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

By
Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
December 4, 2007, 8:01 PM ET
4 min read

— -- 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:

•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.

•Hard drive and memory card. You'll never have to worry about tapes stacking up with this format. These cameras, such as Sony's HDR-SR5, which sells for about $900, record directly to an internal 40-gigabyte hard drive, good for 15 hours of high-definition video. Sony's HDR-CX7, also selling for about $900, records directly to a memory card.

Video's fastest-growing format has found many fans, who love being able to hook the camera directly into the computer and drag in clips, just as they do with photos.

For a memory card cam like the CX7, you'll need a huge card to go with it — at least 4 GB (selling for about $100) to store all the video.

Most of these cameras and high-def DVD models are sold in a new high-definition format called AVCHD, which until recently wasn't supported by many video-editing programs. New versions of Apple's iMovie, Pinnacle Studio 11 and Ulead VideoStudio all work with AVCHD clips. Adobe's Premiere Elements does not.

To see these cameras at their high-def best, plug them into the TV. Hard-drive camcorders start at about $500, with high-def models starting at about $800. Market share: 20%, up from 6%.

•Point-and-shoot. Pure Digital's Flip Video and models by Aiptek record video in the MPEG4 video format. MPEG4 is a compressed file that's smaller and easier to share online.

While the quality of the Flip (the Aiptek records in lower resolution) is inferior to tape, DVD and hard-drive video, it's good enough for the general population, which likes the low cost and small size. The Flip sells for $149 with 30 minutes of internal memory or $179 for 60 minutes of memory and easily fits in the pocket or purse.

Unlike most camcorders, no wires are needed to plug the camcorder into the computer for transfers. Instead, a USB adapter pops up on the side of the unit. Once it's plugged in, software is loaded onto the computer to help you upload your video directly to Web video-sharing site YouTube with just a few clicks.

The Flip dominates sales at Amazon, where its models are Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 on the best-seller chart, with a Sony DVD camcorder at No. 3. No. 6 is Aiptek's DV5900, a similar memory-based camcorder that sells for about $80. The Aiptek also comes with the bonus of an MP3 player to listen to digital audio. Market share for this new format is 6%, according to NPD.