Types and formats

High definition (HD) versus standard definition (SD)

New camcorders are available in high definition (HD) or standard definition (SD). Most HD models can also record in SD if you choose.

The picture quality of HD (1080i or 1080p) is clearly superior to SD (720x480 or 720x576 resolution) – though you do need to view it on an HD TV or computer.

We recommend getting an HD camcorder as most TVs sold are HD, and it will ensure you have the best picture possible. If price is your biggest variable have a look at the lower-end HD models in our test as their picture scores are still higher than the best SD models.

Camcorder formats

There are several different memory/format systems for camcorders, each with different strengths:

Flash memory

Flash (or solid state) memory is used in a lot of digital devices, such as iPods and netbooks. Flash memory can be made incredibly small and light and doesn't have any moving parts. This means it's not bad if you accidentally drop or bang the camera while filming. While the capacity of flash memory is getting bigger everyday it's still currently smaller than a HDD.

HDD (hard disc drive)

These record to built-in memory inside the camcorder, usually 30GB to 120GB. This means you won't have to change tapes or DVDs while recording. A 30GB hard drive allows around 7 hours of high-quality recording or around 37 hours on low-quality settings. You can then copy this to computer or DVD.

Memory card

MemoryStick Duo, SD, microSD and miniSD memory cards can be used in some digital camcorders. These cards are small and light (an advantage), but are costly compared to other formats.

On a 4GB memory card you can record around 50-60 minutes of top quality footage, or 3-5 hours of lesser quality. For HD recordings, you'll get significantly less.

Older formats

DVD

These record on 8cm (3-inch) DVD-RAM, DVD-R(W) or DVD+R(W) discs. Since there's no tape to wind, it's easy to find scenes again after you've recorded them – and there's no risk of writing over existing footage. Virtually all DVD players will play the 8cm discs for easy reviewing.

On the most economical low-quality settings, a DVD can store about 60 minutes of video, but only around 20 minutes on the best quality setting. For high definition (HD) recordings onto DVD you'll only get about 15 minutes onto a disc.

Mini DV

One of the most common camcorder systems. These use a small cassette (not much bigger than a credit card, but a little wider). Most Mini-DV models have two audio tracks so you can record music or a voice-over as well as the original sound. You can choose between standard or long play mode – long play mode can affect the sound quality, but the image quality is unaffected. On the highest quality standard setting, you can record up to an hour of footage. A 60-minute tape costs about $10 for standard definition (SD) or around $40 for HD.

Footage on mini-DV cassettes can be copied to a computer or DVD recorder using Firewire. Mini-DVs are less user-friendly than DVD or HDD for menu navigation and cataloguing your clips – fast forwarding and rewinding can be a pain.

Older formats

Micro MV

This digital system uses cassettes that are much smaller than Mini DV ones, and different data compression. The two systems aren't compatible. Micro MV doesn't support long-play mode, and only has one stereo audio track.

Digital-8

This records onto a largish D8/Hi8 cassette in a digital format. A standard tape will hold about an hour of high-quality footage. Many Digital-8 camcorders can also replay analogue movies on old Hi8 and 8mm tapes.