Digital Camcorder Buying Guide 2009-2010 Choosing a Camcorder - Buying a camcorder can be confusing. With so many choices and features you need to understand what is important and what is not. This camcorder buying guide will help you sort out the facts on camcorders and what models best fit your needs. Our new digital camcorder comparison list makes it easy to compare camcorder features. Buy with Confidence - After choosing the best camcorder, you need to consider the best dealer that provides dependability, service, support and competitive prices. After considering many dealers, we have chosen Amazon.com as our dealer of choice. Click here to see why.

Top-Rated Camcorders - Smart-Review only displays the best Top-Rated camcorders available on its site. Smart-Review recommends that you read the owner reviews that are conveniently provided with each Top-Rated camcorder on Smart-Review.com. The overall average review is noted with a star rating for each camcorder, between 1-5 stars. We list only those camcorders that score 4 stars or higher. We find owner reviews to be valuable based on our own experience in buying electronics.

Video Recording: DVD, MiniDV Tape, FLASH or Harddrive? - Camcorders today store video in a variety of ways, and each type has its advantages and disadvantages. The most popular camcorders have shifted from MiniDV, to DVD, to FLASH Memory and HDD (Harddrive) camcorders. Each method of storage of video has its advantages and disadvantages as can be seen below:

• FLASH Memory - The most popular camcorders today are Flash and Dual Flash camcorders. These camcorders use flash memory cards (same as digital cameras) to store video, or have built in solid state flash memory. Without a tape mechanism or harddrive, these camcorders are generally smaller in size than other camcorders and have better battery life. Most are high definition, using AVCHD compression technology to store the video. They range from cheap camcorders with mediocre video and features to those with excellent sensors and features (such as the higher end Sony and Canon Flash Camcorders). Flash camcorders usually have no moving parts other than the lens. They hold varying amounts of video per card. The most popular memory cards for these camcorders are the SDHC Memory cards. Currently you can get them cards with up to 16gb at reasonable prices, and larger sizes such as 32gb have been introduced. Some of the smaller flash camcorders are cheap, but will not provide the same quality of video as larger models since their sensors and lenses are smaller.
  
  TOP PICK: Canon Vixia HFS100 (Flash Memory).

• DUAL FLASH MEMORY - These share all the same features of the above Flash camcorders, but record to not only memory cards, but have built-in memory. This means that you can record without memory cards. As prices have dropped these have become very popular.
  
  TOP PICKS: Canon Vixia HFS10 (Dual Flash Memory 32gb), Sony HDR-CX500V (Dual Flash Memory 32gb), and the Canon Vixia HF11 (Dual Flash Memory 32gb).

• MiniDV Tape - The MiniDV tape has been a very popular format for recording video over the last decade. This year, there are fewer choices as manufacturers have moved to flash memory based camcorders. However, most professional camcorders still use tape. For standard definition camcorders (not HD), the video is transferred with little or no compression to the tape, giving the maximum quality which is important for editing should you want to produce your own productions with the videos you take. Tapes are inexpensive and can give you 60 to 90 minutes depending on selected quality. To view MiniDV camcorders on your TV you can hookup the camcorder using included cables. If you are going to be doing a lot of editing of the video, MiniDV camcorders are a good choice as they have less compression than other models. MiniDV tapes also give you excellent archival storage backup. Even if you transfer your video to a computer and the computer drive crashes, you still have your tape. For consumer camcorders, convenience is leading to HDD camcorders to be more popular than MiniDV. With tape, you have to go through the entire tape to view it (sequentially).
  
  TOP PICKS: Canon HV40 (MiniDV) and the Sony HDR-HC9 (MiniDV),

• Hard Drive (HDD) - Another recording format is a camcorder with a built in hard drive (HDD) similar to what is in your notebook computer. The advantage of a built in harddrive is that you don't have to bother with DVDs or Tapes. The built in harddrive many hours of video. This should be more than enough for normal or extended vacations and events. When you get home after shooting the video, you can then download the video to your computer with the included cables to later burn to DVD, edit, or archive. You can view video directly on your TV by hooking up the included cables to your TV set (some have HDMI for HD). With an HDD camcorder you can also view scenes without having to go through all the footage in sequence like tape, and can even edit and delete scenes on the fly. The one disadvantage of HDD is that you must be sure to back up your video to an external harddrive so that should your computer crash, you have an extra copy.
  
