Night Shot allows you to record in low light conditions without a separate video light. Zero-Lux models use an
infra-red light built-in to the camcorder so you can record quality footage in complete darkness.
Image Stabiliser reduces image shake whilst recording. High quality image stabilisers such as Super Steady Shot can
cope with extreme vibration, such as filming from a moving car.You get a rock-solid picture, and the camcorder smoothes
your movements if you pan or tilt the camera.
Zoom Ratings are expressed in the form of '100x', meaning 100 times. This is extremely useful for filming
distant objects. Ideal for wildlife, sports footage, holidays and weddings. Instantly zoom with 1 button touch.
Camcorders have both optical and digital zoom for enhanced quality.
Automatic Focus enables the camera to automatically focus on whatever is in the centre of your viewfinder.
LCD Screens allow you to clearly see what you're recording in full colour, then view your results at any time
with sound. You can edit footage on the camcorder using individual built-in features.
A liquid crystal Digital Display lets you see what you are recording in a natural way. You can achieve more angled
shots by tilting the camcorder one way and tilting the viewfinder another (i.e for filming at a kid's level). This
feature also makes playback easier than with a small viewfinder.
A Tripod makes a big difference to professionalism. Avoids wobble, and you can appear in front of the camera.
Memory Stick (sony feature) offers secure storage of digital still images and e-Movies and easy transfer of
data to any other Memory Stick compatible appliance (eg Home PC). Only the size of a stick of chewing gum, you can store
photography, MPEG movies & computer files.
Bluetooth Technology turns your camcorder into a virtual multimedia centre. Its an international standard in
wireless data transmission so you can surf the web or send M-PEG e-Movies via email from your camcorder without wires
or a PC.
Optical and digital zoom gets you closer to the action. All camcorders have an optical and digital zoom.
Optical zooms (usually between 10x and 33x) moves the image closer by the internal workings of the camcorders lens. The
image remains crystal clear. The Digital zooms take-over when the optical zoom runs out, processing the image digitally
but with some loss of quality (can be up to 1200x).
Photo mode (Megapixel) means the Camcorder can be used to take still photos just like a digital camera. You
can download them directly on to your PC (via USB) or print directly to a photo printer with Pictbridge wireless
technology or from the camcorders removable memory cards. The best models have high density/high capacity/ CCD's
(optical sensor converting light into electronic signals with millions of pixels). Some digital camcorders feature 3
CCD's, just like professional video cameras used in TV and a Memory Card slot, which allows you to store even more
photo images. The digital camcorders with 2 million pixels or over (i.e. 2.2 Megapixel) will record acceptable photo
quality images in our opinion.
DV out/in provides you with the digital connection for transferring DV recordings direct to your home PC,
where they can be enhanced or edited. DV in allows you to make copies of edited recordings from the PC without the need
for specialist PC equipment or software.
MPEG movies you can even record short MPEG e–movies with your camcorder. These are lower quality movies that
can be sent to friends or family via e–mail. Only available on selected digital camcorders with memory card storage and
USB connections.
USB connection is the link between the digital camcorder and your PC.
Video movie and still images can transfer to your PC where they can be e–mailed to friends or family almost anywhere
the world.
USB is also a quicker way to download files to your PC for editing.
