Video camcorders have been on the market for about 20 years. Big shoulder-supported VHS camcorders were king during the early years, then compact 8mm and VHS-C formats took over because they were so much smaller than VHS. Now digital video, with a choice of tape, DVD disc and hard drive formats has virtually replaced analog video. Digital video offers easy editing with home computers, loss-free copying and the camcorders are amazingly compact and modestly priced considering the breadth of features they offer.

VIDEOS AND STILLS WITH ONE CAMERA?
When shopping for a camera, many of us would like to combine both still photography and video together with one camera. While this is now possible since most digital still cameras can shoot video clips and most digital video cameras can shoot stills, is it right for you?

 Using a digital still camera for video is fine for occasional clips. If you expect to do this frequently, look closely at the specifications when shopping for the camera. Some are limited to a certain amount of time that can be recorded while others are limited only by the capacity of the memory card. Some will record full-screen (640 x 480 pixels) while others record only a smaller screen size that degrades dramatically when enlarged to full screen. The frame rate, or number of pictures taken per second, also differs between models. Some record at 10 frames per second, others up to 60 frames per second. The higher this figure, the smoother the video. Lastly, some digital still cameras record sound, while others don’t.

WHAT ABOUT SHOOTING STILLS WITH A VIDEO CAMERA?
With MiniDV tape, DVD disc and hard drive video cameras, this is possible. With lower-priced models, still photos are often limited to 640 x 480 VGA-quality, so print sizes larger than 4x6” will show a loss of sharpness and detail. More advanced models deliver 1, 2 and 3-megapixel still resolution, so greater detail and better print quality is possible. Most digital video cameras use a separate memory card for storing still photos, while the video is recorded on tape, mini DVD disc or a hard drive.

So if what you really want is a single camera that will record hours of video and capture high-megapixel still shots, the state of the camera maker’s art has not advanced that far yet, but steady improvements are made every year. If you are mostly interested in still photos, a still digital camera is the best way to go. By the same token, a digital video camera will give you the best quality video images. Shooting video with a still camera requires very large memory capacity to capture even a few minutes of video, while a video camera is much less limited on the length of video segments. Also, most still cameras don’t have the extended range zoom lenses of video cameras, so they are limited in how close they can bring a distant subject. In many cases the menus and controls on cameras are designed for one primary purpose...stills for still cameras, videos for video cameras. When still cameras are used for video and video cameras for still photos, the design of the settings and controls may not be as intuitive. 

SOME OTHER ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL VIDEO
The digital video camera of today will produce a higher quality video than an older and more expensive analog camera while being much smaller and lighter. But the biggest advantage of digital video occurs after it has been shot. Editing digital video doesn’t result in generational loss like analog, where each generation has a little less quality than the one preceding it. With digital video, images and sound are captured in a digital form which can be downloaded onto a computer. From there, it can be edited for length and interest and have music or narration added. Short video clips can be e-mailed, so distant grandparents can see their grandson taking his first steps, minutes after this milestone event occurred, regardless of the distance.

With Sony hard drive camcorders, it is easy to make DVDs of your videos. The camcorder includes software that adds one-button copying of the action from the camcorder to your computer’s DVD burner. Other stand-alone DVD burners work in a similar fashion, with the camcorder connected via USB cable to the burner.

An added benefit of many digital video cameras is the ability to digitize analog videos. The analog playback camcorder is plugged into terminals on the digital camcorder, then the digital camcorder is plugged into the computer. Unlike analog video which deteriorates with each generation produced, digital video has no resolution loss, no matter how many copies are made. With the editing capabilities of computer software, many times the image quality can be increased.

So, begin to protect those older memories before they are lost forever on aging video tape. If you haven’t already done so, copy valuable VHS and 8mm video tape to DVDs now, for two reasons. Magnetic tape deteriorates with age and at some point in the future, the hardware for playing back VHS and 8mm tape may no longer exist. Once converted to digital form on DVDs, the videos can be converted in the future to whatever replaces DVDs with no generational loss.

We Have Winners!

Visit our web site and check out the monthly themes for the rest of this year and send us your best shots!

Once again congratulations go to Jamie Putnam. She won the Best of the 2007 Tamron Calendar Contest that ran during 2006 and will soon receive her Tamron AF28-300mm Zoom Lens, the grand prize. Her entry of a white cat won the “White” theme that ran in January 2006. Be sure to go to www.porters.com and print all 12 monthly winners from last year’s contest to create your own 2007 calendar, filled with top-notch photos.

Just shoot and enjoy, no tapes to rewind. The DVD108 uses 3” Mini DVD-R media for up to 60 minutes on a standard disc or 108 minutes on new Dual Layer media. Features include a Carl Zeiss 40X zoom lens, 2.5” LCD monitor, Super NightShot for amazing low-light performance and still photo recording on Memory Stick Duo cards. The new Sony DVD108 Camcorder (191116) sells for just $399.99.

Unless you tell them, nobody will guess you paid only $19.99 for this attractive and versatile bag from Vanguard. It’s a perfect match for an SLR with a second lens and flash, with plenty of room for cords, media cards and other accessories. Crafted of rugged black polyester fabric with gray and textured black accents, adjustable dividers make it easy to customize the interior. Normally selling for $39.99 or more, we made a special closeout buy so it’s your turn to save on the Vanguard Malta Bag (087465) for only $19.99.