The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Now that summer has finally decided to shed its light upon us, it has got be vacation time! Whether you are going fishing, camping with the kids, or heading somewhere more exotic, photos and videos are a mainstay of the way North Americans record their vacations. Falling prices on cameras and video cameras have brought them into almost every household, but the options often seem to boggle the mind. Digital still cameras can range from a hundred dollars up into the thousands. Pictures from high quality cameras are amazing, and most publications are now designed completely digitally. The camera business has not changed that much, it has just now gone digital. Several months ago Kodak officially announced that more digital cameras than film-based cameras were now being sold in most parts of the world. They also announced plans to dump their Advantix film line and review their entire line of products as the world continues to change. What is continuing to change rapidly is the business of video cameras. No more lugging a six or eight pound monster through the bush to get a good shot of a waterfall you found on your last fishing trip. A good quality mini-DV camera now might weigh in at a pound or two and fit almost entirely in the palm of your hand. If you are looking for a video camera there are a few things to consider. First of all, what type of camera do you want to buy? Hi8 cameras are usually the cheapest, but also the largest that are on the market. Most Hi8 cameras and cassettes are analog based, but some support digital recording; the big difference between these two being the quality of the picture, and the effects that are possible using these types of cassettes. Most of the new video cameras are mini-DV cameras. These video cameras are substantially smaller, use smaller tapes, and cost a bit more money. Also on the market currently are Mini DVD-R cameras which record their video directly onto a mini DVD. While these cameras are capable of recording high quality video, the discs are relatively expensive and cannot be edited down using a video editing program without importing the entire movie to your computer first. Finally, Sony has moved the business one more step, producing Micro MV camcorders which take an extremely small tape, allowing for an extremely small camera design, but currently these machines are very expensive. I would stay clear of them for a year or two unless you absolutely need the latest technology on your shelves. Another feature to consider is that most of the major companies produce video cameras which can take still pictures as well as video. My Canon takes a mini-DV tape as well as a Secure Digital memory card inserted into a slot on the bottom. A quick flip of a button and I can jump back and forth between video and stills. An excellent feature making the power of the zoom lens on the video camera available for stills, and the fact that a $70 memory card can hold over 900 good quality pictures, it is worth the cost of paying for a nicer model which will take both. Another thing to consider when you are buying a new camcorder is the quality of the sound and the options for audio. Can you add an external microphone (either a larger boom mike or a wired or wireless clip-on lapel mike) to the camera? Will the audio "zoom" with the video? Does the camera have a windshield available to cut down on noise in the environment? As well, you may want to ask the same sort of questions about lighting. Can an external light be added to the camera? What kinds of options are available for lighting and how much do they cost? While you may not want them now, asking questions about options may save you some money in the future after you have bought the camera and find it will not do what you want it to. Also remember to consider what you are going to do with your video and your pictures once you have them on the camera. Are you going to need to purchase video editing software for your computer, or can you hook the camera up directly to your VCR or TV to view your shots? Take a little time to think now and save your money later. ([email protected])
