Camcorders that use a hard drive are much more convenient than conventional camcorders that use a tape. There is no need to worry if the tape is in the correct spot. It is always ready to record. Transferring your content to a computer or DVD burner is as simple as plugging in a cable. Hard drive camcorders can record hours of video without ever having to change tapes. This is especially handy for times when you want to record more than one hour without a pause.

Hard drive camcorders are typically smaller than their mini DV counterparts. Since there are no tapes, there is no need for a tape transport mechanism, allowing manufacturers to slim down the chassis and save a little weight as well.

All your footage gets stored to the hard drive. As a result, it is very easy to manage clips, and even rearrange them in different orders. Typically, every time you hit the record button, the camera will create a new clip. This makes it easy to go back and delete the ones you don’t want to keep.

DVD camcorders, like CD players, are prone to skipping when shaken or dropped. Therefore, it is important to look for a camera with a good anti-vibration mechanism. Different brands of DVD camcorders use different formats for recording so make sure you select one that will play in your DVD player. Also different formats will offer different recording times.

Some cameras will even use a hard drive to record the information first, then record it to the disc. This allows for some basic video editing functions before you burn it to a disc.

Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate DVD camcorders:

• Battery Life: Camcorders are useless if the battery constantly needs to be recharged. The best camcorders will have a longer battery life to ensure you have enough power to record when you need to.
• LCD Screen Size: LCD screens are common on modern camcorders; however, the bigger the screen the better you can frame the action and place less strain on your eyes.
• Optical Zoom: Optical zoom preserves image quality (unlike digital zoom) and brings the action up close to the viewer. The higher the optical zoom number the farther away you can be and still capture the action.
• CCD Resolution: Perhaps one of the most important parts of the camcorder is the CCD (charged coupling device). The CCD captures the image and ultimately determines the picture quality of your videos and pictures. Look for a camera with a large, high CCD resolution.
• Image stabilizer: Who carries their tripod with them everywhere they go? This is why manufacturers put image stabilizers in cameras. The best cameras will use an optical stabilizer instead of a digital stabilizer.