Top 10 Things You Should Know When Buying a Camcorder

Buying a camcorder should not confuse you, it should be EASY! Here are the top 10 tips to buying a camcorder that will help guide you through this process:

10. Megapixels Don't Help Video Everywhere you go you read Megapixels, Megapixels, Megapixels! However, this is really just marketing from the manufacturers. While the megapixel count (such as 2 megapixels, 3 megapixels, 5 megapixels) has a big impact on the quality of the still photos that your camcorder takes, it has very little to no impact on the video quality. What impacts the video quality is the size of the chip inside the camcorder (called the CCD) - and the resolution (megapixel count) has very little impact.

9. Figure out where and when you are going to use your camcorder - Some camcorders do better indoors while others do better outdoors. Some camcorders are more compact while others are easier to handle. Before you start shopping for a camcorder, write down 5 or 10 different situations you see yourself using your camcorder in.

8. Low light performance matters - a lot! You'll read us at Easy Camcorders talking a lot about the low light performance of a camcorder. Now when we talk about low light performance, we're not just talking about a bar or a dark basement, we're talking about the inside of your typical house! Low light to you and me is much different than low light to a camcorder. Typical room lighting is low light for a camcorder, so you should pay extra careful attention to the low light performance before you buy.

7. There are features, and then there are features that matter - A lot of camcorder makers have put features on their models that might seem to be important and helpful, but in reality they are just gimmicks. While we mentioned meagpixels, another one to look out for is an on-camera video light; these never have enough power to really improve your video quality. However, the biggest gimmick is digital zooms. Camcorder makers will advertise 500x, 600x or 700x digital zooms. The problem with a digital zoom is that it highly distorts the picture, and you should never use it. When shopping for a camcorder you should totally ignore the digital zoom.

6. Hybrids still and video is not always a good thing - While a lot of people like the convince factor of being able to combine your digital camera and your camcorder in one package, it's not the most frugal choice. Unless your spending upwards of $1,000, you're not going to get the same still performance out of a camcorder that you would out of a digital still dedicated camera priced under $200. The best deal is to buy them separate and you will save money and also get better quality.

5. Play before you buy - With a camcorder it is critical that you're able to hold it steady to shoot good video. While some of you may be thinking, hey, I have image stabilization so I can shoot while I'm in an earthquake; image stabilization's capabilities are limited on all models. It is really important that you're able to hold the camcorder still and stable and comfortably. We always recommend even when buying online to go into a store and play with the models before you click buy.

4. Buy a warranty, bag and tripod - Although you might be a bit wary of salespeople’s techniques to up sell you to buy more, we always recommend buying a warranty with your new camcorder. Considering that this is a portable device that you'll be taking outside and on adventures, the likelihood of it breaking is pretty high. As for a bag, it's important to protect your camcorder from damage and a dedicated bag is the best solution. You might balk at the idea of lugging around a tripod to events you want to shoot, but it's the best way to ensure that your video isn't shaky and that people will want to watch it and not get sick!

3. If it's too good to be true, it probably is - When buying online the old adage "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." If you find a price that is drastically lower than most of the competition, it is very likely that you'll get a camcorder from a country other than the one you are buying in, a camcorder with it's accessories missing, or not get your camcorder at all.

2. All camcorders are not made equal - While most of the models on the market will suit your needs, we have found in our testing that there are huge differences in the different camcorders on the market today. Don't just buy any old camcorder, research and understand the models here at EasyCamcorders.com before you actually make a decision.

1. Use your camcorder! While this isn't strictly a buying tip, it's important nonetheless. Don't just buy your camcorder, put it in a closet and take it out only for a wedding or graduation. Think of new interesting events and things that you can tape. You may capture some fun unexpected moments!