Today's tiny digital camcorders that fit in the palm of your hand didn't start out that way. Camcorders have evolved dramatically from their beastly origins in the early 80's, when they were so large that you had to carry them around on your shoulder and they came in two pieces.
It's the Storage Media
Early analog camcorders used large, bulky storage media, and the camcorders themselves were large and bulky. While subsequent technology improvements permitted the entire device to shrink, the change in storage media has made a huge difference in the evolution of digital camcorders. Gone are the hulking camcorders you carried on your shoulder, replaced by tiny digital camcorders that fit in the palm of your hand.
The first video format war: VHS-C vs. Video8.
Before digital camcorders, we had camcorders that recorded on arcane little devices called tapes. Tapes came in different formats: JVC used the VHS-C and Sony used Video8 and, later, Hi8. VHS-C had a distinct advantage, because people could play the VHS tapes they recorded on their VCRs. Sony's Video8 and Hi8 required a special adaptor, or you had to hook the camera itself up to the television to play it.
The first digital camcorders arrived in the early 90's, in the form of DV and miniDV.
The first digital camcorders, recording on DV and MiniDV, use digital compression to get a lot of data onto the storage media. These early digital camcorders introduced a big improvement in quality, and a drastic reduction in the size of camcorders since the storage media were so much smaller. These first generation digital camcorders didn't receive an entirely thrilled reception. Many people feel that the digital compression causes a loss in signal and an increase in background noise that compromised the quality of the recordings.
Modern digital camcorders record on DVD, hard drives and flash.
As technology drives everything to become smaller and more compact, digital camcorders are taking advantage of the reduced size of hard drives and the increased storage capability of flash media to replace the old, bulky storage media of yesteryear. Modern digital camcorders have the ability to easily transfer video from the camera to other devices, including computers and DVD recorders, so you can easily and safely store your video for years to come.
Improvements in recording quality in digital camcorders.
It isn't just storage media that have improved digital camcorders; imaging and audio capabilities have evolved as technology improves, to the point that HD digital camcorders are surprisingly affordable for today's consumers. Today's digital camcorders bring you impressive zoom, HD digital camcorders, digital cameras that record directly to hard drives or flash memory, and high-quality video sensors. If you compare today's digital camcorder video with video taken twenty years ago, the evolution in quality is truly impressive.
 | It's important to know what to look for when choosing a digital camcorder.Whether you're capturing important family events or you're aspiring to be the next Steven Spielberg, there's a compact and affordable digital camcorder for you. |
With all of the new technologies and different choices in camcorders these days, it is not so easy to decide which one is right for you. There are so many things to consider, and if you do not know anything about camcorders, you surely will not know what to ask. |
Whether you have a specific event in mind that you want to capture, or you have just realized that you are making memories all the time and would like to hang on to them, you should consider the purchase of a digital camcorder. |
Learn about popular and proprietary common media file formats for video and audio. |
How do you convert Mini DV to DVD? Consider one of these methods. |
