When choosing a new camcorder, one of the first decisions to make is the recording medium that will store your movies. Picking a recording medium early in the process will greatly reduce the total number of camcorders you need to consider, so decisions made later will be quite a bit easier. We'll review the different types of storage medium available and provide recommendations based on expected usage.
== Tape Camcorders ==
Despite being the oldest form of storage medium for camcorders, tape results in the best quality recordings for camcorders. When recording to tape, the image is subjected to the least amount of compression so the video recording maintains the highest level of image quality. In addition to providing best images, tape-based camcorders also tend to be cheaper than camcorders that make use of other recording media.
One downside to tape-based camcorders is that the tapes are limited as to how much can be recorded to somewhere in the area of 60 - 90 minutes. However the recording tapes are fairly inexpensive to get, so carrying additional tapes is usually not an issue. Another issue with tape-based camcorders is that to move your movie onto a DVD (which is the desired format for distribution with others), you first need to upload from your camcorder to your computer. The uploading process happens in real time. So if you need to download a 90-minute tape to your computer, it'll really take 90 minutes. You also can't accomplish any sort of editing (other than backing over the tape and recording anew); all of the editing has to take place on your computer.
Tape-based camcorders are best suited for two sorts of users: the person on a budget, and people who want high quality recordings.
== Hard-Drive Camcorders ==
Camcorders that use hard disk drives (HDDs) usually supply the longest possible recording times. With normal amounts of compression, you can often get as much as 10 hours of recording time on a camcorder that makes user of a hard drive as its storage medium. With an HDD camcorder, you never need to purchase additional tapes. Depending on the specific model, you can edit your recordings directly on your camcorder. And when it comes time to transfer your footage to your computer, the upload rate will be substantially faster than when transferring recordings from a tape-based camcorder.
The primary problem with camcorders with HDDs is that the recorded images are usually highly compressed and this can lead to poorer image quality. HDDs themselves are also comparatively high on power consumption and can be damaged by drops or environmental extremes (as can the camcorder itself). But if you ruin a tape-based camcorder, while the camcorder may be dead, you can still extract your recording. In the case of an HDD-based camcorder, if it gets ruined, you are unlikely to get your existing movie off the camcorder.
HDD camcorders are very versatile and they are chiefly meant for the home user.
== DVD camcorders ==
Camcorders that record directly on a DVD as their storage media are a good option for folks who want a recording format that is universally playable and for those without a computer. It doesn't get much simpler than filming a movie on your camcorder and putting the result directly into the DVD player at Grandma's house.
The primary downside to DVD camcorders is the recording time and the image quality. The length of recording obtainable is dependent on the type of compression employed, but for the highest recording quality options, you can expect to get only get 20 - 30 minutes per DVD. If you lessen the quality of the compression you can achieve extended recording times, but then your image quality is decreased.
DVD camcorders are an excellent pick for people who have no computer since there is no need to upload the video from of the camera; it comes off directly on the DVD. If you have a computer, and it's an older model that you do not think can handle the higher demands of video transfer and editing, this may also be a good selection for you.
== Flash Camcorders ==
As improvements continue to be made in the field of flash memory, flash-based camcorders are becoming increasingly frequent. Solid-state flash is small and is not power intensive, so camcorders that use it as a storage medium tend to be smaller and lighter than other camcorder models. Flash based camcorders are also usually more rugged and are able to absorb abuse such as drops. As with other non-DVD models, flash-based camcorders need to have their recordings transferred to a computer before the video can be transferred onto a DVD, but the transfer is usually very fast for most models.
As with other non-tape based camcorders, there may be trade-offs around image quality and compression. Also, based on the amount of the flash memory obtainable, there may issues around the length of the recording time.
If you are seeking the lightest and smallest camcorder obtainable, a flash-based camcorder is probably your best way to go.
