About Digital Camcorders

A digital camcorder is a device that can capture still images and motion videos in the real-world environment. These devices have seen a huge growth in popularity in recent years, with one study estimating that sales have increased more than 500 percent in the last decade. As prices continue to drop, digital camcorders are expected to become even more popular in coming years.

History of

Camcorders initially were used only for television and movie production. In 1982, that began to change. JVC developed the VHS-C, a smaller version of a regular VHS tape used for portable VCRs. Around the same time, Sony came out with the Betacam, a camcorder compatible with VHS-C tapes. The Betacam was able to capture motion video, with the results going directly onto a video tape. Over time, the portable camcorder was renovated and improved for better quality and sound, as well as other tape formats such as Hi8.

Evolution

While the Betacam was relatively popular at the time, its awkward size and unreliability led consumers wanting more. The first true digital camcorders were introduced in the middle of the 1990s. These camcorders were smaller, lasted longer and offered 100 percent digital video and sound. At the turn of the millennium, digital camcorders began shrinking even more in size and in price. From 1997 to 2007, the average price of a camcorder dropped by more than 50 percent.

Type

A number of major electronics manufactures produce a variety of camcorders, including pioneering companies Sony and JVC. Other camcorder manufactures include Canon, Panasonic, Sanyo and Samsung. Digital camcorders are usually grouped by video format, such as DVD, Mini-DVD and HD.

Features

Besides recording video, some digital camcorders can take still images. For this reason, modern camcorders have begun to replace digital still cameras. Another feature growing in popularity is a built-in video editor that can be used on the spot to enhance, cut or crop parts of the recording. Virtually all modern digital camcorders can be linked to a computer, where the videos can transferred with a touch of a button. Basic options on camcorders include zoom, playback, audio only, video only and night vision.

Significance

The digital camcorder has greatly impacted the media, as well as social culture. With the advent of the digital camcorder, many news and freelance news outlets can bring the news directly to viewers at minimal cost. Small video-production companies can make short and feature films with professional quality. The increase in popularity of websites such as YouTube can be directly associated with the growing global prevalence of camcorders.

Resources

• Read digital camcorder reviews at CNET.
• Get camcorder price comparisons and reviews from "PC Magazine."