Things You'll Need:
- Internet access
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Step 1
Make a budget. The first step in buying a digital video camera is figuring out how much money you have to spend, and what you plan to use the video camera for. Arming yourself with these ideas will keep you from overspending on a product or features that you don't really need.
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Step 2
Do your CCD research. Like megapixels are to a digital photography camera, CCDs (charged coupled devices) are to a digital video camera. The more CCDs you have, the sharper and more realistic your image will be. A basic digital camera will have one chip and is a good choice if you are only doing personal video such as home family videos. A more complex choice is a three-chip camera. This is good for a starting documentary or independent film maker and offers a much sharper image for your final product.
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Step 3
Try out the camera in the store. It will not give you as much accuracy as trying out a camera in the field, but you can get a good idea of the quality of a camera by the test product in your electronics store. Look at things like how the camera looks in dark light or when directly focused at the ceiling lights. Also look at color tone and color accuracy.
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Step 4
Read the reviews. Once you find a couple cameras that you like at the store, go online and check out what other consumers had to say about the product. Most sites like Amazon or Buy.com will have a good amount of reviews for the products that you are considering.
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Step 5
Buy the best fit. Once you have done all the research and find a camera that fits you and your budget, look online and see if you can find a great deal on it. If your best deal is similar to what the electronics store is offering, buy it from the store. Even if it costs a little bit more, buy it from a store. With an electronics store, if you have issues, you can go to a person and talk to them face to face, rather than only being able to speak to a rep by phone or email.
Comments
dorion said
on 6/25/2009 Has kept in a notebook:) thanks