Some terms associated with camcorders can be difficult to understand. Following are some of the most commonly used glossary for camcorders:

1. PAL: PAL (Phase Alternating Line) refers to an analogue television encoding system standard which can correct phase errors in the transmission of the signal by cancelling them. The important factor to be considered is that a PAL video is incompatible with the NTSE version, and vice-versa. Therefore, one has to plan accordingly,to avoid any video compatibility issues.
2. AE Preset: AE (Automatic Exposure) presets the pre-programmed functions on your camcorder designed, to enhance the video quality for specific shooting conditions such as sports, beach, and snow etc. The feature enables automatic exposure adjustments according to the type of shooting, thereby making it easy for the user.
3. Accessory Shoe: An accessory shoe is a type of slot or mounting that is used to connect additional devices such as microphone, light etc.
4. 1080p: 1080p represents - 1080 progressive scanned lines of resolution. For example, in a 1920x1080 standard HDTV, "1080" refers to the maximum lines of resolution. This (1080p) along with progressive scan format delivers the best possible image quality on a standard HD, and is therefore known as "True HDTV".
5. Pixels: Pixel refers to the smallest addressable screen element, which can be controlled. They are usually represented by dots and squares, and a quality image is directly proportional to the number of pixels. Conclusively, "More the no. of pixels, better the image quality".
6. CCD: CCD (Charged Couple Devices) is a digital image capturing technology that possess a simple design, and therefore have low operational cost. Fabrication processes in CCD tends to be more optimized, and therefore they are used in low cost and low power camcorders.
7. CMOS: CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is a counterpart of CCD as a digital image technology. This technology is more prevalent across high end industrial and professional camcorders.
8. Viewfinder: Viewfinder as the name suggests, enables you to locate the area that is to be recorded. It is the small lens on the camera or camcorder through which you look while shooting.
9. Cutaway: Cutaways are generally used to cover up edits while shooting a video. For example, if you are capturing a shot for a live concert and simultaneously want to shift the focus towards the crowd. Cutaways allow you to navigate away from a shot without actually cutting the frame shot.
10. Neutral Density Filter: A neutral density filter controls the amount of light that enters your camcorder while shooting in sunlight or bright lightning. While shooting in such situations, the excess amount of light entering the lens can result in unclear and distorted image.
11. Auto Focus: Auto focus uses a sensor to determine distance of subject from the camcorders lens, and automatically adjusts the image accordingly to capture a clear and high quality image.
12. Fire wire: Fire wire refers to a bi-directional high speed connection that enables digital download of video from a camcorder to the computer at a speed of up to 800 megabits per second.
13. Image Stabilization: Consider a scenario where you're shooting a jungle safari on a jeep or probably another vehicle. In this case the video bound to be in-stable, image stabilization is a feature which maintains a stable image despite camcorder vibration or shake. It is available in three types:
    • Digital: In digital stabilization, the image is slightly magnified to create an even over-scan for image stabilization. A digital stabilization, can however affect the picture quality.
    • Electronic: Electronic stabilization utilizes motion sensors to sense the motion of the camera to stabilize the image. A major disadvantage associated with this type of stabilization is that, it results in slowing of auto-focus functions.
    • Optical: It involves movement of a lens or prism assembly in opposite direction of the camera shaking, which results in slight or no change in the image quality. This probably is the best possible option available.
14. Insert Editing: This a very useful technique used to insert a new video clip over the existing frame without disturbing the sequence. This is generally used for the captures that require a lot of editing.
15. Lux: A unit for measuring illumination levels.
16. Shutter: It is a small aperture embedded in a camera, which controls the incoming light onto the camcorder. It plays a vital role in the image formation, and an effective aperture results in quality captures.
17. Gain-up Switch: This switch electronically amplifies the available light to produce quality and distortion free images even in dark and low lit areas.
18. Differential Focus: This technique allows you to focus on a particular object by either fading out the background or either by utilizing a focal length.
19. Assemble Editing: This feature enables you to assemble all the required captures from the main disk to a new disk, thus results in a streamlined editing.
20. Flying Erase Head: A type of head that erases the tail end before the start of new recording to ensure smooth recording.
21. Synchro-Editing: This involves connecting two camcorders with a synchro-edit cable for various editing and sharing purposes. The synchronized camcorders are then usually controlled by a record deck, the catch here is that only camcorders of the same manufacturer can be synchronized.
22. White Balance: Different colors are compared with respect to white, and then adjusted accordingly to get the desired image. This is generally automated, but can also be manually automated in certain high end professional camcorders.
23. Zoom: A technique that involves moving an object closer or at a distance through lens adjustment. The zoom feature is available in two forms.
    • Digital Zoom: Involves electronic manipulation of the focal length, this technique is not considered really efficient as it degrades the image quality.
    • Optical Zoom: is a more effective method, which involves utilizing a smaller field of view to deliver a better magnification. Unlike digital zoom, it does not affects the image quality.
24. Depth of Field: Refers to the focus area that appears in the scene. It is generally used to increase or decrease the amount of sharpness in a particular portion of the capture.
25. Lavaliere microphone: This is used under conditions where the microphone needs to be hidden; other important feature is use of wireless technology. They are generally used for stage shows, documentaries and news readings.
26. LCD Screen: It is the screen embedded to your camcorder, which enables you to view what you are recording.