Computer Bytes - No. 36 Ours has become a visual world with graphics, pictures, and videos being captured around the clock. If you are considering the purchase of a digital camcorder to record family events, videos for the Internet or maybe you just want to express yourself, there are a few things you need to know before buying a digital camcorder. There are a lot of digital camcorders on the market so where do you begin? Some considerations are your budget - how much do you want to spend? Will the camcorder allow you to take still shots? If this is important to you, purchasing a camcorder that can take still shots in the video stream will essentially be giving you two cameras for the price of one. If you go this route, be aware you will sacrifice some of the still picture quality. Get the highest optical zoom rating you can afford but don't exceed 1,000x as anything above this will basically be useless. Image stabilization is very important unless you will only use the camcorder on a tripod. If you plan on shooting out in the field, battery life is a major consideration. Lithium ion batteries are a viable option as they are lighter in weight and can be recharged at anytime and still receive a full charge. Some of the older Lithium batteries had to be completely drained before they would take a full charge. What quality of video do you want? Many of the newer digital camcorders have the ability to capture 'widescreen' video that can match the aspect ratio of the new HDTV's. In addition, you also want to look at how the video is recorded . . . on a disc, on a memory stick, on a recordable DVD. Some of the DVD camcorders that record directly to DVD-R/W can be watched immediately on a home DVD player or computer (see Computer Bytes No. 20 for Formats) but they do not allow for editing. Consider where you will be shooting your video. Will you need advanced controls for indoor/outdoor shooting? If you want to add upgrades, will your camcorder accept lamps, external microphone, or extended batteries? And, is it comfortable to hold? Try using the various buttons. If you find them too small or too close together for comfortable operation, then you may find the operation frustrating. Once you have your video recorded you will want to save it, edit it or maybe burn it to a DVD. All computers and camcorders have what are called ports. A port is a means of transmitting information from one source to another. For connecting your camcorder to your computer there are three basic methods. Firewire has more or less become the standard for transferring information from the camcorder to the computer and is often referred to as the standard of IEEE-1394. Before beginning, make sure your camcorder is running on AC power (plugged into an outlet) and leave it off. Connect one end of the firewire cable to the camcorder's DV port, connect the other end to the firewire port of your computer. When the computer is turned on, turn on the camcorder. Your computer should automatically recognize the camcorder. The other two other methods are Analog and USB. Analog video capture requires additional hardware products and the success of the final product depends on your having a stable, fast computer system. Many camcorders now come equipped with a USB port; however, at this time the USB port can only be used to transfer still pictures. It doesn't have enough bandwidth to accommodate video. Some of the more popular camcorders are made by Canon, Sony, Aiptek, Panasonic and Samsung. Visit their websites for specific features. Moncrief Web2 Home Page Moncrief Web Design Computer Bytes Index Web Design | Search Engine Optimization | Site Maintenance & Management | Request Information | About Us ~ Sample Sites Send Us an Email | Home Page Copyright 2007-2008. All rights reserved. Computer Bytes articles may not be reprinted, published, quoted, copied, or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of David Moncrief.