Buying A Digital Video Camera

By Wilson Rothman

FREE ADVICE

Remember when video cameras were so big you had to rest them on your shoulder? These days, MiniDVs are small enough to fit in your shirt pocket--and shoot dvd-quality video in virtually any light, while resting in the palm of your hand. Plus, you can find some for less than $500. So how do you buy one?

--Think small. Most MiniDVs are under 2 1/2 lbs., which is great for taking them on the road. But sometimes controls are too tiny or hard to find. When you see a model you like, hold it. Then try the buttons. The camera should feel comfortable, the controls laid out in a way that makes sense, even if you've never used one before.

--Check your computer. Digital video cameras are made to connect to computers--that's where you'll be editing your masterpiece. So if your computer doesn't have a FireWire port, get one. A FireWire (or IEEE 1394 or iLink) cable, which often comes with the camera, is the fastest way to get your footage into your machine. You're also going to need a lot of hard-drive space: Each second of digital video uses about 4 megabytes, so consider an external drive that's at least 60 gigabytes. Now, let the shooting begin. --By Wilson Rothman

BEGINNER

THE QUESTION HOW MUCH DOES THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER COST?

WHY YOU ASKED IT Some brand-name digital camcorders can cost as little as $400. "Prosumer" models can cost more than $2,000

WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR This $600 machine is great for shooting the kids' recitals and ball games and gives you room to grow

[THE QUESTION] WHAT KIND OF TAPE DOES THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER TAKE?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] The newest standard is MiniDV, but some recorders use 8-mm tapes or even record to DVD-RAM discs

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Although compact MiniDV tapes cost as much as $10 per 60-min. tape, the format is available worldwide

[THE QUESTION] WHAT IS THE VIDEO RESOLUTION OF THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] Resolution indicates the sharpness of a digital image: the more pixels, the clearer and crisper the resolution

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Analog video is usually recorded at about 300,000 pixels; digital is higher. Don't get lower than 460,000

[THE QUESTION] DOES THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER TAKE DIGITAL STILL PICTURES?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] Most digital camcorders can take still photos, but not all of them offer the same quality and storage capacity

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Get a camera that shoots stills at a minimum of 1 megapixel. That isn't film quality, but it's O.K. for the Web

ADVANCED

THE QUESTION DOES THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER USE A FIREWIRE CABLE?

WHY YOU ASKED IT FireWire (a.k.a. iLink or IEEE 1394) can transfer video from a camcorder to a PC much faster than USB cable

WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR Most digital camcorders use FireWire. If your PC isn't compatible, consider buying a FireWire expansion card

[THE QUESTION] WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM OPTICAL ZOOM OF THIS DIGITAL CAMCORDER?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] Some camcorders have digital zoom up to 700x! But it's optical zoom that keeps picture quality consistently high

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Most MiniDV camcorders come with an optical zoom of at least 10x, but serious shooters should aim for 20x

[THE QUESTION] DOES THE DIGITAL CAMCORDER HAVE BUILT-IN EDITING TOOLS?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] In the olden days, onboard editing tools (text scrolling, etc.) were essential to the home-movie producer

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Any good camcorder will offer limited editing tools. But it's easier to edit on a computer with its bundled software

[THE QUESTION] DOES THE DIGITAL CAMCORDER HAVE AN IMAGE STABILIZER?

[WHY YOU ASKED IT] If you do a lot of handheld shooting, you'll want a stabilizer to prevent that seasick, Blair Witch effect

[WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR] Most MiniDV camcorders have digital stabilizers. A few even have optical ones, but they're a pricey pro luxury