fitness vhs
Consumer Reports – Camcorders
granular pipe, jumpy home movies of yesteryear are long gone – replaced by films the house or analog camcorders. You can edit and enhance images with music using your computer and play them on your VCR, You can even send it by e-mail address.
Digital camcorders, now the dominant type, generally offer very good quality excellent picture with very good sound capabilities, compactness and ease of handling. Make copies of a digital recording will result no loss of image quality or sound. You can even take pictures with rudimentary digital camcorders.
analog camcorders, Now a small market, generally good picture and sound quality and are cheaper. Some analog units are about the most compact and easy to handle as digital models, while others are a bit bigger and bulkier.
What is available
Sony dominates the camcorder market, with several models in a number of formats. Other leading brands are Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Samsung.
Most models are delivered in digital MiniDV format. Formats such as disk-based DVD-RAM and DVD-R have also emerged. Some digital models weigh as little as a pound.
MiniDV. Do not let their small size fool you. Although some models can be slipped into a large pocket camcorders MiniDV can record images of very high quality. They use a single cassette, and the typical recording time is 60 minutes Standard Play (SP) speed. Expect to pay $ 6.50 for a cassette of 60 minutes. You will need to use the camcorder for playback – it converts the recording signal analog, so it can be played directly into a TV or VCR. If the TV or VCR has an input jack S-video, use it to obtain high image quality.
Price: $ 350 to over $ 2,000.
Digital 8. Also known as D8, this format offers a high quality digital Hi8 or 8mm tapes, which cost $ 6.50 and $ 3.50 respectively. Records Digital 8 format, with a speed faster band, so a "120 minutes" tape lasts only 60 minutes to SP. Most models can also play your old analog Hi8 or 8mm tapes.
Price: $ 350 to $ 800.
Disc-based. Capitalizing on the explosive growth and the capacity of DVD discs, formats offer advantages tape can not provide: the long-term, a compact support, and random access to scenes as a DVD. The 3 1/4-inch discs record video standard MPEG-2, the same format used in commercial DVD videos. The amount of recording time varies depending on the level of quality that you choose: 20 minutes per side to create the highest quality for DVD-RAM about 60 minutes on each side at the lowest level. DVD-RAM are not compatible with most DVD players, discs, but can be reused. DVD-R is supposed to be compatible with most DVD players and computer DVD players, but the disks are write once. We paid about $ 25 at a local retailer for DVD-RW disc.
Price: $ 700 to $ 1,000.
Most analog camcorders now use the Hi8 format, VHS-C and Super VHS-C disappear from the market. blank tapes range in price from $ 3.50 to $ 6.50. Analog camcorders usually weigh around 2 pounds. The picture quality is generally good, but a notch below that of digital.
Price: $ 225 to $ 500.
IMPORTANT DETAILS
A retractable liquid crystal display (LCD) viewer is becoming common on all camcorders, but the cheapest. You'll find it useful to review the images that you've done and easy to use than the eyepiece viewfinder for certain shooting poses. Some viewers LCDs are difficult to use in bright sunlight, a drawback of models that have only a spectator and not the eye.
Screens vary from 2 1 / 2-4 inches diagonal, with a larger screen a step-up feature on higher-priced models. Because the LCD uses batteries faster than an eyepiece viewfinder does, you do not have time to record more when the LCD is in use.
A image stabilizer automatically reduces most of the shocks that occur to keep the camcorder as you record a scene. Most electronic stabilizers, a few are optical. Each type can be effective, although mounting the camera on a tripod is the surest way to obtain stable images. If you do not have a tripod, you can try to keep the camcorder steady with both hands and bracing both elbows against your chest.
detector Full essentially allows you to point and shoot. The camcorder automatically adjusts the color balance, shutter speed, focus, and aperture (also called the iris or f-stop "with camcorders).
Autofocus adjusts the maximum focus, manual focus may be necessary to problematic situations, such as low light. (With some camcorders, you may need to tap buttons repeatedly to get the right to focus only.) With many models, you can also control exposure, shutter speed and white balance.
