Quality and ease of use help digital moviemakers win out.

You can do a lot more with videos shot on digital or analog camcorders than play them back, unedited, on your TV. You can edit and embellish them with music using your computer, then play your productions on your DVD or PC. Or even send them to friends or family via e-mail.

Digital camcorders, now the dominant type, generally offer very good to excellent picture quality, along with very good sound capability, compactness, and ease of handling. Making copies of a digital recording need not result in a loss of picture or sound quality. You can even take rudimentary still photos with most digital camcorders.

Analog camcorders, now a small part of the market, generally have good picture and sound quality and are less expensive. Some analog units are about as compact and easy to handle as digital models, while others are a bit bigger and bulkier.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Sony dominates the camcorder market, with multiple models in a number of formats. Other top brands include Canon, JVC, Panasonic, and Samsung. Most digital models come in the MiniDV format, but there are also the disc-based DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and DVD+RW formats. Newer models record to flash memory or a hard drive. Some digital models weigh as little as 1 pound.

MiniDV. Don't let their small size deceive you. Although some models can be slipped into a large pocket, MiniDV camcorders can record very high-quality images. They use a unique tape cassette, and the typical recording time is 60 minutes at standard play (SP) speed. Expect to pay about $6.50 for a 60-minute tape. You must use the camcorder for playback it converts its recording to an analog signal that can be played directly into a TV or VCR. If the TV or VCR has an S-video input jack, use it to get a high-quality picture. Price: $350 to more than $1,000.

Disc-based. Capitalizing on the popularity and capabilities of DVD movie discs, these formats offer benefits that tape can't provide: long-term durability, compactness, and random access to scenes as with a DVD. The 3 1/4-inch discs record standard MPEG-2 video, the same format used in commercial DVD videos. The amount of recording time varies according to the quality level you select, from 20 minutes per side at the highest-quality setting for DVD-RAM to about 60 minutes per side at the lowest setting. DVD-RAM discs are not compatible with most DVD players, but the discs can be reused. DVD-R is supposed to be compatible with most DVD players and computer DVD drives, but the discs are not rewriteable. DVD-RW and DVD+RW are reusable, rewriteable disc formats. Disc prices range from about $4 to $20. Price: $600 to $1,000.

Most analog camcorders now use the Hi8 format; VHS-C and Super VHS-C are fading from the market. Blank tapes range from $3.50 to $6.50. Analog camcorders usually weigh around 2 pounds. Picture quality is generally good, though a notch below digital. Price: $200 to $300.

FEATURES THAT COUNT

A flip-out liquid-crystal-display (LCD) monitor is common on all but the lowest-priced camcorders. And a wide-screen LCD monitor is becoming more common. You'll find it useful for reviewing footage you've shot and easier to use than the eyepiece viewfinder for certain shooting poses. Some LCD monitors are hard to use in sunlight, a drawback on models that have only a monitor and no eyepiece.

Screens vary from 2 1/2 to 4 inches measured diagonally, with a larger screen offered as a step-up feature on higher-priced models. Since an LCD monitor uses batteries faster than an eyepiece viewfinder does, you don't have as much recording time when the LCD is in use.

An image stabilizer automatically reduces most of the shaking that occurs from holding the camcorder as you record a scene. Most stabilizers are electronic; a few are optical. Either type can be effective, though mounting the camcorder on a tripod is the surest way to get steady images. If you're not using a tripod, try holding the camcorder with both hands and bracing both elbows against your chest.

Full auto switch essentially lets you point and shoot. The camcorder automatically adjusts the color balance, shutter speed, focus, and aperture (also called the "iris" or "f-stop" with camcorders).

Autofocus adjusts for maximum sharpness; manual focus override may be needed for problem situations, such as low light. (With some camcorders, you might have to tap buttons repeatedly to get the focus just right.) With many models, you can also control exposure, shutter speed, and white balance.

The zoom is typically a finger control-press one way to zoom in, the other to widen the view. The rate at which the zoom changes depends on how hard you press the switch. Typical optical zoom ratios range from 10:1 to 26:1. The zoom relies on optical lenses, just like a film camera (hence the term 'optical zoom). Many camcorders offer a digital zoom to extend the range to 400:1 or more, but at a lower picture quality.

