What camcorder features do I need for making video blogs?

What camcorder features do I need for making video blogs?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What camcorder features do I need for making video blogs?; What camcorder features do I need for sports?; What camcorder features do I need for family events? and more...

If you're into video blogging, is the camcorder the right choice? Well you could go with just a video webcam; they're fairly inexpensive but they deliver kind of a limited picture. If you were to step up to, say, even a low-end camcorder you'll get much better results than going, say, with an inexpensive webcam. Then take into consideration things just like you would anything else--exposure, lighting. Sound plays into this. When you're video blogging you can either use sound off the camera if it's acceptable, or off of a separate microphone. So, features you would be looking for would be: maybe a nice wide lens to go with your camcorder, because you're going to get a tighter shot; some sort of microphone jack input, if not, then you can mic directly into your computer at the time. The key to it is keeping those clips pretty short.