Professional Digital Camcorder
A professional digital camcorder should produce high quality images that can be shared instantly, whether online, via email or disk. The best professional digital camcorder will have simplistic controls with good picture, sound quality, and zoom features. Another feature to look for in these camcorders is the ability to take still photos as well as film so you do not have to purchase two cameras.
The most popular brands are Sony, Canon, Panasonic and Samsung. You can choose from a wide selection of camcorders and recording formats with these brands. The most popular recording format is Mini-DV. Mini-DV camcorders record on smaller tapes that are usually much cheaper. But, the price of the camcorder itself will be dependent on its quality and the number of features it contains. For quality professional camcorders, expect to spend over $1000 for a good model.
For more convenience, consider DVD camcorders. DVD camcorders come with either DVD-R or DVD-RW disks, which allow you to record straight to disk and then play it immediately on any compatible DVD player. DVD-RW is the more expensive of the two options.
To narrow down the many types of camcorders, select one based on what you need it to do. If you need to record at a distance, zoom will be a necessity. If you have a choice between optical zoom and digital zoom, you should choose optical zoom. Digital zoom decreases resolution as you zoom so you will be better off with optical zoom.
You should also consider the amount of extra costs associated with each professional digital camcorder, such as disks or tapes. These will add to the initial cost of the camcorder. Lastly, choose a camcorder that provides you with all the features that you need and avoid paying for the features that you will never use.
