3: Digital Camcorders Here's what the experts say to look for when buying a digital camcorder: MiniDV is still the most flexible format. Although strides are being made among models that record to DVDs or media cards, DV is still easier to edit, and the tapes themselves are inexpensive and readily available. If all you want to do is shoot and view, however, miniDVD offers the simplest solution. Hybrid camcorders, which record to a hard drive or to SD cards, are smallest. However, some reviews say these can actually be too small to hold comfortably. Look for a 16:9 widescreen-shooting mode if you have a widescreen TV. This is an almost standard feature on new digital camcorders. Keep in mind that resolution isn't any higher. Shooting in widescreen mode merely means that your video will fill a widescreen television without black bars on the side of the screen. Note that some camcorders don't shoot in true 16:9. Instead, they simply crop the tops and bottoms of video produced by their 4:3 image sensor. Pixels are different for camcorders than for digital cameras. We're used to seeing digital cameras with 6 megapixels (that's 6,000,000 pixels) of resolution, but video needs less resolution than still photos. 690,000 pixels will give you about 500 lines of horizontal resolution. That's about the same resolution as a standard DVD. The first few high-definition camcorders are appearing, and these models record at about three times the resolution of DV. However, to get the full benefit of HD you'll need to use your camcorder as the playback device. Because high-definition DVD recorders aren't readily available, video you burn to a DVD won't benefit from the improved resolution. Microphone jacks let you position an external microphone for better sound. Many reviews lament the poor quality of the microphones in digital camcorders; if sound is important to you, look for a model with microphone inputs so you can position a quality mike closer to the action. A long optical zoom helps you compose your shot. Many models top out at 10X, but some cameras have zooms that extend to 20X or more. Digital zooms can extend things farther, but are of limited value as they tend to pixilate images (i.e., cause them to become blocky and lose detail), sometimes to unusable proportions. Camcorders with long zooms should have some kind of image stabilization, preferably optical, which helps counteract camera shake. Even so, using a tripod is a good idea for long-zoom shots. If you want to use your camcorder as a digital camera, look into models that can store high-resolution images on memory cards. Most reviewers agree that a digital camcorder is no substitute for a dedicated digital camera. Although we are seeing some higher resolution still images from some cameras, stills from a digital camcorder can rarely compete with even inexpensive digital cameras. You'll generally need a FireWire port on your computer for downloading digital video from your miniDV camcorder. If you have a Mac, FireWire ports are standard. For Windows users without a FireWire port, you can add one with a PC card. DVD camcorders and hybrid camcorders that use MPEG-2 compression use a USB 2.0 cable rather than FireWire. A relatively speedy computer will make the digital-video editing experience more enjoyable; be sure to check system requirements on any digital camcorder you buy. 4: Digital cameras Here's what experts say to look for in a digital camera: Megapixels matter less than overall camera quality. If you plan to print mainly 4 x 6 photos, 4 to 6 megapixels is plenty. If you want to make a lot of enlargements, or plan to crop and manipulate images with software, look for 6 to 8 megapixels or more. Within those ranges, optics quality, build, ergonomics and tested image quality matter more than the number of megapixels. Movie modes are important to some. Most digital cameras allow you to record video footage for playback on a TV or computer, and better digital cameras now feature very good movie modes. If this feature is important to you, be sure to check the camera's spec sheet. Higher-end digital cameras will allow you to record higher-resolution VGA movies at faster frame rates, so video quality is improved. Most cameras record sound as well. Image stabilization helps avoid the effects of camera shake. Once only available in expensive cameras, image stabilization helps counteract minor hand vibrations that are inevitable when you are not using a tripod, and it enhances the photographer's ability to capture sharp photos at slower shutter speeds or if following fast action. There are two types of image stabilization: digital and optical. Experts say both help, but optical image stabilization is often more effective. Consider weight and size. One of the best things about digital photography is its 'go-anywhere' possibilities. The best digital camera values for most users are compact cameras, such as many of those featured in this report. These cameras are small, but not generally small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. If you are interested in the smallest, lightest cameras, consider an ultra-compact camera, but keep in mind you'll pay more for similar features. See our report on ultra-compact digital cameras for more information. If you plan to work a lot with images in Adobe Photoshop, consider a compact camera that can shoot RAW images, an uncompressed format. Using the RAW format saves every speck of data without alteration. You need special software to edit RAW files, but enthusiasts may like to have the option FROM: www.consumersearch.com