On Mon, 22 Jan 2001 01:20:55 +1100, Mark wrote:

>I think people obssess too much about technical specifications, by all means
>let them guide you, but think about the ergonomics of the camera and more
>fundamental operating features like view finder colour/B & W (for manual
>focusing), easy access to enable and change manual camera modes etc. Shooting
>satisfying video for whatever purpose really has a whole lot more to do with
>the operator (and his/her interfacing with the camera) than raw specs.

I agree - but wait, there's more! ;-)
The specs rarely tell much about what
you actually see/hear with the gear,
since design choices are often made that
are not indicated in the specs, but which
have a lot to do with how the picture looks
and the audio sounds. These differences may
not be obvious to those not used to this
gear, but they can be important to those
more familiar with video gear. For instance,
I care if the picture color balance is
far from neutral, if edges are over-sharpened,
if highlights tend to blow-out, if there is
excessive "stair-stepping" and Moire patterning
with some subject characteristics - and if
the built-in mic sounds terrible, motor
noise is picked up, and the AGC doesn't
work very well - but none of these is
characterized in the specs provided by
manufacturers... (I tried to cover these in
my reviews, at:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm .)