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Before
you buy a camcoder, here tips to get
a good one:
You should choose a digital camcorder
based on the features and accessories you need, price
and convenience.
Picture And Sound
Quality:There is no difference in the picture
and sound quality between MiniDV and Digital8 –
much more depends on the optics, CCD and electronic components
of the particular camcorder.
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Size:
MiniDV is smaller and the camcorders based on it are usually
smaller and weigh less than D8 ones.
Capacity:
The MiniDV tapes can hold 30, 60 and 80 minutes in
the standard SP mode. In LP mode, they hold 1.5 times more –
45, 90 and 120 minutes (without the loss in picture quality,
but sometimes with a loss in features, like audio dubbing).
D8 uses 8mm or Hi8 tapes (Sony recommends Hi8), but,
since the tape travels twice as fast, the capacity is twice
less than in Video8 mode – you can record 60 minutes on
the 120-minute Hi8 tape. In LP mode the capacity increases by
50%, so 120-minute tape can hold 90 minutes of digital video.
Sony recommends to play back the LP-recorded D8 tapes on the
same camcorder they were recorded. Same with 8mm tapes in SP
mode.
Features:
Majority of digital camcorders include similar features: image
stabilizer, FireWire (I’Link) input/out, A/V and S-Video
inputs, powerful digital zoom, etc. However different camcorders
have different level of implementation of certain other features.
Brand Leader:
Sony has somewhat better image stabilizers. Panasonic generally
has better low-light performance, mechanics and reliability.
But the difference is not overwhelming, and in addition, as
new models are released, this might change.
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