How to Buy a Sharp Camcorder

Sharp is a trusted brand, but not all Sharp camcorders are the same. Sharp manufactures camcorders for many budgets and needs. These steps will be your guide as you buy a Sharp camcorder.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Browse your options. Pick up a catalogue or visit the Sharp website. Also visit some other electronics websites. You might find reduced prices or special deals.

2. Figure out how much you want to spend. Your choices will heavily rely on your budget.

3. Choose which features are important to you. Camcorders come with many features: infrared, steady-image, automatic adjustments, editing features, external microphone ports, high zoom. Decide which features will fit your specific needs the most.

4. Pick a format. There are several different formats that digital camcorders record onto. DVD is the best for immediate viewing. MiniDV is popular among those intereted in editing. Hard disk drive(HDD) camcorders are good for those that don’t want to carry around a lot of extra tapes—an HDD camcorder can hold over 7 hours of film.

5. Decide upon accessories. Are you going to want a tripod, extra batteries, color correction gels, or other accessories? Don’t forget to include these in your budget.
   

6. Read reviews. While you are browsing the internet, take note of models that seem appealing. Copy down the exact model number and visit other websites. Read as many user reviews you can find.

7. Go to the store. You can still order your camcorder online, but it’s a good idea to talk to someone in person about your camcorder and to take the camcorder for a test run before you buying.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider buying a used camcorder. You can save a lot of money if you can find a used camcorder in good quality off of an auction website or in the classifieds.
• Depending on your budget, another manufacturer may offer a better quality camcorder is comparable to a similarly priced Sharp.
• Some camcorders have three CCDs instead of just one. These produce excellent quality, but are a bit more expensive. One CCD is probably sufficient for the casual user.
• Avoid some common advertising tricks: digital zoom means little (optical zoom is what is important) megapixels aren’t nearly as important as CCD size and bells and whistles can never compensate for poor picture quality.