  TOP PICK: Canon HG21 (120gb HDD)

• DVD - Although once the most popular, recording directly to Mini DVDs is no longer the most popular camcorder format. Standard definition DVD camcorders will create DVDs that will play directly in your home DVD player with no modifications. These mini DVDs are inexpensive, and give you between 20 minutes and 60 minutes of recording time per disc depending on the quality setting. You cannot edit DVDs directly, but must transfer the video to a computer and re-edit them. DVD camcorders compress the video more than other methods which can result in lower video quality. If you plan to edit your videos DVD camcorders are not your first choice. There are not many choices in this area as more people are buying Flash memory camcorders.

Video Quality - Most camcorders do a good job in bright sunlight outside. However, camcorders that have larger video sensors (CCD's) perform better than camcorders with smaller ones (especially in low light). The video sensor is the area that light hits (like the retina in your eye). The larger it is, the more fine detail can be recorded. Larger sensors generally come with higher priced camcorders. So if video quality, colors, and fine details are important, a camcorder with a larger sensor will perform much better than that of one with a smaller sensor. The new for 2009 Canon Vixia HFS100 (Flash Memory) and Canon Vixia HFS10 (Dual Flash Memory 32gb) and the Sony HDR-CX500V (Dual Flash Memory 32gb) have the largest imaging sensors for consumer camcorders. Other consumer camcorders with larger CCD's and superior image quality include the Canon Vixia HF11 (Dual Flash Memory), Canon HG21 (120gb HDD), and the Canon HV40 (MiniDV), and the Sony HDR-HC9 (MiniDV).

Low Light Performance - As with video quality, a camcorder with a larger sensor will have better light gathering ability, and low light performance. Those camcorders with larger lenses will also help in low light situations. The above camcorders that have large CCDs will do well in low light, however only the professional camcorder will give you BOTH a larger sensor and larger lenses for excellent low light ability. Poor low light performance is the number one complaint of people buying camcorders. If low light performance is important, get a camcorder with a larger CCD Sensor. Smart-Review lists sensor size with each camcorder for better comparision. See our camcorder comparison list. Some reviewers have reported that buying a video light makes a big difference (which it should) in low light situations.

High Definition (HD) or Standard Definition? - Today you have two choices in camcorders. Standard Definition, which is up to DVD quality or worse, or High Definition which greatly exceeds DVD quality. In the future, all camcorders will be high definition, as that is the way the industry is headed. Most camcorders sold today are high definition. With a high definition camcorder, you usually have the option of recording in either standard or high definition. Even if you record in high definition, you can still play it through your standard (non HD) TV set. To future proof your videos, you can record in high definition today and eventually be able to able to transfer them to Blueray disc, Playstation 3, HD Tivo or another device. Most HD camcorders allow you to connect your camcorder directly to an HDTV through its HDMI or component input. When you hook up one of the top rated high definition camcorders to an HDTV, you will see stunning quality close to that of the best broadcast/cable HD programming such as the Discovery Channel. These camcorders can produce very high quality HD video. Top-Rated consumer High Definition (HD) camcorders include: The Canon Vixia HFS100 (Flash Memory), Canon Vixia HFS10 (Dual Flash Memory 32gb), Sony HDR-CX500V (Dual Flash Memory 32gb), Canon Vixia HG21 (120gb HDD), Canon Vixia Canon HV40 (MiniDV), Canon Vixia HF11 (Dual Flash Memory 32gb), Sony HDR-HC9 (MiniDV).

HD camcorders are now only slightly more expensive than Standard Definition camcorders, so Smart-Review recommends buying an HD camcorder to future proof your videos.

