Included in this issue is a test report on 26 digital camcorders under 7 brands with retail prices ranging from $3,480 to $9,990.
Using Mini DV tape, DVD disc or memory card as storage media, most models are very portable and compact in size, weighing 159 to 603 grams. Some camcorders which use only memory card for storage, are particularly small and light in weight.
With optical zoom ranging from 5 to 30, most are capable of taking video at far distance.
These camcorders can also double as digital cameras, allowing still pictures to be taken and images stored in memory card. However, in general, the resolution for still pictures is not sufficiently high. Users are advised to use digital cameras if they require still pictures of very high quality.
Most digital camcorders can provide facilities for connection to a computer for digital data transfer.
The test results compared them for performance on video image quality, still picture quality, sound quality, convenience of use, battery and versatility.
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