Choosing a camcorder

Welcome to the Agility Bits guide to Camcorders. If you're thinking of buying a camcorder then this page will help you to decide which type is suitable for your needs and your pocket.

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The main types of camcorder

Camcorders are often described by their recording type so that when you set out to buy one you will immediately be confused if you don't know what these recording types are. Generally speaking there are three different ways of recording home movies with a camcorder. You can record onto tape, record onto a DVD or record onto a hard disc or memory card.

Camcorders that record onto tape

Camcorders that record onto tape are generally the least expensive to buy but as you'd expect you don't just get one bog standard kind of tape machine and have done with it. Technology has a habit of moving quickly and going in different directions at the same time, and so there are different kinds of tape camcorders.

Starting with the cheapest
The least expensive are the analogue models. These recordings can be played back through an analogue device such as a television but you can't play them back or edit them through a computer. If you're lucky you may pick up a second hand analogue camcorder for Ł30 to Ł40, but do remember that this type of technology is rapidly disappearing. If you can afford it I would strongly advise that you go for a digital camcorder. Nevertheless, I've included a quick guide to the analogue camcorder formats in the table below. If you want to search for an analogue camcorder you just need to decide what sort you want and then type something like "VHS-C camcorder" or "8mm camcorder" into your search box. You should come up with some camcorders and some accessories in your results.

Do remember that if you buy an analogue camcorder, the recordings will lose their quality the more they are copied and edited.

Tapes used with Analogue Camcorders
VHS-C	This is a smaller version of standard VHS video tape. It records for 30 to 45 minutes in normal speed or up to 90 minutes in long play (LP) mode.
8mm	8mm wide tape is smaller than VHS-C. It records sound using something called HiFi multiplexing which apparently ensures that the sound is alright in long play mode. The tapes are 90 or 120 minutes on normal play or three to four hours on long play.
Hi 8	This is a higher quality version of the 8mm tape and it is the best quality analogue format. Because the video resolution is that much greater than the 8mm tapes it is less affected by editing and copying. The tape length is 90 or 120 minutes.

Digital Camcorders using tape

These days most people use digital camcorders. If you want to record digitally onto tape there is a good selection of reasonably priced models available and they will cost you less than the hard disk or DVD types. A lot of the video clips on Agility Bits were made using a digital 8 (tape) camcorder. My clips may not look up to much but you have to remember that once they've been transferred to the computer and compressed they lose most of their original quality. Although it's possible to retain the quality on a computer it takes up an enormous amount of hard disk space, and if you want to upload videos to sites like Youtube you will be limited as to the size of the file. Nevertheless the original quality tapes can be viewed easily on a television if you wish, or they can be transferred to the computer in a higher quality format. If you do this you may want to invest in an extra storage device for your videos.

Tapes used with Digital Camcorders
Digital 8	These use standard digital 8 tapes. The resolution is higher than any of the analogue tape machines and the recordings can be played back and edited through a computer without losing the quality. The sound quality is better than analogue and is usually about the same as you'd expect from a CD. You can also play these tapes back through the television by connecting up the leads that come with the camcorder. The record time is 90 minutes. Digital8 camcorders can play analogue 8mm and Hi8 tapes, but Digital8 recordings can't be viewed on 8mm or Hi8 models.
Mini DV	This gives a high quality video and CD quality stereo sound due to the way in which the signal is encoded. The tape lengths are 60 minutes on standard play and 90 minutes on long play. Sometimes the recording length can be extended even further by using extended standard play or extended long play.
DV	These give the same sort of sound quality and image quality as the Mini DV but the tapes are twice as big as the mini DV tapes. The recording length is usually 60 minutes on a standard tape but like the Mini DV it can be extended.
HDV	This is the high definition version of DV and to get the most out of it you will need a high definition TV . This type of recording can be subject to errors due to compression. However, if you can find a decent camcorder of this type and you have the TV to view the results it is supposed to be amazingly good. I would read a few reviews or google HDV to find out if this is for you.
Micro MV	Uses very small tapes so that the design of the camcorder can be very compact. This format also uses compression and if you are interested in this type of very small camcorder then I would search around for some reviews. The quality can be subject to errors and you may need special software to capture the movies on a computer. Tape length is generally 60 minutes.

Using other formats

So far we've only looked at tape machines, but these are rapidly being superseded by other digital formats such as DVD, memory cards and sticks and hard disks. As you would expect, they can be just as confusing as the tape formats, so we'll start with DVDs and see if we can make any sense of it all.

DVD Camcorders
DVD camcorders record on blank 8cm DVDs. These are smaller than the normal DVDs but apparently they still fit into most other DVD devices such as DVD players. If you want to buy a DVD camcorder you will need to check out the compatibility with your other hardware devices as there have been a few issues with this. However, if all is well you should be able to record directly onto a DVD and put it in your DVD player to watch it back. If you have a CD/DVD drive on your computer it should be fairly simple to use something like Windows Movie Maker to transfer and edit your video clips.

DVD types used with DVD Camcorders
DVD-R (pronounced DVD dash R)	You can record on these only once and the recording time depends on how high you want to set the quality of the recording on your camcorder. It can be a little as 20 minutes for the highest quality setting. Nevertheless they work out cheaper than tapes.
DVD-RW (pronounced DVD dash RW)	These are rewritable but if you've just shot a classic movie with your camcorder the chances are that you won't want to record over it. Recording time 30 minutes.
DVD+R	This format was created by a coalition called the DVD+RW Alliance. As with the DVD-R you can record only once on these.
DVD+RW	These are also rewritable and they are supposed to be slightly superior to the DVD-R. As always, check the compatibility of any other equipment you have before committing to buying something like this.
DVD-RAM	DVD-RAM is a disc specification which has rewritable DVD-RAM. It pre-dates the DVD-R and DVD+R formats. You can't play DVD-RAM discs in most DVD players.
Dual layer discs	These can almost double the recording time so it's worth checking out the camcorder that you are going to buy to see if it will accept these discs.
Footnote: With DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs, you can do some editing on the camcorder itself rather than having to transfer it to your PC and use editing software.

Hard Disk Drive Camcorders (HDD)

These camcorders store video on hard disk drives. HDD camcorders give you longer recording times and they don't need tapes or discs. You can connect your camcorder to your TV or transfer the digital files to your PC. This means it's easier to upload to video sharing websites or to send them by email to friends.

One thing that occurred to me as well is that although you may have around 9 hours recording time in high quality format this may not be enough if you want to record your training sessions, and your performances at shows. The hard drive on the camcorder is built in, just as it is on your PC. HDD camcorders are marketed as being the best solution because you don't need to keep buying tapes and discs but then you don't have the storage space that tapes and discs offer either. You will need to make sure that if you want to keep all your original footage you have the necessary space on your PC to store it.

Tip: Check out how much recording time the hard disk in the camcorder offers before you part with your money.

Memory Cards and flash memory camcorders

Camcorders that use memory cards and memory sticks are generally very small and easy to carry around and this is their main advantage. The media they record on is very small in comparison to tapes or discs. One criticism of these camcorders has been that you don't get much recording time, however, memory cards are constantly increasing in capacity and they can be easily replaced if you do need more recording time. As an example I looked at one website which offered 8GB memory cards for less than Ł35. This should give you at least a couple of hours recording time in a decent quality format if not more.

Tip: When you buy a camcorder that uses memory cards you should find out what size of card comes with the camcorder and how much recording time you will have. Check to see if there are any special offers on extra memory cards if you buy them at the same time.

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