The zoom is typically a finger control – press one way to zoom in and one way to broaden the view. The rate of the zoom changes depends on how hard you press the switch. Typical optical zoom ratios from 10:1 to 26:1. The zoom relies on optical lenses, like a camera (hence the term "Optical Zoom"). Many camcorders offer a digital zoom to extend the range of 400:1 or more, but with a lower picture quality.
For tape-based formats, analog or digital camcorder displays each band speeds the same way a VCR does. Each model, for example, includes an SP (standard play) speed. Digital has a slower pace, LP (Long Play) adding a speed of 50 percent recording time. A few 8mm and Hi8 models have a speed that doubles LP recording time. All the VHS-C S-VHS-C camcorders have an even slower EP (extended play) speed triple recording time. With analog camcorders, slower speeds worsen the image quality. Slow speed is generally not reduce the image quality on digital camcorders. But Use slow speed to sacrifice some rarely used options may limit editing and playback on other camcorders.
Disc formats based on a variety of modes that trade off recording time for image quality.
Quick review lets you view the final seconds of a scene without having to press lots of buttons. For special lighting situations, presets automatic exposure can be useful. A snow "and sand" setting, for example, adjusts the shutter speed or aperture accommodate high reflectivity.
In light provides some illumination for close-ups where the image would otherwise be too dark. Backlight compensation increases the exposure slightly when the subject is lit from behind and silhouette. Recording modes infrared-sensitive (Also known as night vision, zero lux, or MagicVu) allows shooting in very low and dark, using infrared emitters. You can use it for night shots, although colors will not register accurately in this mode.
Audio / Video inputs let you Material recording another camcorder or VCR, useful for copying part of another video on your own. (A camcorder must have a digital input jack so if you want to record analog to digital equipment.) Contrary to a microphone, a microphone external that plugs into a microphone jack will not be the noise from the camcorder itself, and it typically improves audio performance.
Camcorder Digital still capability lets you take snapshots, which can be downloaded to your computer. The photo quality is generally less than that of a camera.
Features that can help integrate an editing generator as a stamp time and date, and time code, which is a frame of reference exactly where you are on a tape – in hours, minutes, seconds, and frame. Remote when you can use the camcorder as a playback device or when you use a tripod. programmed recording (a timer) starts recording camcorder at a preset time.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Choose your price range and size. The cheapest camcorders on the market are analog. All others are digital.
Once you've decided which part of the price range to explore, you must choose specific recording format. This determines not only how much you are spending for tapes or discs, but also how long the registration you get. Tape formats are generally superior image quality.
With analog, you can obtain 120 to 300 minutes record on a Hi8 tape with the SVHS-C or VHS-C formats, you can get 30 to 120 minutes.
With digital formats that use MiniDV Digital 8, MicroMV tapes or you can get at least 60 minutes of recording on a standard cassette. MiniDV and D8 tapes are less expensive and easier to find.
DVD Digital Camcorders from Panasonic and Hitachi can accommodate DVD-RAM, which can be reused but are not compatible with all DVD players. All brands also use DVD-R discs, single-use work in most DVD players. The standard setting yields 60 minutes of recording, the "fine" setting, just 30 minutes.
If you replace an old camcorder, think about what you do with the bands you've accumulated. If you do not stay with the same format you used, you probably want to transfer old tapes of a way to easily view, as a DVD.
If you are buying your first camcorder, concentrate on finding the best for your budget, regardless of format.
Check the size, weight, and controls. In the store, try different camcorders to ensure they hold hands and are comfortable to use. Some models can feel disconcertingly tiny. (You'll need to use a tripod if you want rock-steady video, whatever you choose Camcorders.) The Most camcorders are designed so that the most frequently used controls – the switch to zoom in and out, and the record button – Fall easily to hand. Make sure the controls are convenient and you can change the tape or DVD and remove the battery.
Check flip-screen LCD. Most measure 2.5 inches on the diagonal, but some are larger, adding about $ 100 in price. If the viewer seems small and difficult to use or suffer from too much glare, consider an exchange against a similar model or another brand to get a better screen.
Think about lighting. A camcorder is not always used outdoors or in a brightly lit room. You can shoot in the dark, but not expect miracles. In our tests, using default mode camcorders, most products only fair or poor images in the light very low. Many camcorders have settings that can improve performance but can be a challenge to use.
Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
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