2. Types Of Media

Regardless of what level of camcorder you decide to purchase (HD or not), you'll have to decide what type of media you prefer. Ten to fifteen years ago, the primary decision you had to make was what "flavor" tape you wanted to use: Full VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Digitial8, etc. You can still use tape with tried and true MiniDV, but there are some other intriguing options.

8 cm (3.15 inch) DVD media have become very popular in standard-definition camcorders and have recently been introduced in high-definition models. There are many different types of 8 cm DVD media including DVD-R/+R (record once), and DVR-RW/+RW/RAM (rewritable). Some formats are more compatible than others with different brands of DVD players.

Hard drive based camcorders have no such issues as there is no media to purchase. You record on an internal drive that can usually record several hours of video before it fills up and has to be "purged" to be used again. Other high-definition camcorders record video to memory cards, including the popular SD and the newer SDHC memory cards. SD and SDHC cards are widely available at capacities from 512 kB to 8 GB (16 GB and 20 GB will be here soon), but the SDHC standard has the technology to store 32 GB per card in the future. 8 GB SDHC cards are new widely available well under $100 each.

MiniDV Tape

Pros: Very good video quality, inexpensive tapes compared to Mini-DVD. Easy to archive on a durable and reliable medium.

Cons: Slow FF/Rewinding, slow transfer to PC. Playback requires transfer/burn unless you have a dedicated MiniDV player.

Who's it for? Traditionalists who want high quality video and easy archiving.

DVD

Pros: No transfer/editing needed for viewing. Quick access to any portion of recording.

Cons: Expensive storage medium. Compressed video. Less recording space compared to MiniDV.

Who's it for? Point-and-shooters who prefer instant viewing and don't do much editing.

Hard Drive/Memory Cards

Memory cards are becoming large enough to where they have sufficient capacity for extended recording sessions. Also, camcorders that use memory cards have lower bit rates, which equates to longer recording times per storage unit.

Pros: No tapes or discs to purchase, no changing tapes/discs, large capacity.

Cons: No portable storage; must transfer for archiving. DVDs provide more convenient playback options.

Who's it for? Computer literates who like to edit and burn.