Camcorders

Camcorders Buying Guide

Storage

There are a number of different options when it comes to camcorder storage.  The first type is a camcorder with a built in hard drive.  Many hard drive camcorders can record up to 75 hours of footage, which makes them extremely convenient as you don’t need to carry extra blank media.  The large storage capacity means that you only need to transfer onto your computer what you wish to edit, while it also connects directly to a television for easy playback.  These camcorders do tend to be the most expensive.

Another option is camcorders that record to memory cards.  As most people are already familiar with memory cards from their digital camera this is a familiar way to store footage, while memory cards are also small and easy to change out so offer a high level of flexibility.  The cost of memory cards is continuing to fall and the advent of flash memory means they are an excellent storage choice.  The other benefit of memory card is, they require no moving parts in the recording process, which means the design of the camcorder can be smaller and more lightweight.   It’s also easy to show footage to friends and family while on the move as the memory card can simply be slotted into a computer or television.

Another storage method is recording directly to DVD’s.  This offers the convenience of being able to put the DVD straight into the DVD player, and also takes away the hassle of transferring large files to your computer.

Recording to Mini DV tapes is the oldest format of storage.  This is the cheapest way to get started, and can produce high quality recordings.  The main issue with tapes is that because of their limited storage capacity you will need to have a number of tapes handy if you want to do a lot of recording, and also the quality of the recordings can suffer from degradation over time.

Camcorder Buying Guide Video

See the video below which give a general overview on what to look for when buying a camcorder.