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Considerations when Buying a Camcorder

By: Buster Carnelli

If you are selecting a new camcorder, one of the first decisions to make is the type of storage media that you will use to store your movies. Picking a storage media first will significantly reduce the total number of camcorders you need to consider, so decisions made afterwards will be easier. We'll review the different types of recording media out there as well the types of user/usage each media is best suited for.

== Tape Camcorders ==

Despite being the oldest form of storage medium for camcorders, tape results in the best quality recordings for camcorders. When using tape as a storage medium, the image goes through a minimal amount of compression so your recordings maintain the best level of image quality. In addition to providing best images, tape-based camcorders are usually more cost effective than camcorders that make use of other recording media.

On the negative side, tapes are constrained in how much can be recorded on them to somewhere in the area of 60 - 90 minutes. However the tapes themselves are fairly cheap to get, so carrying additional tapes is usually not a problem. Another issue with tape-based camcorders is that to move your movie onto a DVD (which seems to be the desired format for distribution with others), you first need to upload from your camcorder to your computer. The downloading process occurs in real time. So if you are going to upload a 90-minute recording to your computer, it will actually take 90 minutes. You also cannot carry out any sort of editing (other than backing over the tape and recording over it again); any editing that you are going to do needs to occur on your computer.

Tape-based camcorders are ideal for two types of users: the person on a budget, and people who want higher quality recordings.

== Hard-Drive Camcorders ==

Hard-disk drive (HDD) camcorders usually supply the longest possible recording times. With normal amounts of compression, you can usually get as much as 10 hours of recording time on a camcorder that makes user of a hard drive as its recording medium. With an HDD camcorder, there is never anything new to buy. On many HDD camcorder models you can edit your recordings directly on your camcorder. And when it is time to upload your footage to your computer, the download rate will be substantially faster than when transferring movies from a tape-based camcorder.

The primary problem with HDD camcorders is that the recorded images are usually highly compressed and this results in reduced image quality. HDDs themselves are also comparatively power hungry and can be ruined by environmental extremes or drops (as can your camcorder itself). But if you destroy your tape-based camcorder, while the camera may be dead, you still have the tape. But with an HDD-based camcorder, if it gets destroyed, you will probably not be able to get your existing movie off the camcorder.

HDD camcorders are extremely versatile and they are primarily meant for the home user.

== DVD camcorders ==

Camcorders that store directly on a DVD as their recording medium are a good selection for people who want a format that is universally playable and for folks without a computer. It doesn't get much simpler than recording a movie on your camcorder and placing the result directly into the DVD player.

The main downside to DVD camcorders is the recording quality and length of recording. The amount of recording time available is dependent on the compression employed, but at the best 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 reduced.

DVD camcorders are an excellent alternative for those who have no computer since you never need to transfer the video from of the camera; it comes off straightaway on the DVD. If you have a computer, and it's an older model that you do not think can handle the increased demands of video transfer and editing, a DVD camcorder may also be a good selection for you.

== Flash Camcorders ==

As advances continue to be made in the field of flash memory, flash-based camcorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Solid-state flash takes up very little space and is not power intensive, so camcorders that use it as a storage medium are often smaller and lighter than other camcorder models. Flash based camcorders also tend to be more rugged and are able to take more abuse such as drops. As with other non-DVD models, flash-based camcorders require that their recordings uploaded to a computer so that the recording can be recorded onto a DVD, but the transfer is usually quite quick for most models.

As with other non-tape based camcorders, there may be trade-offs around image quality and compression. Also, based on the size of the flash memory available, there may issues around the length of the recording time.

If you are searching for the smallest and lightest camcorder obtainable, a flash-based camcorder is probably the right bet.

Article Source: http://ezine-articles-planet.com

Buster is a dedicated lover of electronic devices who loves camcorders, read his camcorder rankings at camcorder-rankings.com.

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