The best way to approach any buying decision concerning camcorders [and/or cameras for that matter] is to make up your mind as to... what are your most important buying criteria.

• Price?
• Usage?
• New user or are you looking for an upgrade?
• Type of camcorder?

Buying the Best Camcorder!

Price. The amount of money you wish to spend used to dictate whether you went for an analogue or digital model. Now, digital is the norm... good digital models will give a better overall picture quality... and an analogue model is becoming a rare item.

Further to that argument is the fact that best buy digitals are now available for very little, if any, more than the remaining analogue models cost. Another benefit is that they have far more features. The good news is that you do not need to spend a fortune to obtain a really good one.

Usage. Basically, where, when, which, what? This is where you need to consider things like weight... if you are going to view wildlife on foot. Battery life is another consideration.

New user... need an easy to use and understand machine? Upgrade... read all the reviews, see which would be your best move.

Type of camcorder

A couple of things which need to be considered are the amount of extraneous noise which is picked up by the microphone, and the battery life is also an important consideration.

If you are unsure as to which brand to go for... I would keep it simple, and choose just one.

The ever reliable Sony is always recognised as 'the' supplier of quality electronics. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices of this superior brand.

As for Suppliers... I am going to suggest three.

Try Be-direct a well established firm who are totally reliable. The price you see is the price you pay... it includes both delivery and VAT! They have a vast selection of Sony camcorders and claim that... Everything we do is aimed at giving our customers great deals and the very best level of service both before and after sale.

There is always your local Argos store... my advice, as always, is pre-order on the net, either for collection or delivery. That way if they are out of stock, or running short you will be informed and your order will take priority.

Try Currys. Once you arrive at Currys, click on Cameras and Camcorders in the left menu. The next choice is between Digital Cameras, and Accessories. Once on the page you will immediately see there is a good choice, and further, that the prices are significantly lower than the 'in shop' price! There are real bargains to be had.

How to choose the right camcorder for you

There are so many models to choose from that it is overwhelming. If you've been to Best Buy in the past 6 months you know what I mean. How do you know which one of the brands and models is the right one for you?

I'm going to help you figure out which one is right for you.

Step 1: What will be the primary use? Action, close ups, film making, video for the internet, etc.

Now its time to learn about the features most camcordersare offering and what they are for. You can find all theinformation you need on the internet. The manufacturers do a great job in explaining each featureand what it does. Just read their brochures.

Step 2: Make a list of the features that apply to what youwant to do with the camcorder - if you want to do close upsof the baby, choose one with a macro feature. Add the features that you want to the list - such as photofeature (also known as digital still), different fades,night mode, macro features, the amount of zoom you want,the size, whether you want a built-in light or not. The biggest decision you have to make is if you want an LCD color view finder and how big you want it to be.

Step 3: Decide the format of the recording media that you want.

Here are the different formats available today:

MiniDVD

Step 4:

Step 5: Look at your budget and decide what you are willing to spend because you will be tempted to spend a little moreto get some features that may be nice. Stick to your guns.

Step 6: Call an authorized service center for camcordersand ask them which one they recommend. They will know which ones are the best and which ones are junk. You canfind the number of a service center by looking in the yellow pages under electronics repair.

Step 7: Now make a visit to the electronics store with yourlist and a clear budget in mind. Tell the person helpingyou what you want and how much you are wanting to spend and have them lead you to the ones that fit your requirements. Ask them which one they recommend. Most associates are knowledgeable about the electronics they sell. Make sure you ask them which one they own, what theylike about it and why they bought it.

I hope this helps you purchase a camcorder that is just right for you and that won't make you eat mac and cheesefor the next 6 months!

Dispesit Portati is the webmaster and owner of A to Z Camcorders which is one of the best sites on the net for information about buying camcorders. If you want to see what else we have for you please go to: http://www.acamcordersz.com

Links back to various pages within our website are included below for your convenience...

• Camcorders... to our Entertainment section
• Finance and Credit

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