What to look for in a digital video camera?

What to look for in a digital video camera? There are many different things that you will want to look for in a digital video camera. Here is a few specs that might make it a little easier to find the right one for you.

Lens

Start with looking at the lens. This is going to be one of the most important functioning pieces to the video camera.

The general lens for a digital video camera is 3X optical zoom, however you can get as much as 6X and 10X zoom. However, I would not worry too much about the zoom for digital.

When you are looking at making videos in low light, you will want to look for the maximum aperture setting of f-1.8 or f-2.8. This works with the lower the f-stop, the faster the lens will be. This will make it much easier to capture the best picture with less light.

Sensor

After light goes through the lens, you have the sensor. This sensor is going to be either a CCD or CMOS sensor. The sensor has photosensitive pixels over it. The best way to know what the resolution will be is by the higher the sensor resolution. The higher the resolution, the more the images will be detailed and have a sharper picture.

If you are looking at taking just the basic casual snap shots then 640x480 will work great. However, if you plan on making these pictures as real photos, that are printed and cropped, then you will need more than 1 mega pixel to get good photos.

Memory or Media

For the most part, the general photographer will need to get an additional storage device for photos. This is because; there is minimal space that is provided in most cases for pictures. Sizes and prices vary. However, the specs in your users manual will help you know what type of media you will be looking for, in addition to what your digital video camera can handle.

Viewfinder and LCD

The standard for digital video cameras is that they have the viewfinders and or LCD.This works just like that of a standard video camera. You hold the camera up and you can view the picture on the small screen.

Batteries

Ok, now is the tricky part. You do not want to run out of batteries in the middle of your trip, and have no extras. So since your cameral likely came with one set of alkaline batteries, you will need to get one more. Remember that if they are rechargeable, it will save you money in the long run.

You will also receive an AC adapter, however it is next to impossible to plug your camera in on the boat, or in the middle of the mountains.

Some key tips about batteries, is to make sure they always get fully charged. Do not mix batteries up with old ones and new ones. Finally do not stick your tongue on them.

Flash

Remember that it is a little trickier to shoot under low light conditions. Therefore you will want to look for a reliable build in flash. Check for cameras that have the red eye reduction. There is so much as far as the actual picture you can look into. This is where your preference comes into play. The higher price the product is, the more options, doodads, and choices you will have.

You can look into the exposure modes, continuous shooting options and much more. Take a little time to check out a few digital video camera reviews on line and you will find what the different products have done for other people. This is what you will pretty much want to look for in a digital video camera. So get out there and make some memories happen.