Cory's Guide to Buying a Camcorder

So you've been thinking about a new camcorder.  The only problem is you're not sure what to get.  What's all this about 1080i?  720p - you lost me!  You have no idea what type of lens or zoom you need.  What about the memory?  Should you go with a HDD or flash memory?  This is where this handy guide comes in.  I'll go over some of the basics about buying a camcorder so you'll be prepared when the time to buy rolls around.

I or P, that is the question.
We've all heard references to 1080i and 1080p, but what does it mean?  Let me break it down for you.  The "i" stands for "interlaced", while the "p" means "progressive scan".  The 1080 refers to the pixel resolution (1920x1080 - meaning 1,920 pixels across and 1,080 pixels down).  Both formats are in HD.  But what's the difference?  In 1080i, the odd numbered lines get displayed first (so that line 1, 3, 5...etc are displayed followed later by lines 2, 4, 6...etc).  This all happens within a 30th of a second.  Now, in 1080p, all lines are displayed in order (so it starts with line 1 followed by 2, 3, 4...etc).  This makes for a cleaner, smoother image.

Zoom, zoom, zoom.
Zoom refers to how many times closer to an object your video can get.  So, for example, if you have a 10x zoom, it means your zoom will bring you 10 times closer to that object.  100x means 100 times closer... I'm sure you get the idea.  You have the option of either an optical or digital zoom.  Have you ever looked at a picture where you could see all those little squares and couldn't really make out the image?  That's digital zoom.  Basically, your camcorder will take the individual pixels (those squares I mentioned) and make them larger.  So, the closer you zoom in, the larger the pixels become, eventually to the point where you can see them and have trouble making out what the original object was. Also, the more you zoom in, the more exaggerated your hand movements become. Optical zoom, on the other hand (or should I say lens?), actually moves the lens in and out to get closer to an object.  Bye-bye pixilated images!

They say an elephant never forgets... But I forget what the elephant remembers.
Let's talk memory.  The two most popular choices are either flash memory (SD/SDHC cards) or hard disk drives (HDD).  SD stands for Secure Digital and SDHC stands for Secure Digital High Capacity.  Flash memory cards have the advantage of being smaller and lighter, but they lack the storage capacity of HDD.  SD cards can only store up to 2GB, while SDHC cards are available in 4GB, 8Gb, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. HDD come in a variety of sizes from 16GB to 240GB!  It's like the Energizer Bunny - it just keeps going and going...

That's a wrap!
In summary:
- 1080i works fine, but if you can afford it, go with the 1080p (you'll thank me later).
- Make sure you get a camcorder with an optical zoom of at least 100x.  If you are going to go with the digital zoom, my recommendation would be to use a tripod for those close-ups (check out this).
- Flash memory is good if you don't plan on recording very much at a time, but on those long family vacations, you're going to wish you'd bought that HDD when you've got three or more SD cards to keep track of.

Happy filming!