So, let’s start with price.  You can expect to pay around $400 for the Sony HDR-CX110 HD camcorder.  So, let’s start with some snapshot features:

• 1920×1080 Full HD Recording w/3MP still image
• Memory Stick PRO Duo media slot
• 1/4″ back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor
• 1080/60p playback via HDMI and compatible HDTV
• 30mm CZ Vario Sonnar T* with 25x Optical zoom

For the casual video user who wants really good quality for a good price, it’s hard to go wrong here.  It’s easy to use and has an attractive price for the quality.  It has 25x optical zoom and 300x digital zoom.  Most people who get this are amazed at the quality.  This is especially true if you haven’t had a HD camcorder before.  Here’s a sample video take with it:

Remember to choose 1080p to see the quality of this amazing HD camcorder.

What you see in the Camileo S20 HD camcorder, as well as others, is a move to push to consolidate all these devices into one.  I think we will see convergence into the smartphone.  Of course, we are seeing this to varying degress, but it’s only a matter of time when the quality is on par to these standalone devices.  But that’s another post.  Back to the S20.

The first thing you notice is that it is a measly 2/3 inch wide and weighs 3.5 ounces.  If you are old enough, do you remember how huge video devices used to be?  Amazing.  It supports full HD video (1920x1080p) and 5MP stills.  It has four modes: motion activated, slow motion, time elapse, and macro.  It also features a very nice 3 inch LCD viewer.  The biggest draw back is that image stabilization and zoom aren’t available in the 1080p mode.

At around $150 it’s just an unreal bargain for what it is!

It can be submerged into up to 10 feet of water and still go on working.  That a good thing if you do a lot of outdoors video, especially in areas that are prone to rain.  Of course, it supports 1080 HD video and 5 megapixel (16:9) stills.  It also has a nice 2 inch lcd display with glare screen options to keep you working while the sun is out.  And the expandable SD card slot can give you up to 10 hours of video time.  Pretty insane.  And at $149, it is hard to beat.  People love the small size, the price, the image stabilization, and the overall convenience.  It seems Kodak went for simplicity in this sporty package and it works.  Here’s a short vid.  Btw, this guy is pretty hip to the Kodak Playsport Zx3 HD video camcorder, not so much the Flip:

The Kodak Zi6 mini hd camcorders allow you to take 720p video at 60fps. Add up to 32GB of SD memory for hours and hours of video capture. The bright and clear 2.4 LCD screen is really a joy to look at. The included software is, er, less than stellar. But, if you have some other editing software, you should really use that. Overall, a great pocket camcorder for a cool $135.

Specs:

Flip MinoHD Camcorder

Arguably the hottest hd camcorder this past year.  People loved the small form factor and the amazing results.  4 GB of internal memory can capture 60 minutes of 720p resolution video.  Definitely consider it.

Price: $220

Insignia NS-DCC5HB09 5.0 MP HD Camcorder

Now, this is a cheap model and it’s for that reason that people love this.  Don’t expect the quality of image that a $1200 HD camcorder will bring you.  But if you want another small form factor on the cheap, this certainly fits the bill.

Price: $150

Sony HDR-XR100 HD Camcorder

People drool over this 1920 x 1080 HD camcorder.  That’s because Sony packs a ton of functionality into this guy.  Better image quality than the mini models, but higher price.

Price: $750

Canon VIXIA HV30 HD Camcorder

Wow, people absolutely love this camera.  Canon does such a good job in their digital camera division, it seems they have translated that into their digital camcorder line as well.  Great image quality that will cost you.

Price: $900

Kodak Zi6 HD Camcorder

Yeah, it’s cute, but does it get the job done.  Well, based on customer feedback, this little hd camcorder is a giant on function and quality.  Again, you’re not going to get the same quality as a high end like the Canon, but you do get 720p HD video.  People love this thing.

Price: $180

Yeah, that beauty up above is the latest (as of this writing)  Sony HDR-XR500V with a 120GB hard drive.  That should last you about 10 minutes when shooting HD video.  Just kidding!  It actually records about 14 and a half hours of high definition video.  Not bad at all.  So, why do people love hard drive camcorders?

It’s sooooo Easy!

Good question mate.  Well, they like it because it’s super convenient.  Think about it.  No shuffling tapes or stupid memory cards in and out.  Now you have an embedded drive media that you can access to your computer.  So, the HD hard drive camcorders are getting a lot like your computer.  And that makes transferring them to your computers so much easier.  Soon, the transfer rates will be very high.

There are Downsides?

Unfortunately, because of the addition of the hard drive you can pay for it.  Hard drives are prone to fail at some point.  That means, like iPods and such, that the drive will fail in time.  This will be hastened by rough treatment.  Just keep that in mind when you put take the high definition camcorder out of the bag and put it back.  Be gentle!  Some day very soon they will be putting out these camcorders with solid state drives.  Then the shock issues will be great reduced.  Their lifespan will also be lengthened.  A solid state drive is simply like a giant flash card.  It’s super fast and doesn’t have any moving parts.

It’s in the Juice

Another potential issue is battery life.  Because you are now powering a mechanical drive, it can deplete batteries quicker.  Some models I see have a 40 minute battery life.  So, I guess 14 1/2 hours is kind of funny considering.  Yeah, it will take you multiple charges to get through that drive.

Whooooaaa, Slow Down

Another interesting issue is storage.  People used to keep the stock tapes around.  They usually didn’t transfer all that data to their computers.  Now, you are stuck doing exactly that!  Now, there are two potentially nasty gotchas here.  One is actual storage on your computer.  HD videos take up a lot of space – fast.  Most people will have to buy an external drive to compensate.  But that’s not all.  Now you have all this precious family footage in one place.  And that is prone to failure.  Yep, you guessed it – backups are now very, very important.  So, you need to think through that issue.

