I want to buy a camcorder. Should i buy HDD or mini dv? Which one is better and easy to use.?

Question

I want to buy a camcorder. Should i buy HDD or mini dv? Which one is better and easy to use.?

Answer 1

HDD is generally better as it's easier to transfer and manage and you don't have to spend money on tapes. HDD is more expensive in the short term but cheaper in the long term. It's kind of like buying compact fluorescents instead of incandescent bulbs. HDD cameras are more expensive to have fixed, as if something goes wrong with the drive then you are pretty much screwed.

Answer 2

http://www.squidoo.com/CamcordersUnder20...

Answer 3

HDD is easier for transferring to PC for editing I suppose but either formats have their own merits. I have a miniDV and use Firewire to connect it to the PC and manage fine. Quality is good and tapes are cheap.

I think the future (for consumers) is in HD camcorders with DVD/HDD or even big media cards e.g. 16GB SDHC/CFII, now that prices keep coming down.