Is it time to buy a digital camera?
With a variety of digital camcorder formats on the market, and prices from several hundred to several thousand pounds, finding a model that delivers the most value for the lowest price can be tricky.
How do they work?
When light enters the lens of any digital camcorder, it strikes a small light sensitive device that converts it into an electronic signal and stores it on a digital tape, a memory card or disk. Two of the most popular camcorder formats are miniDV camcorder and DVD camcorder. A miniDV camcorder records on a small digital tape cassette while a DVD camcorder uses 76 mm disc.
Essential digital camera features include a 10x optical zoom lens and the largest CCD – the camera’s light sensor –you can afford.
Pros
Videos captures on miniDV tape can be downloaded to your computer and edited by most popular software packages. Discs can be popped directly into most DVD players and computers with compatible DVD drives.
Cons
Transferring miniDV tapes onto your computer is done in “real time”. This can take quite a while to complete. A 76 mm DVD has to be run through a “finalisation” process in the camera before viewing. Disc files copied to your computer can be edited – but generally just with the basic software that came with the camcorder.
Bottom line
If you want to watch what you shoot without editing, a DVD camcorder may be the better choice. If you intend to shoot and edit, a miniDV is better and probably less expensive.
Read Acer Digital Camera Reviews, Benq Digital Camera Review, Canon Digital Camera Reviews.
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