Buying Advice for Purchasing a New HDV Camcorder - How to Get the Best Deal

By Andrew Lock

If you are in the market for an HDV camcorder, what model should you choose? Ultimately, it depends on what type of shooting you plan to do, the level of experience you posses, and your shooting style.

Each manufacturer has geared their HDV products to different target markets. Weigh up the features that you feel you will most benefit from, and then see which camera fulfils those criteria.

Obviously, budget plays a part too. It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the whole point of the HDV format is to enable you to record High Definition in a cost-effective way. The problem with that is that everyone has a different idea of what is considered ‘cost-effective.’ Hence, if your ideal camera is out of your price range, you can still step into the world of HDV with a cheaper but capable HDV camera.

Beware of Dodgy Dealers

While we’re on the subject of spending your hard-earned money, please don’t get sucked in by one of the many advertisers on the Internet who offer HDV camcorders at prices that seem too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The mark-up (profit) on most electronics is fairly small, so it’s simply not possible for any legitimate company to offer prices that are considerably cheaper than the norm. Many New York establishments in particular have developed a bad name for shady business practices. They have been known to attract customers with amazing offers for Product X, only to cleverly manipulate them into buying Product Y, on which they make far more profit. Another tactic is to sell camcorders without any power supply, cables, manuals, or accessories.

A further scam is to take payment for a camcorder over the Internet or over the phone, with no intention of fulfilling the order for that product. When you contact the company to find out why your product has not been delivered, they will try and force you into exchanging your order for something else, or only fulfil the initial order if you agree to buy overpriced accessories.

The aim of telling you this is not to scare you, but to make you aware and hopefully prevent you becoming a victim. It’s sad that the authorities do not do more to drive these unscrupulous dealers out of business.

A notable exception is B&H Video in Manhattan. They are authorised dealers for various manufacturers and they offer fair prices and good service. Likewise, Edgewise Media based in California offer both competitive prices and outstanding customer service. These companies will take care of you. Of course, they are not alone.

If you are in any doubt about a particular dealer, there is an excellent free service on the Internet which allows you to check independent reviews of a company by individuals who have used them, at: www.resellerratings.com. Read a few reviews and look at the ratings and you’ll soon see if a company has a good reputation or not.

If you enjoy getting the best deal on your equipment and software purchases, check out: www.techbargains.com. It’s a daily updated list of computer and electronics items that are on sale in stores or on the Internet. If you are considering a purchase, I highly recommend checking out this useful resource before you buy, but always remember to check that the seller has a good reputation.

Andrew Lock is a video producer, consultant and trainer with more than 12 years experience. He has fulfilled video marketing projects for high profile corporate clients such as Sony, Disney, BritishAirways, Merrill Lynch, Royal Caribbean Cruises & others.

Lock is a noted advisor within the video production and film industry, and his articles and books are highly regarded as some of the most insightful and practical.

As a Brit who now resides in the U.S., he’s been dubbed by his peers as the ‘Simon Cowell’ of the video industry - his frank, honest and direct approach is a breath of fresh air to those that seek honest answers.

Lock's latest book, 'How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV' is available direct from the publisher at a special price: http://www.hdvbook.com

HDV Camcorder - All About Camcorders

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Camcorder Batteries

By Max Bellamy

Digital camcorders of today have come along with highly efficient batteries that last longer and give you the utmost satisfaction. Camcorder makers in the recent years have striven ahead in making the battery life longer and longer. Thus, the hassle of charging your battery every time you need to shoot is minimized.

Reputable camcorder manufacturers like Sony, JVC, Panasonic, and Canon are now competing to give you a better battery performer. Meanwhile, the sizes of these camcorders—whether a DVD format or not–are getting smaller and smaller each day. With miniaturization arises the problem: a small camcorder means a smaller battery that would need to remain charged for a longer time span.

Most of these models, however, run on lithium batteries that not only last longer but also give better results. Professional camcorders, from the Sony or Canon genre for example, do give up to a three-year warranty on their batteries. But the market has something else to offer as well: unbranded but great performers. Lithium batteries made by less-reputed brands also work well. Thus, professional shooters as well as amateurs are increasingly depending upon these versions after the original battery dies out, as the less well-known brands are cheaper and continue to give the same output.

But while purchasing these unbranded batteries from a retail outlet in your city or from an online store, take caution. You need to understand few criteria. You should compare prices and warranties, if available, on the battery. The credibility of the online store or the manufacturer and the longevity of the power provider can be of much help to you. It has occurred many a time that people have simply paid for a particular battery on the web and are still finding it difficult to have it delivered.

