Pocket Digital

Pocket Digital

Pocket Cam, Prosumer Cam And Professional Camcorders 2010

First off, let's define the above terms.
The pocket cam or pocket digital camcorder is as the name suggests, a small camcorder which fits easily into a pocket or purse for easy access with minimum fuss.

Don't be fooled by the small size of the pocket digital camcorder though, for many of the new models of pocket cam in 2010 can record Full HD video resolution of  1920 x 1080 just like the Prosumer cams and professional camcorders, and this resolution will match the capability of your new flat screen TV.

Couple this with the capability to take still shots of 5MP, or some of them even 10MP, a USB arm to swing out and connect directly to YouTube, a good digital zoom of maybe 4x, image stabilization, face detection and a media card slot for inserting an SD/HC card, and you are well armed to record anything at a moments notice, and all for well under $200.

An example of a good pocket cam is the Sony Bloggie,

So why would you need anything other than a pocket cam or pocket digital camcorder you may be asking?  Well, let's move on to the Prosumer cam.

A Prosumer cam can be defined as HD camcorders which have all the features of a pocket digital camcorder recording in Full HD video resolution, but equipped with many more features such as up to two card slots capable of holding SD/HC cards up to 64GD each.

Some have internal hard drives also, while others have a combination of the two.

The Prosumer cam will certainly have an optical zoom of 10x or up to 20x, as well as a digital zoom, whereas  a pocket cam will usually have just a digital zoom with a maximum of possibly 4x. The clarity of an optical zoom far exceeds that of a digital zoom, so this will affect your results a lot.

You can expect many other features in a Prosumer cam such as the features found in Canon's top-of-the-line, new VIXIA HF S10 Dual Flash Memory camcorder:

A large internal flash memory of 32GB capable of recording up to 12 hours of video, dual flash memory card slots,
24Mbps, the highest bit rate in Full HD video resolution AVCHD
30p Progressive Mode
new zebra patterns, color peaking, a Custom Key and Dial, and shooting modes including 24p Cinema Mode for recording video that looks like a holiday blockbuster.

Full HD CMOS Image Sensor, Histogram Display, Level and Grid Markers, Color peaking, Color bars with Test Tone, Gain control function, Microphone Level Control (Auto/Manual), Automatic Gain Control Limits (On/Off).
The features list on a Prosumer cam  go on and on:
Variable Zoom Speed Control, Level and Grid Markers, Microphone Terminal with Manual Audio Level Control, Built-in Electronic Lens Cover, Video Flash Light, Wireless Controller WL-D88 and more….

I'm sure you get the message by now, if you can afford to pay just a few hundred $ more for a Prosumer cam instead of $200 for a pocket digital camcorder, you will have a HD camcorders which will be the envy of not just your friends but of the whole city.

HD camcorders cannot get any better than this can they?

Well, yes they can if you can spend between $2000 and $5000 for Full HD video resolution professional camcorders.
This end of the market for Professional camcorders is mainly dominated by Sony, Panasonic, Canon and JVC, and rather than me trying to do them justice I would rather you click on the link above and see the phenomenal quality which they all offer.

About the Author

Art Speck is an experienced videographer having worked for 30 years in the business.

Being retired now gives me time to enjoy my passion for video cameras and in particular high definition camcorders.

The year 2010 is digital HD Camcorder year, with every major manufacturer bringing out new, low cost HD camcorders with an enormous amount of new technology which lots of folk do not understand, so I have decided to write lots of articles like this one to explain the choices between features, brands and formats.

For a quick access to over 100 new HD Camcorders view this website.

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