Camcorders range from point-and-shoots to high-def

— -- Choices, choices, choices.

Buying a video camcorder in 2007 no longer leaves consumers choosing between a tape-based model and one that records direct to DVDs. Now, there are four distinct categories of video cameras, including models that record to hard drives and internal memory.

The big decision: Whether to spend $150 on a simple point-and-shoot camcorder that's easy to use and fine for many family and vacation situations, or open the wallet wider. For an additional $100, you can get a camcorder with a zoom lens that's more than adequate in situations with lots of light. Go even higher, and you get more powerful zooms; more features, such as image stabilization; and larger image processors.

When you walk into the video section at the electronics shops this holiday season, reps will walk you through the four different formats:

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•MiniDV. The classic standby, a video camera that records directly to videotape is also the top format on the quality scale and the leader in sales. However, it's falling in popularity. Market share is now 32%, according to measurement firm the NPD Group, down from 49% a year ago. The negative for many consumers is that the MiniDV camcorder captures video on tapes, which many people never get around to transferring to the computer, and the tapes tend to stack up fast. MiniDV camcorders start at about $250 and go up into the thousands, for professional-level models.

•DVD camcorders. You can record only 20 minutes on a small, MiniDVD disc at top quality, but that hasn't stopped consumers from turning DVD into a hugely popular video format. Reason: Once the disc is finished, you can pop it out and stick it directly into the DVD player. Quality, however, pales in comparison with MiniDV. In geek-speak, a MiniDV tape produces video at 25 megabits a second, compared with 12 per second for DVD and 15 megabits per second for hard drive. DVD camcorders' market share: 30%, up from 29%. Costs of entry-level models are in the $300 range.