For tape-based formats, analog or digital, every camcorder displays tape speeds the same way a VCR does. Every model, for example, includes an SP (standard play) speed. Digitals have a slower LP (long play) speed that adds 50 percent to the recording time. A few 8mm and Hi8 models have an LP speed that doubles the recording time. All VHS-C and S-VHS-C camcorders have an even slower EP (extended play) speed that triples the recording time. With analog camcorders, slower speeds worsen picture quality. Slow speed usually doesn't reduce picture quality on digital camcorders. But using slow speed means sacrificing some seldom-used editing options and might restrict playback on other camcorders.

Disc-based formats have a variety of modes that trade off recording time for image quality.

Quick review lets you view the last few seconds of a scene without having to press a lot of buttons.

For special lighting situations, preset auto-exposure settings can be helpful. A 'Äúsnow and sand'Äù setting, for example, adjusts shutter speed or aperture to accommodate high reflectivity.

A light provides some illumination for close shots when the image would otherwise be too dark. Backlight compensation increases the exposure slightly when your subject is lighted from behind and silhouetted. An infrared-sensitive recording mode (also known as night vision, zero lux, or MagicVu) allows shooting in very dim or dark situations, using infrared emitters. You can use it for nighttime shots, although colors won't register accurately in this mode.

Audio/video inputs let you record material from another camcorder or from a VCR, useful for copying part of another video onto your own. (A digital camcorder must have such an input jack if you want to record analog material digitally.) Unlike a built-in microphone, an external microphone that is plugged into a microphone jack won't pick up noises from the camcorder itself, and it typically improves audio performance.

A camcorder with digital still capability lets you take snapshots, which can be downloaded to your computer. The photo quality is generally inferior to that of a good still camera, although higher-cost camcorders typically offer better photo quality than lower-cost ones.

Features that might help editing include a built-in title generator, a time-and-date stamp, and a time code, which is a frame reference of exactly where you are on the recording media by the hour, minute, second, and frame. A remote control helps when you're using the camcorder as a playback device or when you're using a tripod. Programmed recording (a self-timer) starts the camcorder recording at a preset time.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Pick your price range and format. The least-expensive camcorders on the market are analog. All the rest are digital.

Once you've decided which part of the price spectrum to explore, you need to pick a specific recording format. That determines not only how much you'll be spending for tapes, discs, or memory, but also how much recording time you'll get. The tape-based digital formats are typically superior in picture quality to analog tape-based formats.

With analog, you can get 120 to 300 minutes of recording on a Hi8 cassette. With the SVHS-C or VHS-C formats, you can get only 30 to 120 minutes.

With digital formats that use MiniDV, Digital 8, or MicroMV tapes, you can get at least 60 minutes of recording on a standard cassette. MiniDV and D8 cassettes are the least expensive and easiest to find.

Digital DVD camcorders from Panasonic and Hitachi can accommodate DVD-RAM discs, which can be reused but aren't compatible with all DVD players. All brands also use DVD-R, one-use discs that work in most DVD players. The standard setting yields 60 minutes of recording; the 'Äúfine'Äù setting, 20 to 30 minutes.

With digital formats using memory cards, the amount of video you can record at the highest quality level can vary from 15 minutes to 1 hour on 256-MB to 2-GB cards. (To get a more precise estimate, check a camera's specifications.) Hard-drive based camcorders are limited only by the capacity of the hard drive and the quality settings. On typical models, you can store several hours of video at the highest-quality setting or more than 10 hours at lower-quality settings.

If you're replacing an older camcorder, think about what you'll do with the tapes you've accumulated. If you don't stay with the same format you've been using, you will probably want to transfer the old tapes to an easily viewed medium, such as a DVD.

If you're buying your first camcorder, concentrate on finding the best one for your budget, regardless of format.

Check the size, weight, and controls. In the store, try different camcorders to make sure they fit your hand and are comfortable to use. Some models can feel disconcertingly tiny. You'll need to use a tripod if you want rock-steady video, no matter which camcorder you choose. Most camcorders are designed so that the most frequently used controls-the switch to zoom in and out, the record button, and the button for still photos-are readily at hand. Make sure that the controls are convenient and that you can change the tape, DVD, or memory card and remove the battery easily.

Check the flip-out LCD viewer. Most measure 2.5 inches on the diagonal, but some are larger, adding about $100 to the price. If the viewer seems small and difficult to use or suffers from too much glare, consider trading up to a similar model or a different brand to get a better screen.

Think about the lighting. A camcorder isn't always used outdoors or in a brightly lighted room. You can shoot video in dim light, but don't expect miracles. In our tests, using the default mode, most camcorders produced only fair or poor images in very low light. Many camcorders have settings that can improve performance but can be a challenge to use.

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