Yes you cam.
Sun Review April 14, 2001

Camcorders have come a long way in the last few years. Incredible advances in micro-engineering and imaging technologies have made it possible to offer less expensive cameras with unparalleled performance that fit inside the palm of your hand.

Before you start shopping for a digital video camera, you should decide exactly what type of camera you will need.

Firstly, consider your budget. Currently there are two types of DV cameras available in the consumer price range ($1000-$2500). You have the choice of miniDV and Digital8. Ironically, these competing formats were both pioneered by Sony. MiniDV's main benefit is its compact size, while Digital8's main benefit is cost. A Digital8 signal can be recorded on regular $5-10 Hi8 tapes whereas MiniDV tapes cost upwards of $20 for a 60-minute tape. Once you have a price in mind, you can easily narrow down your choices.

Secondly, consider your needs. How will you use this camera? More often than not, we purchase more than we need. You can start your research by reading various computer-related magazines, surfing the Web and reading reviews by people who don't have a stake in your ultimate buying decision (for example at www.epinions.com).

If you want to make a movie, documentary, or broadcast your material, you'll need a miniDV. If you just want to make home movies, Digital8 or even Hi8 will do and is much more affordable. The main advantage of having a DV camera is the ability to perform digital editing without loss of quality.

If you intend to do non-linear video editing with MiniDV, you'll need a camera with a FireWire port. FireWire is a totally cross platformed industry standard also known as IEEE 1304 and i.LINK. FireWire allows you to connect peripheral devices (such as a DV camera) to your computer at an incredibly high rate of data transfer; 30 times more bandwidth than USB, transferring at approximately 400 megabits per second, so it's well suited for digital video cameras. Like USB, a FireWire-equipped camera can be "hot plugged" so there's no need to restart your computer when you attach the camera. Firewire ports are found on almost all DV cameras these days. Be sure you have software and driver compatibility.

As you begin your search, start comparing standard features and options. Most importantly, check the size and quality of the lens. Typically, the smaller the diameter of the lens, the poorer the image quality. Working together with the lens, the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used to capture the image, convert it to a digital signal and then send that signal to tape. Generally speaking the larger the CCD, the more pixels you can acquire, thereby increasing the image quality. After the necessities, there are other features you can use to compare cameras, namely price, zoom, NightShot, and effects. If you're on a budget, the cheapest DV camera out there worth mentioning is Sony's Digital8 TRV103. It has a handful of effects, a NightShot that literally lets you see in the dark, a 20X optical zoom and it's less than $1000.

If you want to take still images, you may not want to bother getting a camcorder with this feature. It's pretty worthless since the images are only 640x480. Links: Canon (www.canondv.com) Sony (sony.com) Panasonic (panasonic.com)

Questions or comments? E-mail inge@ingenius.bc.ca or visit www.ingenius.bc.ca/webwoman