Quick take: what to look for in a video camera

My intention was to post a full length and comprehensive article regarding what the average consumer should look for in a new video camera and what our recommendations for features and such are, but time is getting away from me and it may be a while before I can post the article I intend. So here a quick and dirty list without getting too technical.

Media format: mini-dv tape, mini-dvd, flash-drive, or hard-drive. While each has its benefits, the average consumer will be better suited with a mini-dv tape camera. Mini-dvd, while very appealing, cannot be viewed in other player unless the disc is "finalized" among other downsides. Hard-drive based cameras are complete overkill for the average consumer and not cost-effective. Flash drive cameras are also overkill and media is very expensive. Unless you plan to edit your video yourself, it makes absolutely no sense to me to spend money on those types of cameras.

Standard Definition vs. High-Def. Standard definition is just fine for home movies. Home video high-def is still in its infancy and is hard to work with in terms of editing. Most consumers do not know and care about the difference beween AVCHD (a popular Sony format) and other formats of high-def and unless you want to spend thousands of dollars getting yourself educated and in new equipment and software to edit, its better to just stick with standard definition. 720P, 720I, 1080I? Too much for most people.

Aspect Ratio. Most televisions today are still 4:3, tv's of tomorrow are 16:9. Purchase a camera that can switch between the two and you'll be happy.

Optical vs. Digital Zoom. Don't let a salesman talk you into a camera with 200x zoom. More than likely that is digital zoom-a feature that creates horrific images. Simply put, optical zoom moves the lenses to clearly magnify an image, digital zoom electronically magnifies it. Purchase a camera that has the highest optical zoom and turn off any digital zoom feature the camera may possess.

Brand. I cannot recommend any brand over another. I will tell you, however, that our professional cameras are one brand, while our family camera is another. We love them both. You need to find a camera that best suites your needs, regardless of brand, and carries a warranty worthy of the price that you are paying.

I hope that this helps you in your decision.

Chris.