Camcorders provides detailed information on Camcorders, Digital Camcorders, Camcorder Batteries, DVD Camcorders and more. Camcorders is affiliated with DVD Digital Camcorders.

Camcorder Battery - All About Camcorders

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Digital Camcorder Reviews

By Ross Bainbridge

Technology is changing so fast these days that the new camcorder you bought only a year ago has now become obsolete. Utterly confused by this rapid technological progress, the most you can do is rely heavily on product reviews to make a decision as to which brand and model of camcorder you are going to buy. But unfortunately, all of them cannot be trusted, as not all sources of information for consumers to make a choice between, say a Sony and a Panasonic digital camcorder are unbiased.

Most companies dealing in electronic goods rely heavily on their products’ getting good reviews so that they record a brisk sale. But the newspaper article may be based on the information sent by the manufacturer; the retailer may push a product that earns them better margins; and the online site may work on a commission basis from a particular brand. What you need is an unbiased review, which can be found in consumer camcorder magazines or web sites that discuss in detail each camcorder's relative merits and demerits. You will find plenty of them; just extract the truth from them.

As analog camcorders are now an almost extinct species, you have to choose from the selection of digital camcorders that are available. For making the right choice from so many fiercely competing brands, you should closely consider the following things: price, charge couple device (CCD), media choice, LCDs and playback.

Be prepared to pay a few hundred dollars for entry-level digital camcorders, and thousands for top-of-the-line versions. If the size of a CCD is large and they are more in number, the camcorder will be more costly. You must decide whether you need a camcorder that records onto tape. You need a camcorder with an LCD screen if you want to view your recording straightaway. Once you have considered these things, choose the brand accordingly.

Digital Camcorders provides detailed information on Digital Camcorders, Digital Camcorder Reviews, DVD Digital Camcorders, Cheap Digital Camcorders and more. Digital Camcorders is affiliated with Camcorder Batteries.

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Easy Guide To Buy Digital Camcorders And DVD Camcorders

A camcorder is a portmanteau word made by combining 'Camera' and 'recorder'. A camcorder is a portable television camera and videocassette recorder. It is an electronic device for recording video images and audio onto a storage device. It contains both camera and recorder in one unit. The camcorders generally contain digital cameras. A camcorder having digital camera or digital technology is known as digital camcorder. A camcorder having dvd facility is dvd camcorder. A camcorder is powered with a camcorder battery.Sony introduced the first camcorder in 1983, followed by Kodak in 1984. The first camcorders combined the video-camera with an existing full-size VHS/Betamax recorder. These camcorders were large devices that required a sturdy tripod or strong shoulders to stably support the camera's bulk. The majority of these were designed for right-handed operation, except a few that possessed ambidextrous ergonomics.Sony introduced the first HandyCam camcorder in 1984. The HandyCam could be held and operated entirely within the palm of the operator's hand, made possible by the 8mm video format.The lens, imager, and recorder are the three major components of a camcorder. The lens gathers and focuses light on the imager. The imager (usually a CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS sensor IC on modern camcorders; earlier examples often used vidicon tubes) converts incident light into an electrical (video) signal. Finally, the recorder encodes the video signal into a storable form. The optics and imager are commonly referred to as the camera section.The recent times are witnessing a great revolution in the camcorders. The camcorders with ultra modern technology are in the market. The mainstream consumer market favors ease of use, portable cheap camcorders and discount camcorders.There is a great number of websites offering bulks of info on camcorders, cheap camcorders and discount camcorders. There are numerous online sources offers camcorder articles & blogs, camcorder review, digital camcorder review, sony camcorder review, canon camcorder review, sharp camcorder review, kodak camcorder review etc. The guys planning to buy camcorder must go through these reviews and articles, before buying a camcorder.
About the Author:The author owns a website on digital camcorders http://www.123digitalcamcorder.com/ You can check their website for latest deals on buyers guide for a quick review on camcorders http://www.digitalcamcorderguide.info/Read more articles by: Gagandeep Dhaliwal This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com

