Tips for Buying Right Digital Video Camera

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by: Russ Snapper
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Word Count: 542

Digital video recording system uses a digital video signal. Based on image capture formats, Digital video cameras are of two types: interlaced and progressive scan. In the Interlaced camera technology, the odd numbered lines are scanned first and later the even numbered lines are scanned. Again the odd numbered lines are scanned and so on. A set of even or odd lines is called as a field, and a frame is a successive pairing of two fields of opposite parities. In the progressive scanning digital video camera, each frame is recorded as distinct having both fields as identical. Hence, interlaced video records two times the fields per second similar to progressive video, when both work at the same number of frames per second. This is the cause of the video having a ‘hyper real’ look since images are drawn at the rate of 60 times per second whereas the film records 24 to 25 progressive frames per second.
Digital Video digital cameras have emerged technically superior. Today, we have a new generation of digital video cameras having a technology that eliminates the difficulty of frequent exchange of tapes as in the earlier digital camcorders.
There are some important factors that can help you choose a digital video camera.
Tape or Disc: Decide whether you need a camera that records on tapes or discs. Digital video can be recorded on both tape and disc formats. Other Medias are also used such as Card Cams, DVD cameras and Hard Disk Drive Cameras.

Pixels: Your images will be clear with more realistic colors, as the number of megapixels is more. Instead of considering the gross number of pixels that a camera can capture, the number of effective pixels should be considered. Effective pixels are the numbers used by the CCD chip of the camera while recording.

CCDs: CCD chip captures the Pixel information similar to the way in which the film captures light for a film camera. You get brighter pictures with better colors with larger CCD as more light is taken along with the image.

Low Light Performance: As most home digital video cameras are used indoors, it is essential to find a camera that performs better in low light conditions. Some models offer night vision function to shoot pictures in dark conditions.

Zoom: There are two types of Zoom available in Digital cameras; Digital and optical. Optical zooms maintain picture clarity and are important. Some Digital video cameras have more digital zooms, i.e. the existing picture is enlarged resulting in less clearer images due to less pixels.

Image Stability:Another complaint associated with picture quality is the shaky pictures apart from lowlight pictures.

Interconnectivity:Most Digital video cameras are available with a number of sockets in the back for connecting the digital video camera to a VCR or DVD Recorder. Check out the available connections on your VCR or DVD or computer for compatibility.

LCD Screens:More the pixels on the LCD screen, the better the picture quality.

Manual Settings:For point and shoot pictures, automatic settings in the menu will be desired. For tailoring the image to the desired conditions, manual controls for the focus, iris, shutter speed and white balance affect the picture quality.

Where to buy: Ensure that you buy your camera from a reputable source.