How do I compare one camcorder's power draw to another?
If you're the type of person who travels with a camcorder and doesn't have the opportunity to continuously recharge your batteries -- you can't just throw them on at night and cook them -- you really need to look for a camcorder that has the best possible power ratings, that will give you the most life out of a battery, and you'll want to consider carrying multiple batteries with you. When you're looking at camcorders, from one to another, look at what kind of batteries are on there. Is it the new Lithium-ion batteries? Is it the older NiCad batteries? And so on. How long does it take to charge a battery? Does the battery charge on the camera, or does it come with a separate charger? Separate chargers are handy because you can always be charging one back in the room while you're out traveling with the one you've got. If it requires the camera to charge the battery, then you realize that's going to be down-time for the camera. You can't be using it and charge it at the same time. Batteries is something you really need to consider. Think about how much tape you're bringing. That's how much battery life you should have. If it's a 60-minute tape and you can get 60 minutes out of a battery, try to keep it 1 to 1. Keep one battery per tape, two hours for most people. Two hours of shooting in a day is a lot, so if you consider two tapes/two batteries, that should get you through most occasions.
