Digital video has only been around for a relatively short period of time yet some of the latest models have quite a long list of features. Lets look at some of those features.
One major component of the video camera is the CCD or charge coupled device which acts like the film in the old film type video cameras except it works by capturing the light that falls on it and converting it to electrical signals. It is made up of a grid of individual pixels where each pixel represents a pixel in the captured image. The more pixels the camera uses the higher the resolution of the image it produces. The CCD quality is also measured by how much light it takes to produce an image which is measured in lux. The lower the lux rating the less light needed and therefore the better the images will be in low light situations.
When recording with the video camera you need to view the image you are trying to capture and this is achieved either by using the viewfinder or an LCD screen designed for this purpose. It is often best to use the viewfinder to follow your subject while recording and use the LCD screen to review the recorded images. This prevents excessive drain on your battery. You will want to make sure you have a large enough LCD screen to make review and menu applications easier if it has a touch screen and that it also has enough pixels to give you a clear image.
The recording medium is another thing to consider when you are looking at video cameras. A lot of them use MiniDV tape but there are some that record directly to DVD. The tape format is usually easier to use if you intend to load your video onto your computer and do a lot of editing. The advantage to the DVD's is that they give you random access to your recordings. Some of the DVD based video recorders are able to use rewriteable discs but you need to make sure that the format is compatible with with your home equipment if you intend to view it on you DVD player. There are also some models that use nonremoveable hard drives similar to a notebook computer but the disadvantage here is clear because you have a limited storage capacity. However there are others that use removable storage devices like flash memory such as SD cards or Memory Stick.
The lens is another major feature and is probably the most expensive component and can make a huge difference in the quality of your video. Most video cameras will have some kind of zoom feature that is usually just in the adequate range and not too exceptional. Between the optical zoom and the digital zoom, the optical is a more important one to consider since it is determined by the actual range of the focal length of the lens and gives the best image compared to digital zoom.
If you are using the zoom feature a lot then will want to be sure that the video camera has a good image stabilization feature as well. This keeps the image from becoming blurred due to movement of the camera which is more exaggerated with longer shots. Image stabilization is done either electronically using digital circuits or optically using a variable prism or lens group witin the lens. Optical stabilization is considered to be better.
Some other features you might see are still image capture similar to photographs where the image may be captured on video tape along with the video or could be recorded separately on flash memory cards. There are long play features that allow you to capture more video on a single tape by extending the recording time from 60 to 90 minutes and even an infrared feature that allows you to record with infrared light in low light conditions such as at night.
There are still more features to consider than there are listed here so you will have to do more research to find out all you need to know in order to make an educated purchase. Just do your homework and review several models and makes and you should be able ok.
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