Flash Memory Camcorder vs. Other Models
If you’re in the market for a new camcorder you’ve got lots of options, DVD camcorders are popular, and even more so, hard drive camcorders. There’s still the old tried and true digital tape camcorder, like the MiniDV. Increasing in popularity is the flash memory camcorder. A lot of portable devices are using flash memory these days so lets take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages and how they apply to digital camcorders.
At the moment the things working against flash memory are the cost of the media per gigabyte and the size of the media. Flash memory is more expensive per gigabyte than a hard drive, at the time of his writing, roughly a 3-4 dollars a gig for smaller cards and $2 for larger ones like 32 gig cards. The price is dropping all the time though and the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. 32 Gigabytes seems to be the limit for cards under $100, and bigger and you’re looking at several hundred dollars. That’s not such a big deal because flash camcorders use a compression scheme that lets you put about as much HD video as you would on a hard drive.
Now lets talk about the advantages: Flash drives are rugged. They have no moving parts so aren’t subject to shocks and drops. You could still damage other components of the flash memory digital camera if you dropped it but the memory will probably be fine. I’ve even run a card through the washer and dryer without loss of data. Flash drives are fast. You don’t need to fast forward through like you would a tape. You can copy video files to your computer just like they were on a thumb drive. They’re also lightweight, much more so than a hard drive or DVD camcorder, or even a tape media camcorder.
A camcorder with flash memory may not be right for you but you should look around and check out the options before you buy your new camera. They’ve got a lot going for them and a flash memory camcorder might be right for you.
Filed Under Flash Memory Camcorders | Comments Off
Tagged With best flash camcorders, DVD camcorder, Flash Memory Camcorders, MiniDV camcorder