Mini DV is a digital format that is inexpensive compared to the costs of other camcorder media. A typical Mini DV tape will cost about 3 or 4 dollars and record twice as much footage as a standard DVD at equal cost. You can also record over a mini DVD disk, something you can’t do with a typical DVD-R disc.

Mini DV camcorders have exceptional video quality. Some motion pictures have been shot entirely with Mini DV. Most professional videographers will use Mini DV as their format of choice for shooting anything from your daughter’s wedding to nature safaris in Africa.

Most video editing applications will easily transfer and edit the Mini DV format as well, so you don’t have to worry that your camcorder’s format isn’t compatible with program x or y.

In this site, you’ll find articles related to camcorders, as well as comprehensive reviews and a side–by–side comparison to help you make an informed decision on which camcorder is right for you. At TopTenREVIEWS — We do the research so you don’t have to.

Since there are so many Mini DV camcorders to choose from, it is important to understand what all the different features are and what they do. Many Mini DV camcorders will allow you to record in full 1080p high definition, while others’ picture quality leaves something to be desired.

Mini DV camcorders are available in price ranges from under $200 to many thousands of dollars. We’ll help you decide which camcorder is the best for you.

Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Mini DV camcorders:

• CCD Resolution: This is perhaps the most important part of the camcorder. The CCD will determine picture quality of not only the video, but also photographs the camera takes. In addition, many cameras will now use 3 CCDs, one for each of the primary colors, to record images. The result is a picture that is much sharper than can be obtained by using only one. Also, a larger CCD is better than a smaller one.
• Battery Life: If your battery dies on your brand-new Mini DV camcorder, all those fancy features don’t mean a thing. Be sure to look for a camera that at least has long life batteries available.
• Low LUX rating: You won’t always be outside shooting in sunlight. Make sure that your camera works well in low light situations.
• LCD Screen Size: The best Mini DV camcorders have larger and brighter LCD screens. This makes it much easier and fun to record special events.
• Image Stabilizer: An image stabilizer will help eliminate the shaky camera footage syndrome that is synonymous with many home videos. The best systems use an optical stabilizer.
• Zoom: There are two types of zoom in Mini DV camcorders: optical and digital. Optical zoom is better than digital zoom, although most camcorders will have both.