Which DVD Camcorder Is The Best Best Buy
The best DVD camcorder for you may not be the best for your next door neighbor. Before you make a selection, you must evaluate your needs, your shooting habits and your price range. Let's see wgat we can do about separating the DVD camcorders into different groups to try to make a selection easier and the correct one.
Best miniDVD camcorder.
This
Panasonic digital camcorder records to miniDVD discs that are playable
in most home DVD players. Most camcorders have a ton of features for the individual that is a control freak. There are so many controls on this camcorder that you will need to keep the manual handy. It also
has an automatic mode and specialized scene modes such as sports,
portrait and low light for those that don't require or even want that much control . It has Optical image stabilization to reduce the jitter during handheld shooting. Video quality is very good and on a par with
miniDV camcorders. Recording to miniDVDs is convenient, however it has a big drawback that may severely handicap you if you intend to edit your video, as I do, on a PC. If you are one of those who doesn't care much about editing your video, then go for it. If you
prefer editing flexibility over convenience then you should instead consider a
miniDV camcorder.
Most after-shooting editing control.
The
flexibility of miniDV tapes makes them the best option for those who
want to do more editing. This Panasonic camcorder draws raves for its
outstanding image quality, aided in no small part by a three-CCD image
sensor. It's also better than most camcorders at shooting in low light
(such as indoors). Extensive manual controls allow total mastery over
shooting. Optical image stabilization works well to reduce camera
shake. The biggest negatives are the curious placement of the USB and
FireWire ports behind the battery and the lack of a microphone input
(an integrated microphone is included).
Best budget camcorder.
According
to reviews, the Canon ZR800 is the best choice among budget miniDV
camcorders. Although it's not the best low-light performer, video
quality is very good, with accurate colors and sharp details. Audio
quality is a weak point, but a microphone input is an important plus,
and using a separate microphone greatly improves audio performance.
Though not as full featured as the Panasonic PV-GS320, this inexpensive
Canon miniDV camcorder sports some nice extras, including a 32X optical
zoom, digital image stabilization and a widescreen CCD image sensor and
LCD display.
Hard drive digital camcorder.
Rather
than recording to tape or a DVD, the Panasonic SDR-H18 stores video on
a 30GB hard drive (about seven hours of top-quality video). Video
quality, while short of miniDV, is still very good, and the captured
video is easier to work with than miniDVD if you plan on doing any
editing on a computer. The Panasonic SDR-H18 can also record to
removable SD memory cards. Optical image stabilization and a 32X
optical zoom are also present. Altogether, this Panasonic hard drive
camcorder makes the most sense for those who plan to work with video on
a computer.
Camcorder for casual shooting.
Video
quality from this inexpensive camcorder can't compare to others, but
reviews say the RCA Small Wonder EZ201 is fine for easily capturing
impromptu family events or videos for e-mailing or posting online. The
RCA camcorder has 512MB of internal flash memory -- enough to store 30
minutes of video at the highest quality setting. There's also for a
slot for memory cards to record longer videos. A flip-out LCD is useful
for shooting videos of yourself. You can transfer the videos to your PC
via the cards or the integral, flip-out USB connector