What format of camcorders would be suitable for me?

I'm looking for a camcorder that I can plug into the computer via usb cable and just upload. I don't want complex DVDs and tape and stuff. What format is that called? Is that mini dv?|||DVD based camcorders need a drawer loading DVD optical drive connected to your computer. The video gets ripped using a DVD ripper like HandBrake. DVD camcorder video quality is poor - and you should not waste your time or money on them.

You can get a camcorder that records to a format that is transferred via USB. The most common cameras of this type record in the AVCHD format on flash memory. These are the most lightweight and compact camcorders made today. Their recording media can be extended to indefinite lengths by inserting blank flash memory cards like tape based cameras, and their recording time is only limited to battery power also like tape camcorders.

This may seem very simple and easy and fun, but there is are several issues you will need to manage that will make everything a bit more complicated - especially if you do not know computers or storage media. You will need to purchase, install, and set up a video editing program like Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum or Pinnacle Studio Plus from Avid http://motionpicturecentral.com/book/vid... . These programs cot just under $100 and will replace the free video editing program you already have on your computer for tape based cameras. Once that is complete, you will need to ensure you have at least 4gb of ram on your PC (2gb on a mac) and a lot of extra hard drive space (at least 500gb) for video storage, editing, and rendering. The AVCHD format requires a lot computing since it is very tightly compressed and takes longer unpack, edit, and render than tape based recordings. Yes, the tapeless transfer is easier than tape, but everything else around the tapeless formats is much more complicated and requires more time and resources than tape.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Flash memory camcorders transfer digital files over USB - The highly compressed MPEG2 files may need an application for conversion before the video editing application can use them. StreamClip is a handy one.

MiniDV and Digital8 tape import DV format video using firewire. USB is not supported for DV format transfer. Firewire400, IEEE1394a, DV and i.LINK are all the same thing. If your computer does not have a firewire port, hopefully it has an available expansion slot so you can add one - but you did not tell us the computer you are using, so we have no way of knowing.



If you do go the tapeless AVCHD flash memory route, be sure to get one of the video editing programs listed above or something bette such as Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, Avid Media Composer, Thomson Grass Valley EDIUS, or Final Cut Pro 6 (which are several hundred dollars more than the previous programs). You must also stock up on flash memory cards, a couple of long life high-capacity batteries, and 500gb-1tb of empty hard drive space. You don't need to do it immediately after purchase of the tapeless camera, but you will need to do it eventually. All of this can add up to the same cost or more than the tapeless camcorder.

There are some "toy" camcorders that save to .mov or .avi format - their small lenses and imaging chips don't do too well - they are typically still cameras that coincidentally take short, high compressed video.|||Your computer is already set up for the camcorders that record to HDV, miniDV, and digital8 tapes. That is the easiest and least complicated choice for you. Although there are tapeless professional camcorders available, tape is still the medium of choice for most professional use due to its cheap cost, long storage life, and minimal reliance on other resources such as ram, hard drive space, and computing power for the same quality video as compared to the next choice below. Tape is not as complicated as you think as soon as you read the next few paragraphs.