With several different recording formats, a variety of special features, and a range of sizes and styles, there's more to choose from in today's digital camcorder market than ever before. While all these options might seem intimidating at first, if you know what you'll be using the digital camcorder for, we can help you find a model that suits your needs.
One of the most important things you'll need to do before selecting a digital camcorder is familiarize yourself with the main formats on the market. Here's a breakdown of the options.
MiniDV Tape Camcorders
Camcorders that record to MiniDV tape have been around since the mid-1990s, which is a lifetime in digital imaging! Though its popularity has started to wane – in favor of DVD camcorders -- one the major appeals of MiniDV tape recorders is that video is very easy to edit from this format. Before you edit though, you'll need to connect your camcorder to a computer, either via USB 2.0 or FireWire cable, and import your footage to a video-editing program. Also, unlike DVD camcorders, you can't just pop this tape in and play it on your TV or computer. Instead, you'll have to connect the supplied video cable between your camcorder and TV and use the camcorder's buttons like a VCR.
On the plus side, since there's less compression, video quality from a MiniDV tape is generally better than on camcorders that record to DVD.
DVD Camcorders
Camcorders that record to DVD-–actually 3-inch MiniDVDs—are all the rage these days and with good reason. They make playing back your footage as simple as Netflix. Just take your finished DVD out of your camcorder and pop it into your television's DVD player, hit play, and the home movie you created starts up.
On the downside, blank MiniDVDs are a couple of bucks more than blank tapes, as are DVD camcorders themselves. Recording times on MiniDVDs are also shorter than tapes, maxing out at just 30 minutes at the highest quality setting. Though quality has improved, footage recorded to DVD can't match tapes and is difficult to edit.
On the plus side, you can easily jump from scene to scene on a DVD while a tape requires fast-forwarding and rewinding.
Hard Drive and Flash Memory Card Camcorders
Camcorders that record digital video straight to built-in hard drives or removable flash memory cards are one of the hottest trends right now because they do away with tapes and DVDs altogether.
Though this technology is still on the cutting edge, it won't be long until it begins to make its way to the mainstream. The advantage of recording to a built-in hard drive is that you don't have to deal with any removable media. Just record your footage directly to the hard drive and then either transfer the footage directly to your computer or burn it to a DVD.
Camcorders that record directly to removable memory cards are also extremely convenient. When you're done shooting, just pull the card out of the camcorder, just like with a digital camera, pop it into a card reader attached to your computer, and drag the file to your desktop.
HDV Camcorders
Clearly the wave of the future in digital camcorders is high definition. Until recently, camcorders that could record High Definition Video (1080i) were limited to extremely expensive professional and broadcast models. But as high-def televisions make their way into America's homes, so too are HDV camcorders. Not long ago, HDV camcorders sold for several thousand dollars, but all that is changing. Manufacturers, such as Sony and Canon, are trimming the price considerably while making their latest models smaller and far easier to use.
Though HDV camcorders can produce video with resolution that is four times higher than standard definition, to truly appreciate the crispness of this video you'll need a high-definition television. Though we're excited about the latest developments in this new format, HDV camcorders are recommended only for those on the cutting edge.