Say Cheese

Before I go deeper into the world of digital video cameras, I'll be explaining about the things you need to take into consideration when buying a new digital video camera in this post. It is tough to make a decision because of the variety and the cost. It wouldn't come to you as a surprise that digital video cameras are not cheap and can easily take a huge chunk of your wallet with prices ranging from RM2,000 - RM 10,000. You wouldn't want to fork out so much money for a digital video camera that does not suit your expectations, would you? So here's some tips and factors to consider when purchasing your first digital video camera.


What's your budget?

• Spend within your budget. It does not have to be an expensive brand. Do some research and find one that suits your needs. There are lots of good quality budget digital video cameras available.
• Ask yourself these questions : What do you want to do with it? Are you going to be filming family events, vacations or even sporting events? Do you want to make short films?

Ease-of-use

• The digital video camera you are buying should be comfortable to hold and operate. Look out for one with user-friendly interface.

Size

• Is size important to you? It is recommended that you get a small one so that its easy to carry around and also available to record important events or scenes immediately.

Video quality

• The video and color performance are the most important factors to consider that distinguishes one given brand from another. One digital video camera can make your videos look vibrant while another would make them look dull.
• You might also want to test the video playback quality because some digital video cameras may portray good quality videos on its screen while the playback on PC turns out badly.

Audio quality

• Apart from video, audio functions are also important factors to be considered. The video digital camera should be able to record and playback audio with decent, if not superb clarity. It also must be able to allow manual audio adjustments and have an auto adjust mode.

Zoom quality

• Do not be tempted to choose one that claims to be able to zoom lots of times. Instead look for one that is able to magnify pixels and maintain picture quality.

Built-in features

• Choice of automatic exposure modes does help a lot. Other than that, built-in editing such as dubbing also totally depends on what you'll be using your digital video camera for.
  

Digital Still Image Capability

• This feature gives you the ability to shoot pictures just like a digital camera. This feature is unnecessary unless you don't have a separate digital camera to shoot still images because this feature jacks up the price way too much.

Image stabilization

• This feature is very useful for those with shaky hands or those that take videos outdoor a lot, where vigorous movement is unavoidable.

After sales support

• This factor is often ignored by most users. Since you're paying a huge amount of money for your digital video camera, why don't have a peace of mind owning it?
• Make sure it has good warranty coverage that also offers world-wide support if you're traveling often.

Source:
http://www.easycamcorders.com/content/Beginners-Guide.htm
http://www.snapjunky.com/camcorder-basics/some-tips-on-how-to-find-the-right-camcorder.shtml


Also, here's a good article to help you select a digital video camera.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/test_bench/article1524341.ece