Zoom: affordable units wich usually have a 10x zoom and are easily sufficient for amateur filmers. Middle-class models usually have a 20x zoom while high end products provide a magnification of 30x or more. Just like digital cameras: you should prefer optical zooms which do not have any loss of quality over digital zooms that produce blurry images. Photo function: if you want to take stills with your camcorder you should know that normally the maximum resolution with film and pictures is not the same. To get decent photos you need at least two megapixels. However it is hard to reach the same quality as digital cameras. Photos can be easily transferred to the PC via memory card. Design of camcorders: There are two different designs: vertical or horizontal (long or upright). Vertical (upright) units fit in every jacket pocket, they are small and light (no more than 200 grams), but the buttons are very small and might be hard to handle. Horizontal (long) camcorders fit your hand better, are easier to use and the batteries last longer. Sensors: 3-CCD sensors deliver professional results with brilliant colors and crisp pictures. CMOS sensors which are used in cheaper models are more light sensitive and use less energy. Stabilisor: if you want to avoid the danger of shaking images you should look for a camcorder with an optical stabilisor. For semi-professionals units with a possibility to screw on a tripod are ideal. Manual settings: most first time filmers are happy with the automatic functions of their camcorder that save them a lot of trouble. Once you are familiar with your camcorder you might want to manually change speed, aperture and focus, but a lot of cheap models will not allow that. Most of the time only expensive models have comfortable manual settings like a ring to focus. Ports: for easy data transfer between your camcorder, computer and other units you will need special ports. For digital videos FireWire (also IEEE1394 or Ilink) is standard, but especially Window PCs often do not have this type of connection. Therefore, the data transfer mostly goes through USB ports. If you want to show your videos directly on TV, you should use a S-Video interface or HDMI (withDV) port. Also a microphone connection can be useful.