The video camera built into your smartphone or tablet might be fine for capturing short videos, but a mini camcorder is a better choice for longer and more elaborate productions. The price of mini camcorders has come down quite a bit in recent years, putting these professional devices within the reach of many ordinary consumers.
Buying a mini camcorder is still a serious purchase, however. It is important to think about what you need, review various models and read the reviews before making a purchase. Taking the following factors into consideration will make choosing the perfect mini camcorder for your needs a lot easier.
Tips For Choosing Your Next Mini Camcorder
Which Orientation
There are many mini camcorders on the market, but they break down into two different orientations. The traditional camcorder design has your hand coming up from the bottom of the device and the chassis on the side. That makes it easy to control the zoom, audio and other functions with one hand.
Pocket camcorders look a lot like smartphones and are held in much the same way. Many pocket camcorders also have a swing out USB port to make connecting them to your computer fast and easy.
It is a good idea to hold both types of camcorder and see which one you are most comfortable with. If possible, try to take a sample video with each one and compare the quality. Pocket camcorders are great for carrying around, but they can be harder to hold still, especially when taking action shots.
Storage Format
Storage is an important consideration for any mini camcorder. Even a short video can consume a lot of storage space, so you will want the highest storage capacity you can afford. The format you choose is more a matter of personal taste than anything else. Some mini camcorders use a hard drive to record and store videos, while others use removable flash memory cards. Some older mini camcorders even use DVD and mini-DV tapes for playback.
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If you choose one of those older models, you will need to make sure you have the cables and adapters to get the video from the camera to your TV, computer or other device. Those adapters are getting harder to find as the technology ages, so it never hurts to buy a few extra.
Flash memory can be a good choice if you need to move videos to your computer often. You can buy an inexpensive flash card reader and leave it connected to your computer, and then simply remove the flash card to transfer videos. Transferring videos from a camcorder that uses a hard drive requires a cable, but once the cable is in place the transfer is very fast.
Zoom In on the Action
The power of the zoom is one of the most important things to consider when buying a new mini camcorder. Look for a model with a powerful optical zoom. That will make it easy to get those close-up shots.
Make sure the zoom is easy to control. Holding the camcorder in your hand and moving the zoom as if you were actually shooting is the best way to get a feel for it. The process of zooming in and out should be easy and intuitive.
Taking these factors into consideration is the best way to choose a great mini camcorder. Mini camcorders are great for shooting vacation videos, recording holiday memories or just capturing everyday moments with the family. No one mini camcorder is right for every user. You need to think about how you will use the device and take your personal preferences into account as well.
About the Author: This article was written by Craig Timmins who runs the blog over at the price comparison site for trading in old gadgets, sellcell.com – Craig enjoys to talk about any type of technology from smartphones, to cameras and laptops.
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