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" What We Looked for in HD Camcorders GHRI evaluated the HD camcorders for:  Indoor, outdoor, and nighttime video quality Audio quality Still photo quality How closely the camcorder zooms before losing focus, and how quickly it refocuses How smoothly a moving camcorder can record video How long the battery lasts How long the camcorder takes to turn on Clarity and size of the LCD screen Weight and size Helpfulness of owner&amp;#039;s manual and customer service  A panel of consumer testers evaluated the camcorders for:  Ease of installing the SD card  Ease of navigating the menu Ease of recording video Ease of playing back videos Ease of taking still photos  How We Tested HD Camcorders  Engineers filmed indoor and outdoor videos inside the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and at Columbus Circle in New York City, and assessed the quality of video for color accuracy, clarity, and focus. To test image stabilization, GHRI evaluated the clarity of videos taken of a fixed object by a volunteer walking on a treadmill. We tested audio quality by playing a song on repeat at a constant volume. Testers evaluated the clarity of sound and the volume of the song on the video. We took still shots in dim conditions indoors and outdoors during the day and at night. Then we assessed the quality of the images. We timed how many photos the camcorder was capable of taking in a 30-second timeframe to determine snapshot speed. We also timed how long it took for the camcorder to turn on. We tested the ability to zoom without losing clarity by moving objects closer and closer to the camera until it was no longer able to keep it in focus. We then measured this distance.  We tested the speed at which the camera could refocus by first focusing on a near object and then timing how long it took to focus on a distant object.  We assessed each camcorder&amp;#039;s LCD viewing screen for image quality and sensitivity. After cleaning the screen with LCD solvent, we tested how well the screen resisted fingerprints by smudging with grease and then drawing an &amp;quot;S&amp;quot; on the screen and noting the amount of visible smearing. We tested the weight of the camcorder by weighing it with the battery and SD card inside of it and with its hand-strap attached to it. We measured the length, width, and depth of each camcorder. We asked consumer testers to rate how ergonomic each camcorder was, as well as how easy it was to install the SD card, navigate the menu on the LCD screen, take videos and play back on a 46-inch HDTV screen, and take still photos  What to Look for When Buying HD Camcorders To determine which HD camcorder is best for you, consider the following: Digital zoom vs. optical zoom: The main difference? Optical zoom is the more telling and important spec to look for. Zooming occurs by the internal lens physically moving to zoom into an object. Digital zoom, on the other hand, is the camera&amp;#039;s software zooming onto an object; this is the same as when you zoom into a picture on your computer \u2013 usually resulting in a grainy image.  Size: When buying a camcorder, the weight is important to know, depending on how you plan to use it. Keep in mind that the smaller and ligher the camera, the more portable, although you may sacrifice features, such as internal memory. Also, the volume of the camera doesn&amp;#039;t necessarily mean it&amp;#039;s bulky\u2014 the shape may determine how comfortable it is to hold more than its size. Secure Digital (SD) Card: Most camcorders require an SD card, which means they had little or no internal memory. Entry-level camcorders will have less internal memory, but higher-end camcorders will likely have more. Cards can be transferred into different camcorders or onto a computer or laptop to share videos and pictures with friends. And, they&amp;#039;re reusable. The size of the card you should get depends on how much filming you plan on doing, but note that the more memory on the card, the more expensive it will be! Our experts suggest at least 8 GB, which will run around $20.  Features: Different features may be more important to you depending upon your needs, but the size of the LCD screen, weight, comfort of holding, turn-on time, and battery life are all important things to consider, especially if you intend to do a lot of filming. Image quality vs. Video quality: A camcorder&amp;#039;s camera function and video function aren&amp;#039;t always created equal. A camcorder that takes good videos doesn&amp;#039;t necessarily capture clear still images. Video Resolution: An image is formed on the television through pixels (dots of color)\u2014more pixels make a clearer image. Standard Definition (SD) typically records 480 pixels up (height) and 720 across (width), whereas High Definition (HD) records 1080 x 1920, and hence produces a clearer image. Also, be aware that if you don&amp;#039;t have an HDTV or other HD viewing capability, you won&amp;#039;t necessarily be able to view the full quality of your videos. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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