Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25232
• • • • lines, wires + waves DIGITAL CAMCORDERS text: lou mazzante Let's face it, slide shows of your latest adventure are about as hip as cruising to Wally World in a station wagon. As we travel to more distant, exotic and rugged locals, we need high-powered instruments to record our adventures. To this end, digital camcorders are becoming a must have for modern, mobile adventurers. For many, they are as essential as a passport and waterproof matches. Mike Zorich, Canon's assistant director of marketing says, "We are becoming an increasingly mobile society and when people are spend ing money for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, they want to document every minute of it. The size and weight of the latest dig- ita l camcorders allows anyone to do that." This year, it's all about miniaturization and computer connectivity. Many of the latest camcorders are smaller than a bag of freeze-dried stroganoff and interface with a desktop computer better than your IT manager at work. Digita l evidence of your first descent can be e-mailed to skeptical friends or posted on a web site for the world to see. Compared to their antiquated analog cousins, images taken by digital camcorders are stored digitally. While most use mini-DV tapes to store images, several models also incorporate stamp-sized memory cards that work much like a floppy disk, allowing users to easily download digital video and images to a computer. From there the options are limitless: e-mailing, web posting, Hol lywoodesq ue editing and sampling are al l within your reach. Be prepared, however, to drop good coin for these luxuries. Prices are falling but most camcorders still cost the eq uiva lent of a titanium mountain bike. Look for camcorders with a good optical zoom (don't be fooled by impressive-sounding digital zooms: they're worthless) and high pixel recordin g, probably in the 675k range, but some models offer mega pixel imaging. If you own a computer, it's worth investing in a camcorder with a memory card. Also look for how the camcorder interfaces with a computer; the best models use Firewire (Macs) or IEEE 1394 i.Link (PC) interface, lesser models use slower serial port connections. Features worth paying extra for are an image stabilization system to take the shakes out of movie making, night recording, and how well (and how many) still photographs the camcorder takes. For all their technological prowess, digital camcorders are amazingly durable, and can withstand rugged journeys with a little extra care "After all , they're digital camcorders, not disposable cameras," says Canon's Mike Zorich. We rounded up five of the hottest digital cameras available and did a little screen test of our own to see which cameras would shine-then we rated them on a scale of 1 to 5. We tested the quality of video and still images they produced (picture) and how easily they connected to a computer (interface). We also tested the editing features they included (fea- tures), how accommodating they were on a weekend slog through the wilds (size and weight) and, because we know how far away $1,500 will get you, we rated the value of each cam- era. Read on to see which camcorders is right for you. -~~,~~--~~~~~- - --------------. ~.~~~~..J. ___________ _____ . Features: MPEG movie recording, megapixel imaging, Carl Zeis optical lens, lOx optical zoom, Super Steady Shot image stabilization, Night Shot, four-meg Memory Stick. Sony proves with the DCR-PC11O that the best th ings do come in small packages, though they are not always free. The 110 excels in nearly every category we tested and offers features not found on any other camcorder. Its MPEG recording mode captures ready-to-e-mail images, making it easier than ever to show grandma the last 50-foot cliff you skied off. Its Night Shot not only clearly picks up the flora and fauna on a moonless night, it works in a completely dark room. The optical lens made by legendary crafter Carl Zeis provides clear, colorful images and its image stabiliza- tion takes the shakes out of early-morning, caffeine-fueled taping. It offers a full range of digital effects, al lowing you to get your creative juices flowing by filming in sepia , mono- chromatic and a half-dozen other modes. Best yet, the 110 weighs only 1 pound, 4 ounces and easily fits into a coat pocket. Sony, 800·222·7669, www.sony.com. $2,000 ___________________________________________________________________ _ __ _ _ _ _____ J ___________ _ _ _ _____________ _ ________ _ _________ _ 68