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Digital Video and FireWire
There are two major types of camcorders: analog and digital. Analog camcorders record the picture information to tape as a series of waves and electronic pulses. Digital camcorders translate the video into a computer-like signal, and then record it to tape. An analog camcorder is like a typewriter, while a digital camcorder is like a computer. The benefits of a digital camcorder are that the quality is higher, and no tape quality is lost when you make a copy digitally. Editing is also much easier with a digital camcorder than it is with an analog camcorder. Digital camcorders used to cost upwards of ,000, but now many models are available as low as 0. Manufacturers are stopping production of analog camcorders altogether.

As almost all consumer camcorders right now record to digital video, it’s necessary that your camcorder is capable of making good transfers of digital data to the Dell vostro a860 Battery computer or other digital recorders. This is done through FireWire, another name for the IEEE 1394 high performance serial bus. Most consumer camcorders have FireWire ports that allow camcorders to be routed to a computer to transfer data. Because FireWire can transport more data at higher speeds than a USB cable can, it is nice to use while editing video in programs. FireWire is standard on camcorders today. It is important, however, to verify that your computer has a FireWire jack.

CCDs: Size and Pixels
CCD is short for charge-couple-device, and is often referred to as a “chip.” The chip converts visible light into an electronic signal, which the camcorder reads and stores to tape. Generally, the bigger the CCD the better; broadcast camcorders often have 1/2-inch to 2/3-inch CCDs, while consumer camcorders usually have them within the window of 1/6-inch to 1/3-inch. The larger the CCD, the more light is taken in with the image, resulting in brighter pictures with better colors. CCD size becomes quite important in low light situations. CCD sizes in consumer camcorders vary with every model and manufacturer, and always should be considered. The difference between a 1/6-in. and a 1/4-in. CCD may seem small, but when those values are squared to measure the surface area, it has a large effect on video and low-light quality.

The other key distinction is the difference between one and three CCDs. Professional camcorders always have three CCDs, one for each primary color. Until 2002, consumer camcorders typically only had one. The colors on professional three-CCD camcorders are much brighter, vivid, lifelike, and accurate than the colors of one-CCD camcorders. A three-CCD camcorder almost always beats out a one-CCD camcorder, and the difference in quality both in normal and low-light shooting is noticeable. The best part is that three-CCD camcorders are beginning to make their way into the consumer market. Whereas three-CCD technology previously could not be found for under ,000, there are now three-CCD camcorders available for below ,000, and prices are dropping every day.

Another thing to consider is the number of pixels on the CCD. The more pixels the CCD has, the sharper the image; however, this is slightly deceptive. A standard video frame has only around 340,000 pixels in it. Increased pixels have very little effect on the sharpness of the image once they exceed 340,000. Of course, video could never be that simple, and you will typically see sharper images even between 1 Megapixel and 2 Megapixel CCDs. However, this effect is subject to diminishing returns. It should also be noted that there are two measurements for CCD pixels: gross, which is the total number of pixels on the CCD, and effective, which is the number actually used on the CCD. The effective pixel count is what matters.

Zoom
Zoom can be classified as either optical or digital, and almost all camcorders have both. Normal optical zooms range from 2x to 20x magnification, while digital zooms range from 20x to 800x. While optical zooms use physical movement of the lens mechanism, digital “zoom” is simply digital enlargement of the pixels. Digital zooms result in a blurring of your picture called pixellation. Using a digital zoom will significantly reduce the quality of your video, and we always recommend turning your digital zoom off. We also recommend that consumers just ignore the digital zoom of any camcorder, because it is largely marketing hype and not a quality feature. Manufacturers will boast outrageously large digital zooms of 500x or 800x, which might look impressive on paper. If you were to actually use these zooms, however, your video would be unwatchable.

Media: Tape, Flash, or DVD
Currently, there are three major types of camcorder media: tape, DVD, and flash. (There are both analog and digital media, but we at Camcorderinfo.com concentrate on the digital ones.) These days, most camcorders record to MiniDV digital videotape. A second digital tape format, Digital8, was invented by Sony.

