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Video cameras have sure gotten more complicated in the past few years. There are not only giant movie-grade cameras, there are tiny digital video cameras, cell-phone cameras, vhs recording video cameras and specialised accessories to suit every filmmaker on the planet. Unless you've been born and bred with cables, screens and zoom lenses, choosing video cameras for your own purposes can be very stressful. The trick is to fully examine your motives before setting out with a credit card in hand.
For most people, video cameras are on the shopping list purely for fun, and recording a few important family moments. If this is the case, think about whether or not you would like an actual VHS video tape to carry around with you once the video has been made. If you do, then you need to specify this when you buy a camera. Very often, cameras sold will store the video digitally instead of on tape, and this is no good unless you want to view your videos on computer.
Some people, however, do want a digital camera. This is so that they can put the videos on computer and play around with them, creating one movie from small shots or simply cleaning up one or two short shots before emailing them out to friends and family. Digital cameras are better if you are trying to make your own films or impress your friends – they will require a good computer to connect with.
If you are uncomfortable buying a video camera, it is best to go to a specialist store and simply let a salesperson know exactly what you want with your camera. Remember to specify VHS or digital, and let them know what sort of videos you want to make and who will see them. If you don't have a computer or don't want to use it with your camera, then say so! If you make a point of explaining these points to an expert, you should leave the store with just what you need.