Digital Video Cameras Buyers Guide

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Preserving sweet memories has long been a fashion and passion for most of us, but a time came when it became quite boring to retain a static glimpse of the memoirs through the mechanical eye. Thus came the need to catch the experiences frame by frame and the video camera was born. The next forty-odd years saw digital technology taking over analog, and what we have today is the digital video camera. Tempting as they are, if the budget fits the wallet, there's nothing barring one from possessing the equipment; the only thing that needs a pondering then are the digital video camera basics.

Digital movies vs. digital photos

Many of the newer digital video cameras feature the option of taking digital photos besides recording videos. Though this may sound as the perfect two-in-one mechanism; however, fact remains that the still photographs thus taken exhibit a quality far lower than the videos taken in 3, 5, or 8 Mega Pixel mode. Thus, the first suggestion is to go for a digital still camera instead of using a video camera in the same manner. Unless one is willing to exploit the VIDEO capabilities of the digital video camera, it's recommended to stay away from it.

The Basics of a Digital Video Camera: How to select a good one

Key Features

Key Features   Memory Still Resolution   Optical Zoom   Recording Format		With over 400 digital video cameras on the market, key features such as Memory Still Resolution, Optical Zoom & Recording Format are important factors when buying. These features not only effect the performane and quality of the digital video camera you choose, but also the price. Shown below are price guides for a selection of digital video cameras focusing on the key features: Memory Still Resolution, Optical Zoom & Recording Format.

Memory Still Resolution 0.31 Megapixels £265.00 1.23 Megapixels £387.00 3.1 Megapixels £440.00 3.95 Megapixels £650.00 * 1 Megapixels £322.00

Optical Zoom 5.8x £150.00 25x £227.00 5x £312.00 10x £526.00 * 10x £526.00

Recording Format Digital-8 £175.00 DV £246.00 DVD £418.00 Mini DV £596.00 HDV £1,251.00 * Mini DV £596.00

* Taking into account all current digital video cameras on the market the most desirable would be a digital video camera with 1 Megapixels Memory Still Resolution, 10x Optical Zoom and Mini DV Recording Format.

Price Guide

Min    £150.00 Avg    £499.35 Max    £2,885.00		Digital Video Cameras cost anywhere from £150.00 for a basic digital video camera with few features to around £2,885.00 for a fully featured digital video camera.

Brand Guide

Popular Brands     SONY     JVC     CANON     SAMSUNG     PANASONIC     SHARP		The most popular digital video cameras brand is SONY. The most expensive digital video cameras brand is SONY. If you're looking for a bargain then look out for Mustek branded digital video cameras as generally they offer the cheapest digital video cameras.