DVD Digital Camcorders

DVD camcorders are a fast-growing sector in the camcorder market, with big players like Sony, Panasonic and Hitachi throwing their hats in the ring. They are gaining popularity by the day and are now available at reasonable prices.
DVD camcorders are different from regular digital video cameras, as the former record video onto three-inch size DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This procedure gives DVD camcorders a number of plus points. DVD discs are stronger than tape and unlikely to get chewed up in the camera. The disc can hold about 30 minutes of DVD-quality video. You can get more recording time by altering the recording mode, but you do that at the risk of compromising on the video quality.
Another advantage of DVD discs is random access, whereas on tape everything is recorded sequentially. So you don’t have to rewind and fast forward to find the clip you are looking for. All you need to do is just select it from the menu. In some of them, you can even perform basic editing functions on-camera. Moreover, you can enjoy your home movies after removing the DVD from the camera and playing it in almost any DVD player.
DVD camcorders have three different formats. While Sony prefers to uses the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats, Panasonic and Hitachi have chosen the DVD-R and DVD-RAM formats. Among them, the DVD-R format is most compatible with standard DVD players. But you can use the disc once only when recording in the DVD-R format.
One area of concern, however, is that video is encoded as MPEG-2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. So, it needs specialist software to edit. DVD camcorders are also more expensive than similarly specified mini DV cameras.
Digital Camcorders provides detailed information on Digital Camcorders, Digital Camcorder Reviews, DVD Digital Camcorders, Cheap Digital Camcorders and more. Digital Camcorders is affiliated with Camcorder Batteries.
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Sony Digital Cameras- the world leader in consumer electronics

Did you know that the first product manufactured by Sony was a rice-cooker! Yes, that is true. Started in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita in a small room, Sony entered the market by making a rice cooker. It was in 1950, after the war had ended in Japan, did Sony create a tape recorder called the G-TYPE recorder. But it was not until the year 1957 that Sony was able to gain market leadership when it launched the world's first pocket transistor radio. Up till this time, Sony was operating under the company name of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. However, when Morita planned to take the firm to the USA, he thought that the name should be much simpler so that people could easily pronounce it. Hence, the term 'Sony' was coined -derived from the combination of the Latin word "sonus" which means sound and "sonny" which means little son.It was not easy for a Japanese firm to establish base in the USA. And, Sony being the first to do so, the company had to overcome quite a few challenges. However, despite all odds, Sony came up with several new products such as the Trinitron colored television in 1968 which became a landmark in design and technology at that time. In fact it was with the Trinitron that Sony entered the USA. After this, one of the biggest hits of Sony, the Walkman was launched in the market. It was not very well received in the market by retailers since it did not have any recording capabilities. But after its lukewarm reception, the Walkman slowly picked up… and the rest as they say is history. Then, another revolution in audio technology was brought about in 1982 with the introduction of the Compact Disc (CD). As far as digital cameras are concerned, Sony was again the first company to introduce a digital camera in the market. Way back in the year 1989, the Sony ProMavica MVC-5000 was launched. The camera provided a 720,000 pixel image which was considered to be the leader in image quality at that time. Today, Sony is one of market leaders in the digital revolution. Always striving to be different from other players, Sony has led the market in terms of innovative technologies and high quality items. Not only has Sony surpassed others several times by being the first company to make several new products, but it has continuously strived to provide maximum services to its consumers. The company has launched several new services such as the ImageStation.com. This helps consumers to create, share and enjoy digital pictures and video. Also included as a part of this deal are free online albums and eCards, wherein members can share their favorite pictures as gifts, keepsakes and high-quality prints in a variety of sizes.
About the AuthorKevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and digital video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. http://great-digital-cameras.com Source: ArticleTrader.com

What are DV camcorders all about?

Since they appeared, DV or Digital Video Camcorders turned the home video shooting and creation into a much easier activity than it was before.

Among their many advantages, DV camcorders made it possible for every camcorder user to be able to cut and edit their videos without much difficulty as well as to enjoy a much higher video quality than before.
DV camcorders allow their users to shoot and edit without having to recur to someone else's help or even needing an extra device for it. Most DV camcorders allow users to cut images and edit right after having shot the movie and by just using some of the camcorder controls.
The image and sound of the shots taken with DV camcorders are of an extremely higher quality than they were with the older camcorders. This way, DV camcorders not only facilitate their users' job but also provide them with the best quality final product they could have. Movies shot with DV camcorders can be also easily uploaded to PCs, allowing this way the use of many different edition software, sending the images to a friend, and any many other possibilities.
Although there are many different types of DV camcorders, all of them should share some features in common in order to be of good quality. First of all, it is important that a DV camcorder has easy to use controls; otherwise this could become a constant problem and an obstacle for its user.
DV camcorders usually come with a high quality screen through which their users can view what the camcorder would shoot as well as can play back what has already been shot. It is very important that this screen is of good quality as well as easy to be used while shooting a movie and handling the camcorder.
Nowadays, most DV camcorders store video on special memory cards, although some of them still use videotape in a special format known as mini DV. Many DV camcorders come with both these video store capabilities, allowing its users to chose the most convenient one for them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com. Visit his digital camera & camcorder guide and learn how to take better pictures and shoot better movies.