By Billy Teo

VIDEO cameras have got smaller and better. About the size of a large coffee mug, they now fit snugly in the palm of a hand.

Shrinking image processing chips and other electronics like solid state storage device and recording media like flash memory are the key reasons for the reduction in format size.

With solid state storage and flash memory, there are no physical media mechanism as compared to camcorders that record on MiniDV tapes, small DVDs or even hard drives. Therefore, the chance of something mechanical going wrong with the device is largely reduced.

For the serious consumer who wants to make high quality home movies, consider the small camcorders branded as AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) video cameras, which can record footage at a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

Expect to be out of pocket by about $1,400 to $2,600 for camcorders that record in high definition (HD) and offer flash memory as the recording media.

You pay more for bells and whistles like full manual controls, onboard memory of up to 32GB and a higher recording bit-rate (which theoretically means better quality video).

At Full HD quality, holiday videos will look super-sharp and vibrant, which in comparison makes the standard definition video clips of regular television look a little murky and watered-down.

That also means the sharp images will show up your wrinkles and sun-spots clearly on your brand new HDTV.

Will camcorders get smaller?

The imaging sensors, high-quality lenses and even optical stabilisation systems required to capture HD video well may put a limit to how much smaller such camcorders can get without compromising on the HD image quality.

By Billy Teo, a freelance writer

Buying tips

• Size of the imaging sensor
  Larger sensors tend to produce better images especially when shooting in dim lighting.
• Ease of use
  It should not be a chore to adjust the manual controls and functional buttons frequently as you are shooting a scene.
• Accessory support
  It should be able to support accessories like a wide-angle lens converter, external microphones and video lights.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 10 December 2008.

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