Remeber that probe which crashed into the surface of Mars because one team was using the metric system and the other was using the imperial system? Well if you feel like that probe when trying to figure out which memory card to buy for your new flash camcorder, you’re not that far off. Camcorder and memory card manufacturers are conspiring to confuse you, by using completely different metrics.

The Canon HV40 comes from a rich heritage of MiniDV/HDV camcorders. While the HV40 is not a revolutionary release, it does continue the legacy by adding to the great quality of the HV30. The major new feature is the addition of 1080/24p frame rate. This mode is a welcome addition for those who want to shoot in cinema mode. 1080/30p is also still supported.

Like the Flip Ultra, the Flip Ultra HD is the easiest and simplest camcorder that you can lay your hands up on. Its makers have lived up to their promise of simplicity. But in the name of ease-of-use all of the Flips have been more or less replicas of each other, with just a feature or two added to every successor. According to me the biggest selling point of this “as simple as it can get” machine is its ease of use, ironically making it a miss fit for experts. It doesn’t have all the high end features like the optical image stabilization, the viewfinder, memory cards, video lights, or even a lens cap. Its Menu, consisting of just 4 buttons, can be described in a jiffy.

The Canon VIXIA HF S100 brings pro level quality to the prosumer market at an amazingly affordable price. Despite a few usability issues this camcorder’s quality more than makes up for its few flaws.

MiniDV has dominated the camcorder market for over a decade, but that stronghold is beginning to weaken. Flash memory camcorders, hard disk camcorders, and optical media camcorders are all aiming to take MiniDV’s place as the king of the camcorder. New small and feature rich flash camcorders provide strong competition for MiniDV camcorders. Still, MiniDV is not dead yet, so which one should you buy?