Do you have a lot of "wish I had a camcorder" moments? If so, this is the time to buy one. With High Definition being on the forefront of technology, you're options have never been greater. The question at hand is how to choose.
HD is no longer the future, it's here. With an over-abundance of options, no one is quite sure what to make of it. I'd like to break it down for you.
HD video is a higher resolution than standard definition. SD camcorders produce a 640 x 480 resolution. This means the frame is 640 lines wide and 480 lines tall. As 16:9 widescreen formats became common, camcorders increased to a resolution of 720 x 480.
Currently, there are two HD formats competing for your attention, 720p and 1080i. As if all the numbers weren't enough, someone goes and throws letters in, too! The first refers to a camcorders ability to produce up to a resolution of 1280 x 720. The second refers to the ability to produce 1920 x 1080, a higher resolution for increased quality. Easy to understand, right? Now, let's get to the letters. The "i" and the "p" describe how the digital recorder incorporates motion. The "i", which stands for interlaced, is the traditional format. Camcorders split up the verticals and horizontals, and refreshes them at a rate of 30 times per second, alternating back and forth. This is fast enough that the human eye can not detect the miniscule lag, however, a noticeable jaggedness appears when paused.
The "p" stands for progressive. This means that the entire image is refreshed at the same time, 30 times per second. This ultimately produces a much smoother motion, and is the preferred choice for sports, or videos that must be frozen, as it will not have the jaggedness that 1080i produces. Unfortunately, 720p has less resolution.
1080p is another term popular for televisions. As you might have guessed, it means 1920 x 1080 progressive. Lots of TVs can support it for playback, but currently very few consumer camcorders actually record in 1080p.
Now that you've decided on the quality you want, it's time to decide how you'd like to save your moments. There are many media types available for this purpose. One choice, the most common, is the memory card. It is by far the most convenient, battery-friendly, and very compact option. While capacities of the cards are limited, their size makes it easy to carry multiples at one time.
You may prefer the HDD media, which stands for Hard Disc Drive. This is high capacity, usually 60-120 gigabytes, intended for long record times. Routine backup is necessary, and most users find the need for an external hard drive to accompany it.
Also available is miniDVD discs. This is convenient because so many of us are familiar with it. The downfall is that you may have a maximum of 15 recording minutes at the highest quality, and you cannot play these DVD's from HD camcorders on a home system unless you have a Blu-Ray player.
The HDC-TM10-($599 MSRP) represents the newest additions to Panasonic's consumer HD camcorder line. The camcorders are essentially more compact, repackaged versions of Panasonic's previous mid-range HD camcorders (the HDC-TM20, SD20, and HS20). The HDC-TM10 has the same sensor, pixel count, and optical zoom as these larger, cousin models-and it also captures Full HD video at 1920 x 1080.
The Sony HDR-TG5V- ($999 MSRP) has been outfitted with a new menu system, a redesigned LCD touch screen, and includes 16GB of internal flash memory. Sony also changed the color scheme a bit and made the new TG5V slightly more compact than the HDR-TG1. Its benefits stem from a sleek design, durable body, and unique handling experience.
The Panasonic HDC-TM300- (MSRP $1299.99) The TM300 has a slim profile that's very comfortable to hold and easy on the eyes. It has amazing video and records well in all lighting conditions, captures surprisingly good still photos, and has just about every feature you could want in consumer camcorders. Combine that with some user-friendly automatic controls and you have a recipe for one of the best camcorders of 2010.
If you're shopping for a new camcorders right now, HD is absolutely the way to go. In a couple of years, HD will be the standard for recording and displaying all types of video. While there are still a lot of good standard definition camcorders out there, they won't look as good when blown up on your LCD TV. Shooting in HD means that you're future-proofing your memories for as long as HD exists. Of course, HD will eventually be replaced by something even better, but that isn't expected for quite some time. Shop smart, consider your needs, and shop comparatively to get the right camcorder for you. Make sure you're never again stuck in a "wish I had a camcorder" moment again.
Gary enjoys writing and studying about integrative medicine. Not only does he enjoy writing about various health topics, you can also check out his latest website at http://camcoders.org which can help you find the best Camcoders available.
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