Flash vs Tape camcorders

by mattdot - 5/13/09 12:26 AM

In Reply to: If you are buying today, by boya84

I definitely agree with @boya84 that hard disk camcorders have their problems and should be avoided. This link <a href="http://www.thecamcorderreview.com/flash-camcorders-vs-hard-drive-camcorders/">compares flash to hard disk camcorders</a> and comes up with a few more negatives for HDD like battery life, etc. Flash camcorders and tape camcorders are the best options. Still, hard drive are good for cheap storage (in your computer and in a portable video storage device), you just don't want them in your camcorder.

You are going to eventually have to put your video onto the computer because when you want to share your video, you are either going to burn it onto a Bluray or DVD, or you are going to upload it to youtube or something.

It is nice that anywhere in the world you can buy an extra MiniDV tape if you run out of space. However, tape is sensitive to temperature, and has it's own shelf life issues. I do like that flash camcorders are generally smaller than their tape cousins.

Some older software may not work with the HD stuff, but if you're buying HD, then you are buying for the future, and you're going to have to upgrade your software at some point.

They both have their advantages, but my money is on a flash camcorder with a portable video storage device for extra storage.