Good Digital Camcorders

A vast array of digital camcorders are on the market today. they vary in size, format, brand, quality level and price. The good news is that most are pretty good and all will provide you with video quality light years beyond the old VHS or 8mm cameras of yesterday.

So what are the differences in digital video cameras? Which format is the best — MiniDV, DVD, hard drive, Digital8, Flash Memory? Is high definition (HD) necessary? How much should you spend on a camcorder? We'll try to answer these questions and more in this section.

The Best Picture

The best way to start is to do your research so you know what is available. You can then work down from there in terms of price, features or functionality. So what will deliver the best picture on a consumer or "prosumer" digital video camera? The answer: a high definition (HD) camcorder with 3 CCDs (charge-coupled device).

The combination mentioned above can equal a pretty expensive video camera. But, you can shop around and find camcorders at reasonable prices that contain both of these components or that have 3 CCDs but are not HD or are HD and have only 1 CCD. Or you can decide to save a few more bucks and get a great digital camcorder that delivers stunning video quality that isn't HD and contains only 1 CCD.

Bottom line: research and shop around!