A camcorder has the ability to record video, audio and most of them also take still shots. The camcorder fulfills both of these functions. Digital camcorders are popular eletronic devices used by the public to record video and audio and also have still picture digital camera capability as well.

In the beginning, video camers were huge and the recorder was a separate unit. These were only used by tv studios and not by the everyday consumer.

In 1982 sony released the first professional camcorder. The Sony Betacam utilized a reduced-sized cassette and video. This was revolutionary for the television industry and although it added to the typical cameraman’s job, it quickly became the standard for capturing the all important events, such as news.

In 1983 the first camcorder for consumers was created by Sony. It was still a big and bulky dinaosur, too big to be held in one hand. RCA, Hotachi and Panasonic joined in by 1985 and began manufacuring VHS camcorders. The video fanatics loved these cameras.

The digital era came into play around the mid-1990’s. The DV and mini-DV was quite a size reduction as well as a great improvement in video and audio quality over the regular analog camcorders.

As camcorders became smaller and smaller so did their price tags. The old school big video cameras cost over $1500.00. Now, they are mini enough to fit in a pocket and priced as low as $100.00.

When purchasing a camcorder you will want the most features for a price you can afford.

3 Top Camcorder Brands:

Here are the three best consumer rated camcorders with quality features.

Canon HFS100

Canon, always a leader in camera technology has the HFS100 High Definintion Flash Memory camcorder with Full HD recording. In 1009 they upgraded to 8 megapixels and now have a manual Audio Level control.

Sony Camcorders

Next in line is Sony, which is true innovation at work with superior audio and digital media. They have their own HDR-CX100 Flash Memory High Definition model camcorder. This one includes a battery saver feature known as BIONZ image processor that improves the speed and quality of video. Plus it has a technology known as Smile Shutter, so it automatically knows to take a still photo when your subject smiles.

Panasonic HMC150

Now to the Panasonic version, their HMC150 offers High Definition superior image quality. This camera exceeds professional videographers expectations and is as easy to use as any digital still camera.

Any one of these models will provide superb video recording. Learn more about the camcorders with a complete digital camcorders types guide.

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