How to Determine Video Performance of a Camcorder

Digital zoom, megapixels, white-balance, CCDs—The world of camcorders is full of confusing terms and features. But for you the bottom-line is performance. Follow these steps to help determine the video performance of a camcorder.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Understand CCDs. That stands for charge-couple-device. CCDs are measured in terms of size: the bigger the size, the better the picture. This is the biggest factor in video performance in camcorders.
2. Understand effective pixels vs. gross pixels. Most manufacturers list both, but the number you are concerned with is effective pixels. Pixels are associated with the CCD--the more, the better.
3. Don’t worry about megapixels. While megapixels greatly effect still quality, it factors little into video quality.
4. Understand optical zoom vs. digital zoom. Digital zoom is not a true zoom—your camera will merely enlarge the pixels and make a cross-section of the image, giving the appearance of being closer. This creates distorted images when zoomed in very close, and will exaggerate any movement of the camera. Optical zoom is a true zoom where the lens moves in and out. When shopping, look for a camera with high optical zoom.
5. Think twice about automatic adjusting camcorders. Trusting a computer to determine what will make the picture look best isn’t always a good idea. While it might be nice for beginners, make sure you have the option to manually adjust as well.
6. Read reviews. Like most gadgets, it’s hard to tell whether or not a camcorder is worth the money until you’ve tried it out. Check the Internet for user reviews. Pay particular attention to low-light performance, battery life, ease of use and overall quality.
7. Try it out! Even if you are ordering online, go down to the store and take the camcorder or a similar model for a test play. Fiddle around with all the features. Try to find a place to test out the low-light performance.
8. Think twice about combination video and still camcorders. A general rule of thumb for cameras is do one thing and do it well. A camcorder that produces both high quality stills and high quality video is going to cost you a whole lot more than buying a camera and a camcorder separately.

Tips & Warnings

• Higher price doesn’t always mean higher quality. Focus on the essential features and don’t waste your money on unnecessary bells and whistles.
• Specifications on the box are a good place to start, but use your own eyes for the final verdict.

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