Camcorder Guide

This camcorder guide will help you in selecting the right camcorder for your needs.

Technology is growing at an ever increasing rate, with new camcorders being released every few months from the major camcorder manufacturers. This can be both a blessing and a curse.

We all love to have the latest models with all the bells and whistles, but it might be worth just standing back for a moment and asking yourself what you really want your camcorder to do for you.

Will it be used to film the odd birthday party or family holiday or will you be using it to create videos for your business where top video and audio quality are important?

Do you just want to watch your masterpiece straight away on the TV or do you like doing a bit of editing, adding a few swipes and special effects before burning it onto a DVD?

Luckily, a new camcorder doesn't become obsolete as quickly as computers do, but we are currently on the edge of a new shift in camcorder technology that we haven't seen since the jump from anologue to DV.

The new boys in town are high definition, which offers superior picture quality, hard disk drives and solid state (memory cards).

High definition camcorders can be purchased for as little as $500 and the price is continuing to fall.

So you want the quality HD has to offer, but is your computer up to it? High definition video takes up a lot more space than DV and requires some serious processing power to edit it. You'll probably have to upgrade your video editing software as well, because only the latest versions can deal with HD.

This camcorder guide recommends Sony Movie Studio 8 Platinum editing software (Pictured left - $50-$90), which gives the best bang for your buck. Sony Movie Studio allows you to edit HD video easily, adding swipes, effects, text, music etc. and then create a DVD with menus just like the ones you buy in the shop.

If you have Windows Vista Platinum or Ultimate only, you can also use the free MovieMakerHD included, but you cannot create a DVD with it. You will need to get extra software to do that.

Of course, if you have no intention or interest in editing your videos or creating a DVD and just want to plug your camcorder into your HDTV and start watching your latest blockbuster, then choosing a compact HD camcorder with a HDMI connection would be of more importance to you.

But if perfect high definition quality isn't an issue for you and the budget is a bit tight, then take advantage of rapidly falling miniDV camcorder prices. Last years models can be picked up brand new for less than $200 and this year's models start at less than $300.

So use this camcorder guide to first decide what you are going to use the new camcorder for, read the reviews on this site and then look on the 'cheapest camcorders' page to get the best deal possible.

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