Selecting the Right Camcorder By Ron Eggers Consumer video camcorders can cost anywhere from under $200 to over $3000, with units that have most of the features and capabilities that consumers want costing in the $600–$1400 range. For serious video work, there are models available that can generate production-quality video at the high end of the cost spectrum. The selection is extensive. Here are just few samples of what's available. Most use MiniDV tape to store their video. Canon has the Optura 300, a compact digital camcorder with serious video capabilities. With excellent optics, it features a 10X optical/220X digital zoom with image stabilization. In spite of its small size, it has a large 2.5-inch flip out LCD screen. The new camcorder incorporates an RGB primary color filter similar to those found on professional models. The filter separates the light passing through the lens into its individual red, green and blue color components in order to provide more accurate color reproduction. The 300's Color Night Mode and Super Color Night Mode make it possible to shoot in very low light situations. It is FireWire compatible for fast video transfer. Besides video, it can also capture 2-megapixel still images. There's even a built in flash. It sells for $1299. Sharp's VL-Z7U Digital camcorder features an integrated rotational pivot point in the center for easy shooting. It comes equipped with a 10X optical/500X digital zoom lens. Its 2.5-inch advanced CG silicon LCD screen provides outstanding display quality. The unit includes a 1.33-megapixel CCD and a flash with red-eye reduction for still photography. Still images are stored on SD removable memory cards. For image transfer, it includes both FireWire and USB connectivity. Audio can be a problem with consumer video gear. To reduce that problem, the VL-Z7U has a zoom microphone terminal for recording audio at a distance with an optional microphone (VR-8MCN), and an earphone jack for monitoring audio as it is being recorded. The VL-Z7U has a street price of $649.99. Sony's DCR-IP1 MICROMV Handycam camcorder is billed as the smallest and lightest tape-based camcorder in the world. Though weighing only eight ounces, and slightly larger than a deck of cards, the sleek unit delivers high-quality digital video footage and one-megapixel digital still images as well as MPEG-1 compressed video and audio. The DCR-IP1 has a 10X optical/120X digital zoom with the company's Super SteadyShot image stabilization. It supports both iLink (Sony's version of FireWire) and USB. It has a price tag of $1199.99 JVC's GR-D90US can shoot both video and 1024x768-pixel still images, which are stored on SD/MMC removable memory cards. It comes with a 16X optical/700X digital hyper zoom with spline interpolation that incorporates digital image stabilization. The camcorder provides various in-camera video-editing capabilities, such as specialized transitions. The MSRP is $699.95 There are always new video camcorders coming onto the market. Some of the models in development are even smaller and offer greater functionality than what's available today. It's getting to the point that where it's just about as easy to carry a video camcorder along as it is to carry a still digital camera.