MiniDV Professional Camcorders

Capture Treasured Memories on a MiniDV Camcorder

You no longer need to go to the cinema to watch a professional-quality film. Consumer camcorders have advanced significantly over the years, and these video cameras allow you to shoot great footage with ease. There are many different file formats used, and cameras vary in the features they offer. Finding the one you want is a matter of knowing all the possible specifications.

What Is MiniDV?

• DV stands for Digital Video, and it was the most popular file format for many years until the increase in popularity of hard drive and memory card-enabled camcorders.
• MiniDV camcorders use small tapes to record the footage you shoot.
• While the files recorded on DV tapes are not inherently digital, they can be converted into digital format using a program on your computer. You simply connect your camera to the computer using a USB or FireWire cable, and then you can edit videos using the editing software of your choosing.

What Are the Advantages of MiniDV?

• Since all video and audio is stored on tapes, you do not need to worry about losing your footage should you drop the camera.
• MiniDV tapes are relatively inexpensive and easy to find, so you'll always have enough tape to shoot whatever footage you want.
• More advanced DV camcorders can shoot in HD and in standard-definition. Since you're using tapes and not a hard drive, you don't need to worry about HD footage taking up too much space, allowing you more minutes to shoot.

Which Type of Digital Camcorder Should I Buy?

Generally, there are three types of camcorder: amateur, semi-professional and professional. Choosing the right one depends on your experience with shooting video.

• Amateur camcorders are exactly what they sound like. They are designed for people with little to no experience shooting video. These cameras are often referred to as "point and shoot" models since that's all you need to do to record; everything else adjusts automatically, and they have such features as digital zoom to make it easier on you. Keep in mind that some come without a built-in microphone, making it much harder to capture quality audio.
• As camcorders get more advanced, they offer you more and more manual controls. You'll need some experience shooting video to make these work for you. Also, as you add more manual features, models tend to get more expensive.
• Some features you can expect from semi-professional or professional camcorders are manual focus, iris and retina control, manual white balance, and shutter control.
• The most advanced models have more CCDs (charge couple devices). These help capture light, and with three of them, each one captures red, blue, or green, resulting in crystal clear and crisp images all the time.