Camcorders Buyers Guide

The would-be amateur film maker is now faced with a vast array of different formats and built-in camera special effects options. Just as digital cameras are beginning to have an impact on the photographic world, digital video is invading the 'home movie' scene, until now dominated by videotape. Digital Camcorders bring new formats and quality, which can be viewed either on your television or directly onto your computer.

So, the first question is to decide which format to choose?

VHS
Few, if any, new camcorders come with this larger size of tape. It's convenient though as it just slots straight into your VCR.
VHS-C
A scaled down version of VHS. The tape (slightly larger than an audio cassette) is slotted into an adapter the size of a normal VHS tape to be played back on your VCR.
S-VHS-C
A more expensive (semi-broadcast) quality version of VHS-C. You can only play tapes recorded in S-VHS or S-VHS-C in an S-VHS VCR. They cost significantly more than VHS machines, but the price difference is ever decreasing.
Video 8
A rival to VHS-C. The tape stays in the camera which you plug straight into your TV or VCR through the normal Phono connections or perhaps a SCART lead.
Hi 8
High-quality version of Video 8. Rivals S-VHS. Connect to your TV or VCR with the normal Phono or a SCART lead, although an S-VHS lead will offer the best transfer quality.

Digital Camcorders are more expensive than the traditional videotape Camcorders, but prices are continually falling.
Mini DV
Small tapes, offering digital picture quality. Connect to a VCR or television using Phono jacks or a SCART lead. Up to 60 minutes in normal recording mode; 120 in long play. This looks like the future for camcorders.
Digital 8
Uses Hi8 tapes and records onto them digitally. Will also play Hi8 and Video 8 tapes, so they are backwards compatible. Only one manufacturer uses this format.

All video cameras come with a lens which records the image through a CCD. It's important not to underestimate the importance of lens quality. This will be reflected in the price of the camcorder. The big names in photographic equipment are likely to use higher-quality lenses. You will find camcorders with higher quality lenses at a photographic dealer rather than a computer store. Look for a spec which details the number of elements in a lens and whether they are coated - this is always a good sign.

The cheaper cameras may have no zoom lens at all - just a fixed lens. Many people think that a telephoto zoom lens is desirable, but a wide-angle lens is far more useful, as you can cram more into the shot, especially people in a small room (a zoom shot is also easy to blur with camera-shake). Check the wide-angle qualities of a lens rather than the zoom setting - ask for comparisons. Many cameras, particularly digital ones, offer a 200x or 500x digital zoom. With digital zoom the central portion of your image is magnified many times (note that image quality can be impaired after being magnified). An optical zoom may be preferable.

Most camcorders have an autofocus feature which means you don't have to worry about focusing. Be aware that it can be a little slow to activate and can sometimes focus on the wrong thing. Look for a manual over-ride if you plan to do more than record memories with it.

Auto-exposure (AE) is reliable for most types of shots, although a bright sky or backlit-subject can fool the AE system into thinking that the scene is brighter than it is - and the resulting images come out too dark. Again, look for a manual over-ride or at least a 'backlight' button if your budget will stretch.

Many camcorders can be used in very low-light conditions (measured in 'Lux'). A lens with a large aperture (such as f1.4 or f2) lets in more light. An f2.8 or f4 lens is less suitable for low-light work.

The white balance is usually set automatically, but a manual white-balance is useful for the serious film maker. It means you can decide exactly how you want the colour balanced.

Once viewfinders were black-and-white; now many are in colour and this is reflected in the price. All digital camcorders have colour LCDs for viewfinders, but this has no effect on the final image and is purely for convenience. Some camcorders have LCD viewfinders which can be folded out in various ways for easier viewing. The larger and brighter the LCD, the heavier the drain on the batteries.

All camcorders have a built-in microphone. More expensive models will also have a remote mic. To hear your recording during playback/reviewing, most camcorders will have a speaker or headphone jack.

Some camcorders come with special effects. These might include adding a fade out, mosaic, stretch or negative effect to your images. Think about whether you will use these effects before buying as they will add to the cost of the camcorder.

Image stabilisation systems attempt to remove camera-shake. Electronics systems are often not very effective, and optical systems, though better, are expensive. If you're planning on using a zoom lens, your best answer is a tripod!

A remote control can be extremely useful - don't underestimate it. Allows you to appear in your own films and also good for filming wildlife or candid shots. Not necessarily an expensive option.

Playback and editing is considerably easier on digital camcorders than normal tape. In fact, some top-flight digi-camcorders come with their own editing package. Normal tape camcorders will probably need to be edited on a good VCR, where quality will suffer. The original quality is preserved in a digital edit.

Connecting to a Television :
S-VHS : For the best quality, and reserved for Hi8 or S-VHS-C cameras. However, few TVs and only S-VHS VCRs actually have an S-VHS socket. A copied and edited tape stands up quite well, quality-wise.
SCART :(21-pin Euroconnector for the TV end, and probably phono jacks for the camera). A high-quality connection. All modern TVs and VCRs have at least one SCART socket. Copied and edited tapes are OK, quality-wise.
Phono : Easy, as you can play these through most VCRs and TVs with no problems. However, the quality of a copied and edited tape will suffer.

Connecting to a Computer :
Digital Camcorders : You can play your movie through your computer, using the DV-out link. However, for edits, you also need a DV-in, and you only find these on the very top-end digital camcorders . Edits using DV-in-out are simple and all the original quality is retained.
Videotape Camcorders : You can watch movies from videotape camcorders on your computer as long as you have a 'video capture' card inside your computer.

8mm or VHS-C:
Fixed Lens
Digital Zoom
Colour LCD
Image Stabiliser
Remote Control

Hi8 or S-VHS-C:
Optical Zoom Lens (10x, 20x, or even more)
Digital Zoom
'0 Lux' capabilities for low light
Movable LCD displays

Digital video:
Optical Zoom Lens (10x, 20x, or even more)
Digital Zoom
'0 Lux' capabilities for low light
Movable LCD displays
DV-out

High-end DV:
Optical Zoom Lens (10x, 20x, or even more)
Digital Zoom
'0 Lux' capabilites for low light
Movable LCD displays
DV-in/out (for editing)