There are a few key points to consider when shopping for a camcorder. After all you can spend close to a $1000 for your new camcorder. The last thing you need is to be stuck with something you aren't happy with. It should be noted that most stores offer only a 30 day money back guarantee, after that it's a one-for-one swap.

First thing you need to do is figure out your budget. How much are you looking to spend on a camcorder. If you are financing it I suggest Sears because they are the only store that will occasionally offer 0% on electronic purchases and not hit you for the interest owed at the end of the term if you have not paid in full. Beware of Best Buy and Circuit City unless you plan on paying in full by the end of the promotional date. You'll be in for a nasty surprise.

Now that you've got an idea how much your willing to spend and how you are going to finance your purchase you should start looking around. I recommend going to stores in person rather than shopping over the Internet. The sales people are friendly and knowledgeable plus you actually get hands on experience with the unit. You can purchase the unit over the Internet afterwords if you so choose but odds are you will get a fair price at the store.

When you look through the camcorders I suggest sticking with a brand name you know and trust. If you haven't heard of them then don't purchase their product. I find the most fair deals to be Canons and Panasonics. Sonys tend to be on the pricey side for what you get. Hitachi and Samsung are more middle of the pack in my book.

Now for some important technical specs to look for. LENS! The lens is the single most important piece on the camcorder. Look for a high quality lens by either the manufacture (ie. Canon) or a quality third party lens (ie. Sony's Carl Zeiss). Beware of generic stock lens such as JVC. Look at only the optical zoom and don't even consider the digital zoom number.

Look for media type. Nowadays you can get Hard Drives (HD), Mini DV tapes, and mini DVDs. The safe bet is Mini DV tapes as the technology has been around a lot longer than the other two. You'll pay a premium for the other types and the picture quality is as good or less than Mini DV.

In all honesty a normal consumer can expect to pay in the range of $400-600 dollars. For this amount you can pick up a quality camera that should lasts for 5+ years assuming you take decent care of it. Above all make sure you are comfortable with your purchase and asks lots of questions. Sears and a few other stores still pay their employees commission. In my opinion these employees tend to be the most helpful. Good luck and check out Consumer Reports as another resource.

Learn more about this author, Erik M. Dell.
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