Camcorder advice.

[jakesi]

I want to buy a camcorder (around �300) but have'nt a clue where to start, ie make,format,style, any help will be greatly appreciated.

cheers.

[meta]

Media/Format

• VHS-C (Standard VHS tapes - low resolution)
• Hi-8 (Small ish tape - standard resolution)
• MiniDV (Small tape - good resolution)
• Digital8 (Small ish tape - good resolution)
• DVD (Records straight to a DVD - good resolution)
• HardDisk (Records to a hard disk - good resolution)

Styles

• With or without LCD viewer
• Partial/Fully rotating LCD viewer
• Upright/non-upright (depends how you like to hold it)

There's not much with styles apart from personal taste.

Makes

• JVC - Decently priced and fairly good all round
• Sony - Can be expensive but very good all round
• Samsung - Inexpensive and full of features, but tends to be a little lacking in low light
• Panasonic - Can be expensive but very good all round
• Sharp - Decent all round, but nothing special
• Canon - Decent all round, but expensive

Features

• I-link(DVin/DVout) - quick fast connection to PC's
• Optical Zoom - The more the better
• Digital Zoom - OK but distorts easily (anything over 200x is shaky & blocky)
• Remote Control - Handy but not essential
• LCD Size - Depends what your comfortable with
• Exposures - Most will have pre-programmed ones plus manual control
• Webcam - Can be used as webcam
• Special Effects - Most will have effects such as Black & White, Mosaic, Mirror, Ghost, Emboss and more. Fun to play with but thats all
• External Light - Good for close up, but not so good for general inside shots
• Sound - Stereo or Mono
• Still Picture - Captures still images either directly to tape or memory card
• Image Stabilisation - Helps with camera shake

[meta]

There are probably lots of other features, but they vary from camcorder to camcorder. Try looking at places like www.pricerunner.co.uk or www.kelkoo.co.uk to help you find out what is in your price range.