Digital Camcorders
If you don't yet own a digital camcorder but you're thinking about moving up from an analog video camera or from capturing mini clips with the video feature on your point-and-shoot still camera, you might be pleasantly surprised at the quality you'll find in the digital camcorders that are now available on the market.
Even digital camcorders in the $250 and under price range - the cheapest digital video cams available - might surprise you. True, you don't get a lot of bells and whistles with the cheap models and you certainly won't find High Definition (HD) capable camcorders in this price range, and they're not very good for shooting in low light levels, but for many people they'll do just find and are an upgrade from what they may be used to. After all, video from a cheap camcorder is often better than no video at all.
Digital Camcorder Reviews
One way to research a digital camcorder before you buy it is to look for online, unbiased reviews. As you might expect, there are hundreds of digital camcorder reviews available online, usually in one of two categories - the reviews written by unbiased professional reviewers for independent sites like CNET or PC Magazine and those written by people who actually purchased a digital camcorder and have something to offer about the specific model they're using that you might find on a video camera retailer's or other online retailer's website. Both can be helpful in their own way.
Typically, the professional camcorder reviewers are advanced in their knowledge of this type of video gear. They know what the features are for and what they're supposed to do. Because they're professional reviewers, they may lack the perspective of a less technically knowledgeable digital video camera buyer.
Gather the details and specifics from the pros. Once you think you have your digital camcorder choice narrowed to a few models, see if you can find online consumer reviews about the specific model you'd like to purchase - especially if you're a novice or a casual videographer. You can see first hand which features those who have bought this specific make and model of video camera like and dislike and how hard or easy it was for them to learn how to use their video cams to their full capability.