Compare the different types of HD Camcorders.

MiniDV camcorders

MiniDV camcorders, which are tape based models, are the oldest form of digital camcorders. Every major manufacturers supports this model, but that support is waning and new models are slow to be released. However, the tapes will continue to be manufactured for many years, so if you own one now, you will still be able to get plenty of use from these. MiniDV camcorders are the cheapest models on the market. High definition in these models is limited. Only a few are HD compatible

DVD camcorders

DVD camcorders are the most popular choice for entry-level users because they are the easiest to use. DVD camcorders record your pictures and video directly to a small DVD type disc which can be played on your home DVD player. So this makes them very convenient if you want to easily and quickly enjoy your home movies.

One disadvantage of this type of camcorder is that the DVD camcorders are not well suited to editing your movies. While it is possible to transfer your DVD footage to a computer, it is not the most streamlines process and the video quality typically suffers in the conversion.

Also, some DVD models record in high definition, using the AVCHD recording format, but not all these models are HD ready.

HDD camcorders

HDD camcorders use a small, non-removable hard disk drive that will record and store your home videos. Hard disk camcorders are the best-selling format on the market, and they are also the most rapidly growing.

Reviews show that HDD camcorders offer between 12GB and 120GB of hard drive storage space. One of the obvious advantages of HDD is that you do not need to lug around recordable DVD or tape media to record on. So they are more cost effective. Reviews show they are also more user friendly for beginners, so easy that all you need to do is turn the camcorder on and shoot.

One disadvantage of this format is that you cannot add additional storage space, so once it is full, the camcorder is full until you download it.

Flash memory camcorders

Removable flash memory camcorders are beginning to pick up in popularity. It does have benefits over digital tape and DVD, including the ability to quickly and easily swap between computer and camcorder, they use less power, tend to be more compact, and they are quiet to operate. They tend to be pricer, and the technology is still new though.