Digital Camcorder Reviews

Camcorders are ingenious tools that allow us to record images of the events that make up our lives or to get creative and produce unique and interesting films that previously only professional videographers could craft. For beginners, it is important to understand a little bit about the basic anatomy of a camcorder in order to be better equipped to make a selection when shopping.

Although every camcorder model is a bit different and may offer unique features there are basic components that are common to them all.

The Image Sensor:

A camcorder uses either a CCD, charge-coupled device, or CMOS, complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor, to convert light into electrical signals and record the resulting images. They basically perform the same function as film in a traditional camera or camcorder.

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When you first get a digital camcorder, it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out how to use it. Sure, the basics come naturally, but it’s all too easy to make mistakes – and if you’ve just bought the camcorder to record something important to you, you don’t want that to happen. Before you let yourself loose in the big wide world with your camera, here are a few tips to help you get started.

The most vital tip – and this will make a huge difference to the quality of your videos – is to steady the camera somehow. Shaky-cam effects might be fashionable with indie filmmakers, but they just make home movies look amateur. The best thing, of course, is to get a tripod, but if you don’t want to do that then just improvise with whatever’s available – tables, walls, anything.While you’re filming, make sure you flip out the LCD screen and take some time to compose the screen you want to see. A few seconds spent doing this can take away a lot of the fear that comes when you decide to watch the movie back.

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Overview
High Definition’s Highest Expression

Whether you’re a broadcast ENG producer or documentary, feature, or commercial videographer, the XL H1 is the affordable, lightweight HD camcorder you’ve been waiting for.

Its superior Canon optics and exceptional image processing give you a brilliant HD image. The XL H1 also features uncompressed HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) and SD-SDI (SMPTE 259M) output, as well as Genlock input and SMPTE time code input and output for multi-camera shoots. And, with its customizable open-architecture approach, selectable frame rates including 24F, and multiple output options, you’ve got exactly the right tool — every time.

The XL H1 features total Cine control, customizable settings and a well-balanced design for the creative control, flexibility and advanced capability your video work demands.

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Today’s camcorder market is full of new brands and changing technology, with products moving towards greater compactness and more ‘cross-platform’ features. Choosing the right camcorder for you need not be a daunting task provided you take the time to answer some basic questions about yourself and the technology. You can search for exactly the right product, all the way from brand through model number and vendor right here at Myshopping.com.au. It will take a lot of pressure off you.

Camcorders

What kind of camcorder user are you?

At the outset, you need to think a little about why you are buying a camcorder. There are essentially six loosely defined categories:

1) the traveller, buying a camcorder to record travel experiences;

2) the family, usually with young children or soon to be, wanting to record family lifestyle experiences as the children grow up;

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People have been getting along just fine for years with old-fashioned analogue camcorders. Why are digital ones any better? There are lots and lots of reasons.

First of all, if you’ve ever seen a video made on an analogue camcorder, you’ll know just how low the quality is. It’s grainy, with nasty textual watermarks and bad sound. Digital camcorders, on the other hand, use digital recording techniques to give you higher resolution, which means higher picture quality – even the worst digital camcorder has picture quality dramatically better than a TV is even capable of displaying.

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Experience amazing picture quality and convenience. The HDR-SR7 lets you record remarkably clear and detailed high definition video onto its convenient 60GB internal hard drive. The professional grade Carl Zeiss^® Vario-Sonnar^® T* lens ensures photo-realistic image quality, with a 10x optical/20x digital zoom that easily brings the action extra close, while Super SteadyShot^® optical image stabilization reduces blur from camcorder shake. Take command and get creative with manual control for focus, exposure, shutter speed and white balance. View your shooting on the 2.7″ wide Clear Photo LCD Plus^™ display, featuring touch panel SwivelScreen^™ technology, so you can view from any shooting angle. And capture more than movies using the dual record function to snap still images even while shooting video.

3.2 Megapixel (Gross) ClearVid™ CMOS Sensor

1/2.9″ ClearVid CMOS Sensor provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (1080 lines of resolution - HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution - SD Mode) and still image performance (6.1 Megapixel). Unlike traditional CCD Imagers, CMOS Sensors require less power, providing better battery performance.

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The HDR-SR8 lets you view the world through a professional grade Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* lens with 10x optical 20x digital zoom and a 3 megapixel ClearVid™ CMOS sensor. Capture clear video with Super SteadyShot® optical image stabilization, and maintain total control over the focus, exposure, shutter speed and white balance.

3.2 Megapixel (Gross) ClearVid™ CMOS Sensor

1/2.9″ ClearVid CMOS Sensor provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (1080 lines of resolution - HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution - SD Mode) and still image performance (6.1 Megapixel). Unlike traditional CCD Imagers, CMOS Sensors require less power, providing better battery performance.

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For the first time ever, record high definition directly to Memory Stick PRO Duo® media. The compact size of this camcorder combined with its miniscule recording media make the HDR-CX7 high definition Handycam® camcorder a joy to use. Ultra-lightweight and easy to carry, it features a professional-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar® T* lens and Super SteadyShot® optical image stabilization for stunningly sharp high definition video. Plus, its large, 2.7″ wide Clear Photo LCD Plus® display featuring touch panel SwivelScreen® technology makes it simple to view what you’re recording at almost any angle.With the PLAYSTATION®3 system software update scheduled in summer 2007, playback of contents recorded with the AVCHD Memory Stick Camcorder will be available on PLAYSTATION®3.

3.2 Megapixel (Gross) ClearVid™ CMOS Sensor

1/2.9″ ClearVid CMOS Sensor provides stunning detail and clarity with exceptional video (1080 lines of resolution - HD Mode or 530 lines of horizontal resolution - SD Mode) and still image performance (6.1 Megapixel). Unlike traditional CCD Imagers, CMOS Sensors require less power, providing better battery performance.

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