Megapixel resolution for still pictures.

With a progressive shutter the image is captured in one sweep, as opposed to an interlaced mode where every second line is recorded in one sweep and the remaining lines in the following sweep. With progressive scan the image is razor sharp and can be enlarged and printed, while an interlaced scan can produce an image which appears blurry as if the subject was moving too fast.

The sensor is the "eye" of a the camera. It is a device similar to a computer chip, which senses light focused on its surface, like electronic film.
CCD is one of two main types of image sensor. The other type is CMOS. 3MOS are three CMOS sensors.CCD sensors have historically provided better image quality, although the newest and best CMOS sensors match CCD quality.CCD sensors require some additional circuitry compared to CMOS sensors, which can have a minor negative impact on size, cost, and battery life in small devices such as camera phones.CMOS - (complementary metal oxide semiconductor)sensors include basic image-processing circuitry that CCD sensors do not. This gives devices with CMOS sensors an edge when it comes to size, cost, and battery life.

This value is measured against a 35mm slide or negative.

Digital zoom is a function used to make the image seem more close-up. This type of zoom will result in a loss of quality because the image is simply being enlarged.

Optical zoom means that the lense physically extends to magnify your subject. A motor controls the lens movement. When you press the switch to "W" or "T," the subject is either magnified or reduced in size. The "W" stands for "wide-angle" (reduce). The "T" stands for "telephoto" (magnify). Optical zoom always give better quality than digital zoom.

Indicates the magnification and angle of view of a lens. The human eye sees things roughly the same as a 45mm focal length of a lens for a 35mm camera. Anything shorter is classed as a wide-angle, while longer focal lengths are telephoto.

The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance in mm from the optical center of the lens, where the rays of light hits the lens to the focal point, which is located on the sensor or film if the subject (at infinity) is "in focus".

An adjustable opening inside the camcorder that limits the amount of light passing through a lens or onto a mirror.

Normally our eyes compensate for lighting conditions with different color temperatures. A Camcorder needs to find a reference point which represents white. It will then calculate all the other colors based on this white point. This function can be mentioned differently by different manufacturers, but they are usually similar. Here are some examples of how it can look: "Auto, Manual", "Auto, Preset (daylight, cloudy, tungsten, flourescent, flourescent H), Manual" etc.

Optical, or hardware, image stabilization produces the best results, and consists of either a gyro mechanism that detects small movements of the lens and compensates for them or, for digital camcorders, a liquid- or gel-based prism mounted in front of the lens that bends the light so that the image falls on a fixed point on the CCD.
Electronic, or software, image stabilization is less expensive but is available on digital camcorders only and is considered to be less effective. This method takes the full image, pans and scans to blunt movement, and crops the outer portion of the frame to reduce the sense of motion.

A video camera plays either in mono or stereo sound. Stereo sound creates a greater audio experience.

What is the recording format of the video camera?
VHS-C - VHS-Compact format. Like a traditional VHS cassette but smaller. The same resolution as traditional VHS.
8 mm - A small and compact format where the band is only 8 mm of width. The playing time is longer than VHS-C.
Hi 8 - An 8 mm format with a higher resolution than the traditional 8mm format. Longer play time than VHS-C.
Mini DV - High quality sound and picture. Everything is recorded in a miniature cassette and even the sound is recorded digitally with CD quality. The cameras are small and light.
Digital8 - The cassettes are the same as Hi 8. The recording technology is however digital, so the quality of sound and picture is equivalent to Mini DV. The Mini DV cassettes are yet smaller than the Digital8 cassettes.
DVD - Instantly after recording you can use your DVD-player to view what you have recorded. Most cameras use DVD-R or DVD-RW and the majority of them can record into both formats. Cameras that use DVD-R requires disc finalization in the camcorder before you can play it in your DVD-Player. Some cameras use DVD-RAM which has the advantage that you can record and rerecord more than 100 000 times. Always check the compatibility of your DVD-player before buying.

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is a screen made of buoyant crystal. These screens are very flat and small on camcorders. The LCD screen enables you to see the result of your filming directly on the screen. In effect it works like a small TV.

What is the weight of the video camera (grams)?