Digital Cameras & Digital Photography

Bruce Walls asked:


It is all to easy these days to comparison shop on the internet for almost everything that you need to buy. You can easily check out the best features list and compare the prices for the best buy. But for camcorders will it be the best buy and will you be making the wrong choice.

There is nothing better than a hands on approach to buying your digital camcorder. Doing your initial research online to weed out the poor camcorders is fine but at some stage you need to visit a store and actually handle the camcorders to see how they feel in your hand and see if they are easy to operate. Maybe you have long slender fingers or short fat ones and find using the controls difficult. Will you be able to find all the features and will you need to be a ‘techie’ just to use the basic menu commands.

If you find your propective new HDD camcorder difficult to operate then you can bet your life that other people will be in the same boat. We are not buying a $3000 pro-camcorder here but just a basic camcorder good enough to make videos for your website. If you find it difficult then look elsewhere and let the manufacturers worry about producing what customers really want.

Despite the fact that there is an industry that specialices in ‘Usability Research’ or ‘User Centered Design’ manufacturers still produce camcorders that get low marks in reviews. Maybe they don’t listen to the afore mentioned people or are confident that their camcorders will sell anyway. Here are a few things to look out for when handling a camcorder.

Tiny Buttons: Can be difficult to press the right button without touching another one. Best avoided unless you have tiny hands.

Confusing Icons: Check to see if the icons are industry standard and easily understood or are there strange looking ones that will not prompt you at all.

Menu Labyrinth: This can be a real problem for most people but do look to see that the main camcorder menu functions are easily found and accessible.

Speed: When you choose a menu item does it react quickly or is there a built in lag which can become tedious as you grow more confident and use different settings.

Idiot Proof: How easy is it to mess up and do something catastrophic like wiping out the memory card.

Do try out the camcorders but remember the more help you get from an assistant then the more obligated you should feel to purchase. Don’t assume that the camcorder will be easier to use after you have purchased it. If you can’t figure out how to operate it now then you might be in the same position in a months time.

Finally, don’t be seduced by the latest technology. Give it time and read reviews and let any improvements be made before committing to the technology. After all miniDV has been around over ten years and is still great technology for website video producers.

Jack Sufi asked:


Taking pictures is fun but it is more fun to record events of your life in a movie format. About two years ago it occurred to us how much of not only our lives we are not cataloging but also our kid’s life. We were inspired to buy a digital camcorder and with technology the way it is the idea of buying a digital camcorder today is much different than it was a few years ago.

If you do not have a digital camcorder then you need to get one and before you complain out loud about the idea let me put to rest all of the previous notions I had about buying a digital camcorder which I am certain are the same concerns you have. Missing out on the growth of your family is a difficult thing. You know you were there for the important parts but being able to capture those memories and look back on then years later is what makes a digital camcorder so wonderful.

Myth number one is that a digital camcorder is too expensive. If you have looked lately at the line of digital camcorder that is available you will see that prices have dropped considerably. Technology is strange because as technology advances prices usually drop which is the complete opposite of everything else. When they put new features on a Cadillac they always raise the prices. With technology prices drop. Go check out your local digital camcorder and see what the prices are like now. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Big, Bulky, and Difficult to Store

Remember the digital camcorder of the olden days? And by olden days I mean four or five years ago. They were big and carrying them around was uncomfortable and inconvenient. The new generation of digital camcorder is very small and can easily fit in a pocket or purse. Many of the new lines of regular digital cameras are now also being built as a digital camcorder so they double as a camera and a camcorder and you have seen how small cameras have gotten.

The old camcorders you remember have changed and it is time you looked into getting one of your own. They are not nearly as expensive as they used to be and the features they offer now are far more advanced than they used to be. They are no longer big and bulky to carry and won’t get in the way of you and your family’s vacation.

Find the Right Digital Camcorder

It may seem a bit intimidating when you are trying to decide on something like a digital camcorder, mainly because there are so many different options out there. There are literally hundreds of different makes and models of digital camcorder to choose from, so it can easily become overwhelming.

If you want to find just the right digital camcorder for you, then there are a few things you are going to want to take into consideration when you are out shopping. The make and model of the digital camcorder are going to be very important and it is best to stick to a familiar name. Features of the digital camcorder are also important in finding the right digital camcorder. Maybe you want to focus on optical zoom, or maybe a larger sized screen is what matters to you. Price is another factor that should be taken into consideration. Set out a budget for yourself and then try your best to stick to it.

Jayson Pablo asked:


Digital camcorders or video camera-recorders are slowly emerging as popular gadgets among the masses. You would find people carrying them everywhere—to school annual days, sports competitions, family reunions, birthdays and even while traveling to tourist sports. Camcorders have really won the hearts of the photo aficionados throughout the world.

Now, what are digital camcorders? They are portable electronic devices which can record video images and audio and store them in internal storage devices. Electronic innovation and advances in information technology have given the consumers a huge selection of electronic gadgets which are sophisticated as well as easy-to-use. The earliest camcorders used analog videotape but after the mid-1990s, recording digital video became the norm of the camcorders. As time passed, various camcorders with advanced technological innovations came in to being.

Usually the consumers choose any gadget on the basis of its convenience of using, portability and price. In case of camcorders too, consumers give emphasis on these features. Therefore the manufacturers also consider making more consumer-centric camcorders enhanced with features like IEEE 1394, Fire wire, USB 2.0, Composite and S-Video. In the present Camcorder market, digital camcorders with USB 2.0 output interface are gaining wide popularity. That is why companies like Canon, Sony, Kodak etc., are coming up with various innovative camcorders powered with USB 2.0 output.

The USB 2.0 interface incorporated in the digital camcorders help the users to easily connect the Net Sharing CAM to the computer. Also, the USB 2.0 interface on the camcorder helps to transfer audio and video in a very fast pace. The camcorders with USB 2.0 can be used as external DVD burner. Sony Handy cam DCR-DVD308 DVD Camcorder, Sony DCR-DVD508 is some of the excellent digital camcorders with USB 2.0 output interface. You can share your videos easily with the help of these devices.