How to Choose The Right Camcorder For You
by: Dispesit Portati

There are so many camcorders to choose from that it is overwhelming. If you've been to Best Buy or Circuit City in the past 6 months you know what I mean. How do you know which one of the brands and models is the right one for you?

I'm going to help you figure out which camcorder is right for you.

Step 1: What are you going to use the camcorder for? Action, video of the baby, sports or video you will put on the internet?

Once you have a good idea of what you will use the camcorder for, its time to look at the features most camcorders are offering and what they are for. The internet is a great place to get the information you need. Every camcorder maker does a good job in explaining the features and what they will do for you. Just read their literature.

Step 2: Make a list of the features that apply to what you want to do with the camcorder - if you want to do close ups of the baby, choose a camcorder with a macro feature.
Add the features that you want to the list - such as photo feature (also known as digital still), different fades, night mode, macro features, the amount of zoom you want, the size of the camcorder, whether you want a built-in light or not. The biggest decision you have to make is if you want an LCD color view finder and how big you want it to be.

Step 3: Decide the format of the recording media that you want. There are several different formats:

MiniDVD - can be popped into your DVD player to watch
MiniDV- easily edited on your Desktop computer Digital8-easily edited on your desktop computer Hi8-Low cost media to record family get togethers VHS-C-low cost media to record family get togethers-works in VHS tape player with adapter.

Step 4: Take the list of features that you want and rank them in importance from 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important - something that you don't want to compromise on and 1 being something that would be nice but is not a deal killer.

Step 5: Look at your budget and decide what you are willing to spend because you will be tempted to spend a little more to get some features that may be nice. Stick to your guns.

Step 6: Here's the biggest tip - Call an authorized service center that repairs camcorders and ask them which camcorder they recommend. They will know which camcorders are junk and which ones are well made.You can find the number of a service center by looking in the yellow pages under electronics repair.

Step 7: Take a trip to your favoritate electronics store with your in hand. Tell the sales associate what you want, how much you are willing to spend and ask them to show you the units that meet those requirements. Be sure to ask them which one they recommend. Most associates are knowledgeable about the electronics they sell. Finally, ask them which one they own, what they like about it and why they bought it.

I hope this helps you purchase a camcorder that is just right for you and that won't make you eat mac and cheese for the next 6 months!

Dispesit Portati is a web-preneur and owner of <a href="http://www.acamcordersz.com">A to Z Camcorders</a> which is an excellent resource to visit for detailed information about buying camcorders. If you'd like to learn more about what we've assembled for you, please visit our website at: http://www.acamcordersz.com

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