Buying a Digital Camcorder

By Joel Craig, NEWS 9 Contributor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's a handy tool that captures the special moments in our day to day lives, but there are so many options when trying to decide what camcorder is the right one to purchase.

Ever since 1932 when Kodak introduced the 8mm home movie camera people have enjoyed making home movies. The introduction of camcorders in the 1980's used either Beta or VHS tape. Today's camcorders are smaller, lighter weight and record completely digitally.

The popular choices are either a unit with a built-in hard-drive, similar to what's in the digital video recorder many of us now use to record TV shows, or a solid state memory card. The question becomes which to choose.

The all solid state units typically weigh less and can cost less too, there aren't any moving parts used for the recording. The hard drive model is typically capable of recording longer due to the capacity of the hard drive as opposed to a memory card. But remember once the drive is full you either have to transfer your video off the drive or record over them. You can't just eject the drive and install another one - although on some models you can transfer from the hard drive onto a memory chip.

If you're like me I have every intention of editing my videos and putting them on a DVD but I somehow never get around to it. That's why I like the all solid state camcorders. They record directly to memory, either built-in or on a memory card. The price of memory cards continue to fall while their storage capacity increases. You just have a few in your pocket to keep recording. You don't have to worry about when you'll get around to transferring the video as it's stored on the card which can then insert into your computer for viewing or editing. Much like you're doing with a digital still camera.

Most computers today come with video editing software as do the camcorders. You'll want to get a camcorder with the highest optical zoom rating that's in your budget. Optical zoom will produce the best clarity as digital zooming starts to get pixilated - basically grainy. Also look for a LCD screen size you're comfortable viewing, some even have touch screens.

There are so many makes and models available check out reviews from reliable sources like Consumer Reports or Video Maker magazine or CNET.