Selection Picture Improves for Camcorders : First-time buyers have a wider assortment of product in the lower end of the price scale.

Last year, camcorder prices dipped into the $600-$700 range, making them available to many first-time buyers. This holiday season, the picture is even better for the novices. The prices haven’t dipped significantly, but there’s a bigger selection of product in that range.

For example, this year you’ll find more lower-priced camcorders in the popular 8mm format--compacts weighing at 2-3 pounds. Last year the low-end was dominated by the full-size VHS camcorder, which weighs in at 5-6 pounds.

Another difference this year is that more low-end camcorders have 8:1 zoom lens (for better close-ups), an improvement over the 6:1 found in this price range last year. For exceptional close-ups, with, say, a 12:1 lens, you have to step up in price.

When choosing a format (VHS, VHS-C or 8mm), consider which features are better for you. The compacts (8mm and VHS-C) are lighter, but only the full-size VHS and VHS-C (with an adapter) are compatible with the standard VCR.

The main thing to remember is that there’s no significant difference in picture quality provided by the formats--no matter what the salesmen tell you. The 8mm units have slightly better sound but for the average camcorder user, the sound quality in lower- and middle-end models is fine.

Also, don’t let the salesman tell you that there’s any great difference in camcorder ability to shoot in dim light. In general, they’re adequate in normal light and inadequate in low light.

The big difference in the low-end and high-end ($1,000 and up) models is that the more expensive ones offer more features--some not really vital--and higher quality parts. At the higher end, the new thing is image stabilization--a built-in process that automatically provides a steadier picture even when you’re not holding the unit steady.

If you’re a camcorder rookie, the full-size camcorder is, in many ways, your best buy. First, it’s cheaper. Second, the tape is compatible with your VCR, so you can play your tapes at home easily, without hooking your camcorder to your TV. Third, you get steadier pictures, because this model is larger and meant to rest on your shoulder, eliminating the shakiness you get with hand-held compacts. Fourth, the tapes--the standard VHS cassettes--are the cheapest, about $3.

The most important thing about buying a camcorder, whatever the price, is to try it out first in the store to get the feel of it. Also, if you buy an 8mm or a VHS-C unit, buy a tripod. Without one, you’ll consistently get jumpy pictures.

Mail-Order Earthquake Tapes: With the news this week that there’s a higher probability of a major earthquake hitting Southern California in the next five years, there’s a heightened interest in earthquake preparedness. You’d expect video retailers to do their part by stocking at least one of the handful of tapes on the subject, but a spot check of 10 video stores in Southern California found only two that did so.

Ordering one by mail might be your best bet. AIMS Media, a Chatsworth-based company that markets instructional tapes, is offering “Earthquake: Some Were Prepared” for $20. This informative half-hour tape, shot in the San Francisco Bay Area not long after the 1989 quake, focuses on those who weren’t prepared and shows how you can avoid their mistakes. It is also a primer on assembling a low-cost quake kit.

Information: (800) 367-2467, Ext. 900.

What’s New on Video: Among the new releases:

“Lethal Weapon 3” (Warner, $20). In the third--and arguably the best--installment of this urban action series, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Los Angeles police officers, comedy and the folksy interplay between the main characters are as important as the action. The villains are evil cops who are selling guns to gang members.

“Passed Away” (Hollywood, $95). Talk about bad black humor, this silly, off-the mark comedy about a funeral, with Bob Hoskins and William Petersen as unlikely brothers, is full of it. Maureen Stapleton and Frances McDormand are among the misused supporting cast.

Upcoming on Video: “Housesitter” and “Universal Soldier” (Wednesday); “Poison Ivy,” “Prelude to Kiss” and “Class Act” (Dec. 16); “Boomerang” (Dec. 22), “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (Dec. 23), “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery” and “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” (Jan. 6), “Man Trouble” (Jan. 20) and “Single White Female” (Jan. 27), “Unlawful Entry” (Feb. 3) and “Death Becomes Her” (Feb. 10).

Mail-Order Earthquake Tapes

With the news this week that there’s a higher probability of a major earthquake hitting Southern California in the next five years, there’s a heightened interest in earthquake preparedness. You’d expect video retailers to do their part by stocking at least one of the handful of tapes on the subject, but a spot check of 10 video stores in Southern California found only two that did so.

Ordering one by mail might be your best bet. AIMS Media, a Chatsworth-based company that markets instructional tapes, is offering “Earthquake: Some Were Prepared” for $20. This informative half-hour tape, shot in the San Francisco Bay Area not long after the 1989 quake, focuses on those who weren’t prepared and shows how you can avoid their mistakes. It is also a primer on assembling a low-cost quake kit.

Information: (800) 367-2467, Ext. 900.