyone with a digital camcorder and a computer has the tools to create something that once required a lot of capital and a fair amount of technical knowledge. While the PC platform has its share of Firewire cards and editing programs, Apple wins the award for empowerment by providing its iMovie2 editing program and Firewire ports as standard equipment on its DV iMacs.
The other benefit of the digital format, expediated by the Firewire protocol, is the fact there is no generational image loss from the editing process. The quality that goes into the computer when you start your project will be the same when you send it back out. Even with the highest quality analog formats generational loss was unavoidable, so you can probably understand why the digital format is sort of a Holy Grail for videomakers.
So now that you’re ready to shop, what should you look for? The following is a list of non-negotiable items, presented in no particular order:
1. Manual control of focus and exposure. While automatic controls are handy and do well most of the time, inevitably you’ll run across a time when you’ll need manual overrides.
2. Manual zoom control. I list this one separately because it’s hard to find within the entry-level price point. It’s useful because sometimes the preset zoom speed just isn’t fast enough to get you to the setting you want.
3. Flip out LCD screen. A fairly standard item these days. Once you’ve used one, you’ll not want to go without.
4. Microphone jack. Nothing beats the clarity of a properly placed, external microphone. You should at least have the option to plug one in.
5. Firewire in/out. Some cheaper cameras might only have output. If you want to venture into nonlinear editing, you’ll need input too.
6. Video and audio in/out. A camera should have at least the “out” jacks, if only to connect it to any television. The “in” jacks are useful if you want to record from another source, like the VCR, TV or an analog camcorder.
7. Camera stabilization. Look for optical stabilization as opposed to digital. The latter essentially enlarges the picture area, creating a buffer zone to “absorb” unwanted camera shakes. The enlargement results in diminished image quality. Optical stabilization instead relies on mechanisms within the camera to compensate for unsteady hands.
8. Intuitive and logical controls. This requires hands-on exposure to a variety of cameras. Most will have the standard placement of zoom control and record start/stop, but watch out for manual focus controls that are removed from the lens area. Also be sure access to the various menu items is quick and easy. It’s a bad sign if you find yourself having to use both hands to push those buttons!
9. Headphone jack. The best way to monitor your audio while recording, especially if you are using an external microphone.
Up to now I’ve referred to the consumer digital format as if there were only one format available. Leave it to Sony (and now Hitachi) to make things interesting. When you begin your shopping you’ll run across something called Digital 8. This is a digital video format created by Sony that records a digital signal on standard Hi8 and 8mm tapes. Digital 8 camcorders can also play back tapes recorded in those older analog formats. This is an obvious benefit for anyone who has a library of those tapes. Sony's cameras also have the added benefit of performing on-the-fly analog-to-digital conversion. Older models did not have this capability and in order to convert to digital you had to tape a digital copy or buy a separate converter box for around $400. This "pass-through" feature alone might be worth buying the camera as you can hook up any source to the camcorder and immediately convert it to a digital datastream for the computer.
No matter the number of features and variety of options available right now, I must reiterate the importance of determining your needs before making your purchase. This will not only help you decide what to buy but ultimately lead to greater satisfaction with your final decision. A good starting point, however, is the Sony Digital 8 product line, which offers many of the non-negotiables I mentioned above along with some incredible features.
Happy hunting!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
camyee
|
|
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Media enthusiast - film, video games, music, books...not necessarily in that order.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.