How Much Did You Say?

The last issue is that of price.  You will pay a premium for those hard drive models.  The higher end ones are going for $1,000-$1,4000 right now.

But, for all these headaches, hard drive camcorders are still awesome!  They are convenient and fun to use.

The above picture was taken by NASA.  It shows a typical CCD, or a charge coupled device.  Understanding CCD’s is important in the HD camcorder selection process.  And now, I will attempt to explain how a CCD works.  That’s without exploding your brain.  Trust me, I really could if I wanted to.

A CCD is photosensitive.  It takes light and turns it into electronic pulses.  Those pulses relate to the color spectrum.  Pretty ingenious, huh.  Well, if you put 3 CCDs into a camera or HD camcorder, then you get much better color fidelity.  I noticed this when I switched to a Panasonic 3 CCD video recorder.  The colors really popped off the screen.  I hope that makes sense.

Aspect ratio is pretty simple to understand.  It’s basically a height and width ratio.  The two most common in TV’s are 4:3 for standard and 16:9 for widescreen.  There are more, but these are the more common ones.  You can easily understand this by looking at a standard TV and an HDTV.  One is wider.

Credit: paintonscreen.com

Now, have you ever seen a standard signal that has been stretched to fit 16:9 aspect ratio incorrectly?  Yeah, everyone looks about 200 pounds heavier.  The thing you need to know is that most camcorders can do pretty good aspect ratio changes – even lower definition camcorders.  But hey, and HD camcorder will look better, even if upscaled.  So, if you want the best – i would go with the higher resolution.  But that’s me.

First and foremost you need to have the end in mind.  I know, I can hear you saying, “What the heck are you talking about?”  Let me explain.  And this really goes with any type of electronic device.  Think about how you will use this device.  Will it be for family gatherings or are you starting a wedding video business?  Those two ends require much different HD camcorder types.

For most people, they will want something for everyday use.  You know, things like videotaping family get togethers, soccer games, and vacations.  So, let’s tackle that.  Now, for most people, an HD camcorder is going to provide more than enough resolution capability for those types of occasions.  You will be able to watch those videos, with joy, on your HDTV.  And it will look awesome.  So, resolution isn’t usually an issue.  So, let’s look at those other things that will.

HD Camcorder Storage Type

If you didn’t know, HD camcorders utilize different storage methods.  Each has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.  There are hard drive based HD camcorders, DVD camcorders (with flash add ons), miniDV models, and solely flash based HD camcorders.  I will cover them in a separate post.

HD Camcorder Battery Life

This is one of the biggest issues.  And, unfortunately, it’s one of the least looked at features.  Take for instance, the very highly rated Sony HDR-SR12.  This hard drive based HD camcorder has a 40 minute battery life!  Now, the Canon Vixia HV30, a MiniDV HD camcorder has a 65 minute battery life.  If battery life is uber important to you, you need to take that into consideration.

Image Stabilization

This is another really good one.  Image stabilization simply corrects a shaky hand.  I say simply, but it is pretty amazing technology.  Think about how you are going to use your digital video camera.  If it’s like most amateurs, it will usually be hand held.  And, if you’re like most Americans who drink vast quantities of coffee, you will have to have really good image stabilization.  And, trust me, not every stabilization is created equal.  Some models are better than others.

Low Light Video Quality

Ahhh, this is another big one.  Again, will you be taking a lot of night video?  For most people, this is not a big issue.  But, if you have a lot of night time video, in a darker house, then this can really be a giant issue.  When looking for that perfect high definition video camera, check around to see what folks are saying about low light video quality.  Some camcorders are really good and some right out stink.

Controls and Ergnomonics

An often overlooked feature that should be considered is ergonomics.  How does the camcorder fit into your hand?  Are the controls impossible to figure out?  Believe me, there is a wide range in how the onboard controls are engineered.  Some seem to be tailored to the customer and some seem like, well, an engineer made them.

Lens, Digital Processor, and Image Quality

You would be surprised how many low end manufacturers tout their HD camcorders, but use substandard parts for imaging.  The lens is absolutley crucial for great image reproduction.  The digital processor handles image clarity, color fidelity, etc.  Canon seems to always be on the cutting edge of great digital processors.  For instance, people love the image quality of the Vixia HF10.  Quality parts = quality image.

Audio Quality

Another often overlooked feature is audio quality.  How does the audio perform in wind?  That’s a really important question.  Think about it.  A slight breeze at a soccer game will make audio unrecognizeable on some HD camcorders.

Size, Weight, Durability, and Price

I lumped all these together because they are pretty self explanatory.  Most people want the smallest, lightest, most durable camcorder at the lowest price.  You probably do too.

Happy shopping!

Suddenly, importing video onto a computer and editing it became a breeze.  Wow, I remember using a dazzle video converter to move it to digital.  That process took me forever – even on a super beefy Inspiron laptop.  Now that I think about it, that Inspiron looked like a cinder block itself.  Unreal.  Not only that, but the video quality really picked up.

Now, look at that beauty.  Yep, that’s a newer Panasonic HD Camcorder – the HDC-SD5.  You’ll be amazed to know that by newer, I mean like 2007 – $1,000!  Not only has the video improved drastically (1920×1080), but the ergonomics are better, and the size is ridiculously small.  They only keep getting better and smaller.

So, what really is the big deal about a HD camcorder?  Well, the resolutions are sick.  The data transfer rates are so much better these days.  The low light processing is much better than it used to be, thanks to the improved digital processors.  And, as I stated above, the sizes keep getting smaller.

In any case, there are things to look for when you are in the hunt for an HD camcorder.  We’ll take a look for that in the near future here.