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Although it is wonderful that video is becoming more popular and we have so many camera to choose from at prices that are at their lowest ever… it leaves us wondering exactly which camera to choose. The answer to that question depends on what your intended use is and what you might use it for in the future.
If you only plan on doing some low-budget video blogging while you sit in front of your computer, you will only need a standard web cam. I use the built-in web cam on my MacBook for my video blogging and it works just fine.
If instead you want a camera that you can take anywhere you go and easily capture decent video (decent, not excellent), you fall in that middle range. You are probably most interested in a camera that is easy to use, highly portable, and not very expensive.
On the higher end of this spectrum is the camera that is good enough to shoot prosumer (professional consumer) quality video. If you are looking at these camera, you might be interested in shooting film that you will eventually sell or that will give you the ability to hire out your services.
Let’s take a look at all three levels along with my recommendation for each.
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Level One - Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX
There are many web cams available, but you do NOT want one of those super cheap models you can pick up at K-Mart. If you spend too little, you will end up with video that is too dark or choppy or fuzzy and you will be very frustrated. Logitech still makes some of the best web cams and the one I chose for you has an excellent rating and is still very affordable. Web cams are extremely easy to use and if you are only going to do a video blog sitting at your computer, this is all you need. Well, almost all you need. You also need the software to record the video. If you are using a Mac, just fire up iMovie. If you are using a PC, you can use Windows Movie Maker. Since this is only a post about video cameras, I won’t get into the details of the software. There are a lot of tutorials out there, though, so just Google away.
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Level Two - Flip Video Camcorder
These small portable video cameras are SO cool! Barely 4″ by 2″ by 1″ in size, they run off of 2 AA batteries and can record up to an hour of digital video on the built-in 1 GB of memory. It plugs into either a PC or a Mac via a USB connection and includes both a wide range microphone and a speaker. Just think of the fun you could have with this! You could record yourself anywhere and anytime. You could take video of people at parties, at the grocery store, at the bar… even out birdwatching. The extremely small size and portability of this camera open up a whole world of possibilities.
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Level Three - Panasonic PV-GS320
Now with this camcorder you start getting into the higher end machines. If you want a picture with really decent quality, you want a camcorder with a 3-CCD sensor. 3-CCD camcorders are what the big shots use and an you do any less? This camcorder is one of the most affordable 3-CCD cameras out there, but is still from a reputable brand. You also get a high-quality Leica lens and we all know that the quality of the glass is one of the most important features of any camera. One more thing, you can also take 3.1 megapixel still shots with this camcorder which saves hauling a separate digital camera around.
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So there you go, a range of affordable camcorders that will get any of you video blogging in no time. Make sure you let me know where to go watch!
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Chris O’Byrne
OnlineArtsMarketing.com
www.YourArtMarketing.com