Is it best to purchase a camcorder that records to a disc or just to the hard drive?

Question

Is it best to purchase a camcorder that records to a disc or just to the hard drive?

Answer 1

I agree with "one nation under GOD"... but...

It depends what you want. Best available video quality continues to come from miniDV tape... and while flash memory uses the same highly compressed formats as a hard drive (HDD) camcorder, neither miniDV tape nor flash memory suffer from the vibration or altitude issues HDD has.

I would never wish a DVD based camcorder on anyone.

In my mind:

1st choice: MiniDV tape.

2nd choice: Flash memory.

3rd choice: Hard drive.

Don't waste your money: DVD based.

Answer 2

money wise its better to buy the hd because you would be able to take all of your data and store it on your computer without a problem and make your own dvd. You will also save money on buying mini dvds that will only lat from 20 to 60 minutes. With a hard drive you will have more time to film and then be able to store it delete it and start all over again. Or if u simply dont like a clip you can delete it. Hard drives are more convenient and its how the future will be working and it opens your options up instead of just putting it on dvd.

Answer 3

Both DVD and HDD (hard drive) camcorders suffer from one big ailment, the have moving record heads.  With that, you risk skips or jolts if you will be doing any real active things with your camcorder.  I would go with miniDV as you'll get the best quality and less risks of recording errors.

Answer 4

It depends:

Disc:  You don't want to edit it.  You just want to make it as simple as possible.

Hard Drive:  You want to edit your video.  You want a soundtrack, titles, or you just want to cut stuff out or put stuff in.  You can always burn it onto a DVD later.

I'd go with the hard drive; I love editing.