| Camcorder Guide Content |
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| Introduction to our Camcorder Guide |
| Euroffice has many different camcorders for sale and camcorder accessories, such as camcorder bags and camcorder carrying cases. Choosing the best one can often be confusing so for camcorder help 'The Euroffice Camcorder Guide' covers the key features to consider when buying digital video camcorders, including batteries for camcorders, media types, optical versus digital zoom, analogue camcorders versus digital camcorders and more. |
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| How They Work |
| Camcorders have become popular in recent years as both the camcorder's best price and size of the models have decreased. They work by responding to light. They contain a CCD (charge-coupled device) which contains thousands of light sensors. These measure the amount of light hitting them and this is then changed to electric energy and used to make up the picture. A DVD camcorder will record many pictures every second in order to give the impression of moving images. |  | |
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| Media Types |
MiniDV This is by far the most popular form of media for dv camcorders. They are tapes similar to VHS video, although much smaller. These are cheap and can record high quality video of different lengths.
|  | MicroMV These are smaller than MiniDV tapes and record in a different format. Their main advantage is their mini camcorder size, meaning mini dv camcorders that contain them are usually portable. The disadvantage is that these tapes are not compatible with a lot of software programs, and they cost more than MiniDV tapes. |  | DVD-R These can be recorded onto and then watched on DVD players. However they can only be taped onto once and then the content is locked. An alternative is DVD-RAM, which can be rewritten, but this media type is expensive. |  | Flash Media Still images taken on a professional camcorder are saved to flash media rather than the tapes mentioned above. The most common of these are SD media and compact flash. A handful of new camcorders have started recording to flash media instead, but they are not popular. |  | |
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| Analogue and Digital |
| All of the above media types are digital formats. Some are analog camcorders that record onto analog videotape or camcorder tape such as VHS camcorders, and these tend to be larger than digital formats. Analog Video Format is also known as a PAL Camcorder. Whilst they are cheap, they are losing popularity as most people (and new models) move to digital format. Analogue Video Format is the standard used for encoding colour used in broadcasts. Most DVD Camcorders will be of the format PAL, which is used throughout Europe on items such as televisions, video recorders and DVD's and most come with a camcorder microphone to pick up sound. |
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| Specifications |
| Camcorder Resolution This determines how good the image quality is, and how sharp the recorded video will be. It is measured in Kpix, or thousands of pixels-per-inch. The best camcorders have the most Kpix. We also have a wide range of high definition camcorders. Lens Aperture This is the amount of light a lens lets through to the film sensor. Focus Adjustment This is either automatic or manual. When set to automatic, options such as focus and exposure are determined by the camcorder, and when set to manual the user chooses the ones they wish to use. Minimum Focus Range This is the minimum distance the object must be away from the camcorder lens for it to be able to focus on it. Supported Battery Most camcorders will come with a battery, but when you need to purchase new ones, this will tell you which type to get. There are three main types of camcorder battery, NiCad, NiMH and Lithium (Li-ion) which is the most popular due to its lightness. Camcorder batteries have a mAh rating. The higher this is, the longer the battery should last.
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| Optical and Digital Zoom |
| Optical Zoom This uses the expanding movement of the lens to enlarge the size of the image. Digital Zoom This is where the pixels making up the image are enlarged to increase the size. The more it is increased the poorer the image quality will become. When purchasing a camcorder you should not be misled by this figure - see below for more information on this. Optical Zoom versus Digital Zoom This can be very misleading for consumers looking to buy a camcorder. Digital zoom will often be stated in big letters to make the product sound more attractive, but using this will mean decreased quality and blurring to the image. The real Zoom figure is the Optical one, which can be used to enlarge the image without compromising its quality. |
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| Camcorder Batteries |
| The most common types of batteries are Li-Ion (Lithium) and NiCd. (Nickel) Li-Ion This is a relatively new type of battery, which makes it more expensive than other types, but it is the lightest battery type available and can provide more power than the other main types. |  | NiCD Nickel batteries come in two types: This is currently the most popular type of battery and is cheaply available, although Lithium batteries are being chosen more and more as the price comes down. They have reasonable lifetimes and are good for general purpose video recording. This is now only usually found in older products, often high powered portable devices. Click here to purchase batteries |  | |
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| Related Products |
| Choose from Euroffices large range of Camcorder Accessories: Batteries - Ensure you have spares! Cables - For easy file transfer between your Camcorder and your PC. Cases - Keep your Camcorder secure PC Cards - Flash Media for your Camcorder Tapes and DVs - Traditional Camcorder Tapes |
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| Common Camcorder Related Misspellings |
| Digital - Digitel Digtal Camcorder - Camcordar Canon - Cannon See more common misspellings here. |
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| Further Resources |
| Follow the links below to find more information about Camcorders: Which? - Essential Camcorder Report Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia CNET - Camcorder Buying Guide |
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Accessories
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| How do I know what kind of batteries I need? |
| Your camcorder documentation will usually say what sort of batteries you need for it. If you are unsure, please check with your manufacturer. You can find a list of manufacturers contact details here. Or click here for more information on the different battery types. Back to top |
| How do I know what kind of tape I need? |
| Your camcorder documentation will usually say what sort of tape you need for it. If you are unsure, please check with your manufacturer. You can find a list of manufacturers contact details here. Or click here for more information on the different types of tape. Back to top |
| What's a filter? |
| A filter is a glass attachment for the lens which changes the incoming light to manipulate and change colour, patterns etc. They can help to add special effects to videos or even edit sounds. Back to top |
| What's a tripod? |
| A tripod can be a cheap way of minimising a hard drive camcorder camera movement and shaking. The legs of the camcorder tripod can be locked together for extra stability. Another alternative if you don't have the time to constantly set the tripod up is a monopod, which has just the one leg, but is still much more stable than hand-held videoing. Back to top |
| How can I get the videos onto my computer? |
| Although it is possible to transfer videos between your computer and your digital camera using either Bluetooth or infrared, this is a slow method for such large files. The most common way is using a USB cable. Most camcorders will come supplied with one, or you can purchase one from our site by clicking here. USB cables work as plug and play devices, meaning on up-to-date systems you can just plug the cable in for it to work without the need to manually install anything. Back to top |
| What's image stabilisation? |
| Image stabilization is where mechanical and electronic methods are used to reduce the apparent shake of the video picture. (Being hand-held, its impossible for it to be completely still.) The process works extremely well and makes a noticeable difference, although the technology behind it can make it pricey. For home videos it may not be worth the extra cost, but for more professional videos it will. Back to top |
| Will my camcorder switch itself off? |
| Most camcorder digital will simply carry on recording until the tape or the battery runs out. However some brands have build in settings that will stop the recording after a set number of minutes if no other operation has been performed. Back to top |
| Other questions and enquiries? |
| If you have any other questions when buying a camcorder or for more camcorder information please click here and fill out our online form. We will get back to you within 48 hours with the answer, plus we will also update our website with your question. Back to top |
