By Phillip P. Daniel
The human brain can only store so much information. This is a fact of life that modern man has been trying to alleviate for many moons, developing such devices as the "brain demogifier" the "memory helmet" and "the pastinator". Unfortunately, all of these plucky devices have failed to secure any more space in the craniums of post magnum man (and in the case of "the brain demogifier" actually reduced the brain capacity of everyone who tested it by about 90 percent.) Luckily there are devices that can store moving pictures of friends, family, and loved ones that can be viewed at later dates. These devices are called camcorders, and can be used to archive anything from bar-bot mitzvahs, birthdays, Kwanza celebrations, to maybe even late night indiscretions with the new secretary. Before you rush out to join the thousands of people who are video taping every second of their (and possibly your) lives, read Newbie's guide to archiving your slowly disappearing memories.
Different types of recording mediums
There are many different types of recording mediums that are available. All have their plusses and minuses (usually cost vs. image quality) and it is important to understand all of the nuances before making a purchase.
VHS/VHS-C - The lowest quality camcorder. These camcorders record directly onto a VHS tape, which you can take out of your camcorder and put directly into your VCR. VHS-C is a compact form of VHS. Smaller in cassette size, the VHS-C format is more convenient since you can use an adapter to play a VHS-C tape in your VCR. These should only be used to tape little league games or piano recitals and the tapes should never be shown to anyone except your immediate family.
S-VHS - Not as widely used as it used to be. The S-VHS or Super VHS format holds more lines of resolution and will give you a better image quality. However, an S-VHS tape will not play in a normal VHS VCR. You need an S-VHS VCR to play an S-VHS tape (which is a pain in the tush...even more of a pain in fact then reading this very painful guide!).
8mm/Hi8/Digital 8 - More inexpensive than DV camcorders, 8mm camcorders record at a high resolution and can usually record up to 2 hours of quality recording on each tape. Sony introduced the Digital 8 series of camcorders, which records data digitally onto Hi8 tapes, allowing for slightly higher picture quality.
DV - DV (or digital video) is the highest level of consumer camcorders. These record at 500+ lines of resolution and can be used with the ultra compact DV-Mini tapes.
Beta/DVCAM - These are the highest formats and are considered television broadcast quality. Generally, these are the formats used by major television stations. Camcorders of these formats can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000 or more, but will make your home movies look better then an episode of Survivor.
But Phillip, what camcorder should I buy?
Well that is a tricky question to answer. If I had to choose one, I would of course say the Beta/DVCAM, but that's because I am independently wealthy after wining a lawsuit against the creators of The Never-ending Story for blatant false advertising. That being said, most DV cameras are available for decent prices and are a good way to get into the world of video creation without having to put down much coin.
Ok Phillip, I figured out what type of camera I'm getting, but what about the model?
This question is super hard to answer and I will not be able to tell you what brand to get, but keep in mind that not all cameras are created equal. The saying "you get what you pay for" generally holds true with camcorders (as well as women). There are many different factors that will make the price fluctuate including size, weight, brand and zoom. Look at the specs and see what you can and can't live without. For me the most important features are portability and night vision. I'll let you guess why (here's a hint: the movie Paparazzi was loosely based on my life).
Well I hope this general guide helps you pick out the camera that is right for you. Keep in mind that unless you are a real video geek that you will probably use that toy a lot less then you thought you would. Just trust that Newbie is going to give you the best prices and reviews that should make your purchase relatively painless.
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