subject: Buying a Digital Video Camera or Pocket Camcorder in 2010 [print this page] Buying a Digital Video Camera or Pocket Camcorder in 2010
It seems from camcorder reviews that everyone now feels the need to own a new digital video camera, either a Pocket Camcorder, Compact Camcorder, Sports-cam, Family HD video camera, Prosumer-cam or Professional camcorder now that Full 1920x1080p resolution is freely available on even the cheapest HD Camcorders and high definition camcorder models.
Before buying, it will be wise to read camcorder reviews to consider what the digital video camera will be used for, helping us know which features may be important, some of which are mentioned below:
Full 1920x1080p is becoming important, HD Camcorders with this feature usually record to MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 which is a superior Movie Recording Format.
AVCHD with an HDMI Output to a high definition television and USB flip out port to enable direct uploading to the social networks.
Optical zoom rather than digital zoom, Optical Image Stabilizer, Touch Screen LCD screen which may include Touch Screen Face Recognition. Some HD camcorders have up to a 3.5 inch diameter LCD screen, the larger the better.
External Jacks. With a bit of researching through camcorder reviews, these can be found on some really cheap Pocket Camcorders, and some high definition camcorder have In-camera Editing.
Most high definition camcorders record to an SD/HC memory card, and some record to twin media via a hard drive or embedded flash memory.SD/HC Memory Cards are cheap. Select a new card with a high number printed inside a small circle. 2 is unsuitable, 10 is the highest.
Good low light is important, and some HD Camcorders have an inbuilt video light.Some digital video camera models have the capability to take really high definition pictures. Even some Pocket Camcorder models can take 14mp high definition pictures, and along with this may have a built-in flash.
Dual Record mode lets you take high definition Images while shooting high definition video at the same time, and Time-Lapse Record or Interval Recording Mode may sometimes be useful.
A wide angle lens, manual focus ring as well as auto focus, Bluetooth Wireless Technology, Wireless data transfer via Eye-Fi, and some now have inbuilt GPS. This list is not exhaustive, but more detailed explanations can be read on the Features Page on the US Camcorder Reviews site.
