Do you remember the good old days when life was a lot simpler? You wanted to take some photos, so you bought a camera. You wanted a mobile phone, so you bought a phone. You wanted to shoot some movies so you bought a cine camera with Super 8mm film. Nowadays it’s all so confusing. You can have a digital still camera that takes videos. You can have a camcorder that takes still pictures. And of course you can have a mobile phone that takes both still pictures and videos. So what do you choose?
I think the starting point has to be what is the primary function that you want? If you want a nice mobile phone that has apps and the usual extras including a camera for impromptu shots and videos, that’s fine. However if you want to take very good quality still pictures in all sorts of lighting conditions and circumstances, then you’ll find a digital camera will have more settings and features than a mobile phone. If you really want to concentrate on movies, then a Panasonic camcorder is the way to go. While you can do still pictures and movies on all three devices, it is unusual (and expensive) to fine one device that does both very well. And of course, you can’t use your camcorder or digital camera to speak to people (although you can share via the internet on some cameras).
The fact is that while some digital cameras are offering 720p video recording, very few compact can match the higher quality 1080p video recorded by most camcorders. If you want to shoot top quality fully editable movies, with a variety of built-in movie tools and features, then a camcorder has to be the way to go. Camcorders are also designed to be held comfortably while shooting, so there’s less chance of camera shake. The size of camcorders is also being reduced without compromising quality. Pocket camcorders really pack a powerful punch these days. A camcorder lens will also offer a far more robust and smoother zoom, giving you greater magnification. Some have 30x or 60x lenses and that knocks phones into a cocked hat, and most point and shoot digital cameras.
Digital camcorders can record to memory cards, like digital cameras, but they can also store video to internal hard drives that offer much more recording time than even your highest capacity flash memory card. You can also record your video straight to DVD for the convenience of easy playback on DVD players.
The audio capture on camcorders is superior to those found on digital cameras and smartphones. Some camcorders can even capture multi-channel, surround sound audio.
So if the primary purpose of your device is to shoot high quality videos, perhaps to be viewed on YouTube or other sharing sites, go for a camcorder.
On the other hand if you want to concentrate on still pictures, then digital cameras will be the way to go. Even small pocket digital cameras can have a lot of features to help you take great photos. Some have interchangeable lenses, allowing you to choose the right lens for the job, be it wide-angle, telephoto, low-light or Macro. When looking for a digital camera, concentrate on the still picture features, and don’t be swayed by the video features. They should be seen as just an addendum and not a major highlight to be sought after.
If you aren’t a “serious” photographer or movie-maker, than go for a smartphone that has jobbing camera and video features. The movies and still shots you take can be of decent quality for holiday photos, out at pop concert or whatever, but as you can see from those often displayed on YouTube, they will suffer from shake, inability to get the lighting right, and “fiddliness” when trying to zoom or pan.
So, have a think and rank what your preferences are for your device and that will help you decide what will be best for you.