Professional Video Quality - If uncompromising video quality is top on your priority list, then a professional quality video camera may be your choice. A professional video camera/camcorder will generally be much larger than its consumer siblings. This helps in several ways. One is that the video sensors will be larger for better quality, and the lenses will be bigger for better light gathering and low light performance. Today, these professional camcorders come in two flavors. Standard definition (TV quality) and High Definition. Several of the professional models have been used to make documentaries and even full length movies. These are a favorite of indie (independant) filmmakers and those that record important events such as weddings. These larger camcorders also have the option of interchangeable lenses, separate microphones, wireless microphones, and many other options not available on consumer camcorders. Almost all professional camcorders incorporate the 3ccd sensor technology. The camcorders listed below are professional models.

• Professional Standard Definition (TV) Camcorders: Panasonic Pro AG-DVX100B, Panasonic Pro AG-DVC20,
  Canon XL2.
• 
  Professional High Definition Camcorders: Canon Professional XH A1S, Sony Professional FX7, Sony Professional HVR-Z7U, Panasonic Professional AG-HMC150 Sony Professional HVR-Z1U, and the Sony Professional HVR-A1U.

3CCD Imaging Sensor - A 3ccd imaging sensor is a special sensor that is composed of 3 separate sensors. One for each color (red, blue and green). Most professional camcorders use the 3ccd sensor array. These type of sensors have generally been better than a single sensor. The advantage of a 3CCD sensor is that with the data from each of the three sensors , you can find out the exact hue, brightness, and saturation of each pixel, you're no longer interpolating (which is estimating). Most of the professional camcorders (above) have 3ccd.

Optical Zoom - Optical Zoom refers to how close an object can be "zoomed in". So a camcorder with a 10x zoom can bring a distant object about 2 times closer than a camcorder with a 5x zoom. Larger zoom lenses can give you more options. If you see a reference to digital zoom, this is an electronic representation of optical zoom, and really just crops the picture and you lose resolution. With optical zoom, you do not lose resolution. Digital zoom should not be a consideration in our opinion to purchasing a camcorder, while optical zoom should be considered. Most of our top-rated camcorders come with a 10x zoom which is good for most applications.

Microphone - All camcorders record in stereo sound. All have built in microphones. For better quality you can buy higher quality microphones, and even get a wireless microphone for some models. Several camcorders have a built in surround sound recording system (Dolby 5.1). There are two ways to add an extra microphone to a camcorder. One is to plug it into a microphone jack (if available), or what is called an accessory shoe which allows accessories to attach to your camcorder.

LCD Size and resolution - The LCD is the screen that you use to compose your video, and view menus for the camcorder. Many are touchscreens which makes going through the menus easier. (You just touch a choice on the menu). LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display, the current technology used for such displays. A larger LCD screen is much easier to see. In addition to size its also important to look at the resolution of the screen (i.e. how many pixels does it have). The more pixels used for a screen the better. So for both LCD size and number of pixels on the screen, higher is better. Camcorders with the largest LCD screens with the most pixels include: the high definition Sony FX7 has a large 3.5 inch screen.

Manual Features/Zoom - Automatic focusing is standard on all camcorders. However there are times when you may wish to manually focus your camcorder. Examples are low light, macro (closeup), shooting through glass, and indoor shots where automatic focusing is not as effective. All professional camcorders can focus manually. Most of our top rated camcorders include the manual focus option.

Snapshot Feature - Many of the newer camcorders offer the ability of the camcorder to take pictures (still photos) with your video camera. Many list the size of the pictures they can take in megapixels. Image quality varies from camcorder to camcorder, but you should not expect the same quality as a dedicated digital camera. Use this feature more as a convenience when you don't have your digital camera with you.

Image Stabilization (IS) - Image Stabilization is a technology that reduces the blurry video that you could get in low light, using a zoom lens, or riding in a car. (Sony camcorders call their image stabilization SteadyShot). This technology compensates for any movement of the camcorder you are holding to give you sharp video, even in low light. This is a very valuable and useful feature. Almost all camcorders now have this feature. This also helps when using your zoom out to its full magnification. As you zoom in, any shaking of the camcorder is magnified. Optical (as opposed to digital) stabilization is considered to be best.

Image Stabilization Off

Image Stabilization On

Built-in Video Light/Flash - Many camcorders have a built in flash (for the snapshot feature - still pictures) and/or a video light for lower light situations. Our camcorder comparison page will note if this is included. External flash units and video lights are available as accessories for many camcorders. (See our accessories page for each top-pick camcorder).

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