The Video Camera Buyer’s Guide- Part 2

Last week we talked about some steps you should take before buying a video camera. This week let’s take a look at a few of the bigger choices you will face as you make your decision.

First on many people’s mind is the issue of HD. In the past I would have said that if you are only doing web video, then it doesn’t matter. However, now that YouTube is supporting HD video, I would encourage you to go HD if you can. Besides, even if you are encoding HD video at a lower resolution, you still have more pixels to work with and will end up with a sharper image. Just remember that there are many versions of HD out there in consumer camcorders. They are not all supported by every editing system, even if your software says it can handle HD footage.

Another big factor these days is the recording medium. Internal hard drives are becoming the norm, but Mini-DV and Mini-DVD recorders are still abundant. When considering which is best for you, I have two things for you to consider. First, tapes and DVDs will hold their media until you record over them, but if your camera records to a hard drive, you’ll need to back those files up onto your computer if you want to keep them for later use. Also, be aware that some hard drive-based cameras record their videos with a proprietary codec that can only be edited with the included software. It may be possible to re-encode those files to be used in your preferred editing system, but that just adds one more step to the process.

It’s important to actually hold any camera you are considering buying. Even if you intend to make your purchase online, go into a store that sells the one you’re considering and play around with it before you buy it to make sure you are comfortable with the way that it feels and works. We have an old camera here in the office that sits in a dock to charge and all of the outputs come from that dock. It sounds okay until you realize that the tripod mount is on the camera and can’t be accessed when it is sitting in the dock. That means that this camera is essentially useless for mounting to a tripod and providing a live stream to my computer. That is the kind of detail that you might overlook when you’re shopping online.

In the end, the decision on what camera to get is a personal one that will be driven by your unique needs. Just because you find one that has stellar reviews does not mean that it is the right camera for you. Take your time, use the steps I’ve given you, and shop around. Finding the right camera for your needs is more important than finding the best one available.