Technology & Learning - September 2007 - (Page 8)

» Product Guide By James Careless Rough and Tumble A look at the best rugged video camcorders. V ideo camcorders have become a staple of K–12 classrooms. So, unfortunately, have broken camcorders. The reason is ruggedness, or the lack thereof. Consumer camcorders, which are made for mom and dad’s careful handling, often fall victim to the drops, hits, and general abuse heaped on them by children. Buying Tips ✔ ■ Check how solid the camcorder’s shell, lens, and protruding switches are—the more rugged, the better. ✔ ■ Avoid cameras that only have flipout LCD screens; choose models that also have viewfinders. ✔ ■ Choose simple features whenever possible. So how can you get a rugged camcorder? Your best At $1,595, the Panasonic bet is to spend up to $3,000 on a Best AG-DVC20 is the least “prosumer” model from manufacturBuy expensive of the four ers such as Canon, Panasonic, or camcorders we compared. Sony. Prosumer cameras are built However, had this camcorder not along the lines of professional broadbeen up to the job, we would not cast cameras. This means their cases have picked it as our Best Buy. have more metal in them and are Strickly speaking, all four prosumer designed to be knocked around (to models are really much more than a certain degree). They still won’t schools require, while less expensive survive the worst abuse from your consumer models lack the ruggedness that educators need. The students, but chances are they will AG-DVC20 offers a good comprolast longer than cheaper, plasticmise between these two extremes. shelled consumer models. As well, the AG-DVC20’s shoulderAll prosumer camcorders have mounted design is easier to use for sophisticated zoom lenses, focusing students, making it more likely they systems, and microphones built-in. will capture steady images. All are also laid out in the style of broadcast cameras, rather than the Finally, do you need an HD campalmcorder-style sold to consumers. corder? No. However, buying an SD As for recording media? These days, (standard definition) camcorder that you can buy digital camcorders that can shoot in regular (4:3 record to videotape, DVD, disk aspect ratio) and widescreen drive, or onboard memory. For product (16:9) will give you some The prosumer camcorders on comparison degree of “future-proofing.” our comparison chart all record chart, see All 16:9 SD video looks okay to MiniDV videotape. DV is page 10. on an HDTV monitor and the prosumer recording format costs less than true 16:9 HD. of choice. Both MiniDVC and DV videotapes record in this James Careless is a freelance journalist format. based in Ottawa, Canada. If you have only the budget for consumer cameras, try to buy models that do not have flip-out LCD screens. These can be hard to find—you may have to look for older models, in fact—but worth it when it comes to survivability. Flip-out screens are easy to snap off; embedded screens and viewfinders tend to stand up a little better. Remember, ruggedness is paramount in student video camcorders! ✔ ■ Buy camcorders using the MiniDV/DV recording format. 8 | www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com

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Technology & Learning - September 2007 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Getting It Wrong Cover Story: SchoolBiz School CIO Higher Ed Integration How To What’s New Bottom Line

Technology & Learning - September 2007

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