Aiptek Full Hd Camcorders

Guide To The Best HD Camcorders

With the high-definition market booming, more and more HD camcorders have also become available in recent times. They can be found anywhere you normally would buy a camcorder or high-tech camera - an electronics store, camera store, or even some mass-merchandise retailers. The internet is a good place to both research and buy exactly what you want. Compiled below is a guide to 10 of the absolute best high definition camcorders to choose from.

Canon HG10 AVCHD Camcorder

Surely standing as one of the best high-definition camcorders on the market, the Canon HG10 is known for its high resolution (recording in 1920 x 1080), huge built-in 40 GB disk - which is more than enough space for the average user and provides no worries that come along with tapes or memory cards - and other unique features.

One of the very great things about the HG10 is its ability to search for a blank spot automatically whenever you want to record. This means never having to worry about recording over something, as you would have to be more careful with when it comes to tapes. If you end up filming something you don't want, you can also delete it in practically the same instant. The HDD Photo Grab option lets you take still images directly from recorded video and save them onto a miniSD card. Focus Assist, much like Tele Macro in other cameras, allows you to get a clear, focused image on close-up subjects. Level and Grid Markers are something else that stands out with this device - with this function activated, horizontal markers are provided to line up with horizontal lines in your shot to ensure your camcorder is level. You can also get that professional film look with the CINE setting, which changes the tone and colors to more resemble a movie in the cinema, or the 24p Cinema Mode, which changes the recording frame rate to 24p - the same as movie film. Both of those settings can be used alone or together, depending on your preference. Quick Start is great for recording things on the spur of the moment. Push the Quick Start button once to put the camera in standby mode, prolonging battery life, then press it again when ready to record and it will start filming in under a second. The HG10 also comes with a video light, which is able to light objects up to about 5 feet away. You can record video this way even in pitch darkness, with all colors and details, except with a slight downside of there being a lot of grain. This camcorder can also take 3.1 MP photos, which aren't the best quality out there, but decent enough to be able to leave your regular photo camera at home if you're taking the HG10. The fast processing of images - at five stills per second - is a great bonus to make sure you don't miss something, and the built-in flash helps you take pictures even in low light settings.

The HG10 also provides a nice 10x zoom lens, with an amazing 200x digital zoom for very far-away shots. Three pre-set zoom speeds are also included. Some of the other features are: an RGB Primary Color Filter; Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV II (provides the best quality for both images and video, reducing any noise for the clearest image possible); SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that, unlike many other image stabilization systems, correct many different types of camera motion or vibration to ensure only the steadiest of shots - whether recording video or taking pictures; a built-in electronic lens cover; advanced accessory shoe terminal that allows you to add professional accessories of your own; and a Drop Sensor function, which activates when it detects acceleration, stopping recording automatically to protect the disk drive.

Transferring pictures and video can hardly get any easier than this, with the multitude of options for taking your stored media wherever you want it to go. The built-in HDMI terminal lets you easily transfer your HD footage via HDMI cable to your HDTV. Or you can upload footage to any Windows PC via fast, 2.0 USB cable. There is also the option to burn videos onto AVCHD-compatible DVDs, which preserve the high video and audio quality and will play in Blue-Ray disc players. The HG10 also comes along with a generous software suite from Corel, to easily edit and customize your videos.

Ranging in price between $600 and $900, this small camcorder (weighing in at just slightly over a pound) is overall a great investment.

Sony Professional HVR-A1U

By S H - I have always loved to write and finally decided to venture into freelancing. Aside from writing, I love to read, take photographs, and listen to music.

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