The Search Guru shares in-depth tips to help you purchase the best digital camcorder to increase your website’s video content – to draw more traffic.
There are many types of digital camcorders on the market today that are designed to make it easy for you to create a video and upload the content online. (The more content that you have available via online video, the more potential targeted traffic you can attract to your site!) Prices for these video cameras can range from $50 for a simple pocket camera all the way up to $4,000 for a professional video camera.
What is the best video camera for your website? There are several things that you need to consider when purchasing a digital camcorder: function, video quality, audio quality and camera memory.
Digital camcorder function: The type of web content you want to produce can help you select the best video camera to purchase.
The first question you must ask yourself when purchasing a digital camcorder is “What type of videos do I plan to produce?” If you want to create a video that is quick and short with little preparation before filming, and little to no editing or graphics, you may want to consider a basic point-and-shoot video camera (such as the HD Flip line of video cameras, which you can purchase for $120-$200).
If you want to create a video with higher production values, which requires more preparation before filming, and provides you with more settings and options, you may want to consider a high end HD digital camcorder from Canon or Panasonic ($400-$1400).
Video quality and audio quality: Spending more on a digital camcorder does not necessarily get you better quality when you create a video.
YouTube and other online video players are now capable of streaming full HD video with quality similar to that of most HDTVs. This progression makes poor quality web videos look even worse. Fortunately, video cameras with the ability to shoot in full HD are now available for just a few dollars more than cameras that do not shoot in HD. Be careful, though; more expensive video cameras do not necessarily equal better video quality. A Flip HD camera produces HD video as good as or better than more expensive cameras.
The same can be said for digital camcorder audio quality. All video cameras come with an internal microphone to record audio. However, most video cameras under $1,000 are not equipped with strong, long range microphones. The built-in microphone is fine for recording audio from a few feet away, but if you plan on recording presentations in a large room or a noisy conference with a lot of background noise, you should consider purchasing a camera that has the option of adding an external microphone. Several different types of microphones can be purchased for under $100.
Video camera memory: How much built-in memory is necessary?
All digital camcorders come with at least a handful of internal camera memory. Be sure to check how much internal memory the camera you want to purchase has. You probably want at least enough camera memory to record 1-2 hours of HD video (approximately 10 GB). Cameras with little internal memory usually have a slot for an external memory card, which video footage can be saved on and then uploaded onto a computer.
There are a lot of options out there for digital camcorders. Finding the best video camera for your needs can be a daunting task. Consider what type of online content you would like to create, what you are comfortable using, what type of additional audio recording you may need and how much memory you will need to store your video.