It is important to note that digital stills are not recorded to tape, but to Flash media, just as with digital still cameras. Different types of flash media are used by different manufacturers, including SD, Compact Flash, and Sony’s Memory Stick and Memory Stick Duo. A very small number of camcorders include no tape or DVD mechanism and can record video only to a flash media card. These flash media camcorders are just starting out and haven’t really caught on.

DVD-recording camcorders have become very popular in the past few years. DVD-recording camcorders record video on smaller-sized DVDs. DVD-recording can cause some confusion, though, because there are a few different flavors of DVD media, each with its own benefits.

There are three types of DVD formats that camcorders use: DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM. These formats are somewhat similar to burnable CDs. DVD-R media cannot be erased once recorded. One of the benefits of a DVD camcorder is that it allows you to do in-camera editing. You can delete scenes, move them around, and even trim them in some models. This is possible only with DVD-RW and DVD-RAM disks. The downside to these two formats is that not all home DVD players can play DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disks. On the other side, most home DVD players (except some of the earliest) can play DVD-R disks.

Image Stabilization
Image stabilization is an important factor in performance, especially if you’re not using a tripod. Image stabilization removes some of the shakiness that occurs when you are handing a camcorder. There are two types of image stabilization: optical and electronic. Electronic image stabilization uses the camcorder’s internal computer to electronically shift the image in the opposite direction that minor shakes move it. It does this by slightly zooming in on the image, which gives the camcorder a little “wiggle” room. Optical image stabilization follows the same concept, but the camcorder actually moves parts of the lens to compensate for the shake. The downside to electronic image stabilization is that it sometimes degrades picture quality. Optical image stabilization is better than Electronic stabilization, just as optical zoom is better than digital zoom. Unfortunately, most consumer camcorders have electronic image stabilization.

Audio
In some ways, the audio you record with your camcorder is just as vital as the video. However, this isn’t likely to be a make-or-break area in your camcorder buying decision. Most camcorders are generally equal in the audio that their attached microphones record – equally bad, that. There are often problems with tape motor noise, problems from noise from your hands operating the camcorder… and sometimes the camcorder will simply record the wrong thing. When looking at the audio component of your camcorder purchase, look for options. We recommend using an external microphone instead of the one that is included with the camcorder, so you must look for a microphone-in jack. It is also good to have a headphone-out jack so you can monitor your audio and correct for any problems while recording. In addition, some higher-end and some middle-tier consumer camcorders include manual audio control, which allows the user to adjust the audio level of the microphone’s channels; this is important when recording something like a concert, or anything very loud or soft.

Still Pictures
Still picture quality is rated in pixels, usually advertised as a number of Megapixels. For many years now, camcorder manufacturers have been integrating still picture functionality into their camcorders. However, as we said above, your best move is to buy a separate camcorder and FUJIFILM NP-40 camera. If you are placing value on still pictures (which many consumers do), look for a high megapixel count, an on-camera flash, and a large included memory card.

Automatic Exposure Modes
Many consumer camcorders include preset shutter speed and exposure settings that put a window of performance on the shutter speed and the exposure. These presets usually include sports, low light, sun & ski, landscape, spotlight, etc. If you are not familiar with manual control, these modes can be very helpful.

Widescreen
This term characterizes the aspect ratio of 16:9, and comes up in conversation of 16:9 mode often. An aspect ratio is a way of describing the ratio of how long a picture is to how wide it is. In video, the standard aspect ratio is 4:3; that is, 4 inches long for every 3 inches tall. In film, the standard aspect ratio is 16:9. This is why you will sometimes see black bars on the top and bottom of the screen on a movie which has been converted to television. It is because the actual movie is too wide to display on the whole screen. While the television you have at home is likely designed for a 4:3 aspect ratio, many people want that film