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?

The HMX-H106 is a Flash Memory camcorder that is light weight, sleek, and stylish and it operates without any noise. It uses the Progressive Scan technology to deliver high quality video. It captures HD quality video in progressive mode (1080/30p). The resulting videos are clearer, crisper, and detailed even if the subject is in motion. This technology delivers smooth images even when the video is played back at 2x, 4x, or 8x the normal speed.
The HMX-H106 features a 37 mm wide-angle Schneider lens that is specially designed to deliver detailed …

Transcend is not the most recognizable brand name, but this SDHC card delivers decent quality at an affordable price. This card appears to have a slightly higher failure rate than some other cards, but not significantly higher. If you are willing to trade some reliability for a few dollars, then it is a good choice.

The HDR-HC9 features a 1/2.9-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor that provides good clarity and detail. It delivers quality video performance at 1080p resolution in HD format, or 530 lines of horizontal resolution in SD format. The CMOS censors require less power, thus extending battery life. The 3.2 megapixels technology takes the digital photography experience to the next level. It has an ability to shoot high-resolution (6.1-megapixel) still images.
It has a 10x optical/20x digital zoom. The optical zoom helps to bring the subject closer and the Digital zoom interpolation makes extreme digital …

The Panasonic HDC-HS9 is a very compact High Definition camcorder. The HDC-HS9 qualifies as a Hybrid camcorder because it can record on both an internal hard disk and removable flash memory cards. While this hybrid model does overcome some of the drawbacks of hard drive camcorders, the hard disk still adds to the size and cost of the device. The HDC-HS9 is roughly $300 more than the equivalent HDC-SD9 which could easily buy two 32GB SDHC cards. One of the better features of this camcorder is its high quality picture and sound. It allows you to set the camcorder at a Digital Cinema mode and shoot in the progressive 1080/25p format (25 frames per second). The Progressive scanning captures pictures that have film-like quality. The colors are vivid and the pictures are clear and crisp.

The SanDisk 16GB Extreme® III 30MB/s Edition SDHC High Performance Card was introduced in 2008 and initially supported the Digital SLR camera. Although there aren’t many cameras that match up the speed of the SanDisk 16GB Extreme® III 30MB/s Edition, Nikon D90 and other high-end DSLR cameras can utilize this speed for continuous shooting or high definition video. This card is the high-end of the Sandisk Extreme flash memory card line, and also an upgrade to the regular 20MB/s edition.
With Sandisk’s Enhanced Super Parallel Processing (ESP) technology, you can expect …

One of the best features of the Canon FS200 Flash Memory Camcorder w/37x Optical Zoom is its ultra light weight. This Flash Memory Camcorder weighs only 7.9 ounces and measures 2.2 inches wide, 2.3 inches high, and 4.8 inches deep. It has a quick response time because it doesn’t have to wait for moving parts before it starts recording. The other positive about it is the lower power consumption so that the battery lasts longer. It is more shock resistant than other systems. It also reduces the chances of data …

VIXIA HF S10 has a lot in common with its sister model, the HF S100. The only difference between the two is that HF S100 lacks a built-in memory. HF S10 is designed for people who require a professional camcorder at a reasonable price.
VIXIA HF S10 is Canon’s flagship consumer flash memory camcorder. One of its better features is the professional quality 10x HD Video lens that captures perfect pictures comparable to those taken from a professional camera.  It delivers pictures that are crisp, clear, and with the least flare and …

The Sony HDR-CX12 High Definition Memory Stick PRO Duo Handycam Camcorder is a great innovation over its predecessor Sony HDR-CX7. Built with class and style, the HDR-CX12 from Sony boasts of high-end CMOS sensor (1/3-inch), and up to 16Mbps bit rate, which is better than the Sony HDR-CX7, but still lower than the 24Mbs on Canon’s HF S10 and HF S100. It has 12X Optical Zoom / 150X Digital Zoom which is more powerful than other Sony Camcorders, but about average for it’s class.

The Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder is a light weight and compact flash camcorder. The 15x Optical Zoom is above average for it’s class, and the 3.89 Megapixel CMOS image sensor provides better video quality than the HF100. The HF200 uses Canon’s latest advanced image processor, the DIGIC DV III which has better noise reduction than it’s predecessor.
The VIXIA HF200 lets you record at up to 24Mbps, the highest bit rate in AVCHD format and that too with the highest quality images. It has a 1080/24p Cinema Mode and …

The Samsung HMX – R10 High Definition Flash Memory Camcorder sports a one of a kind 8x full optical HD lens. It is equipped with 1920 x1080 Full HD recording, so videos show vivid and clear on a HD Television. This handy Flash Camcorder can capture 2- mega pixel still photos while shooting a video. On the video aspect, this camcorder comes handy with its incredible light sensitivity which can capture a full HD video with its 1920x 1080 resolution. Its 1/2.33″ CMOS imaging sensor produces 9-megapixel resolution for still digital photos. However, …

The popularity of Flash camcorders and Hard Drive camcorders is rapidly increasing. The question is which one should you buy? It’s a tough decision because Hard Drive and Flash camcorders have so much in common that there is really very little different about them. They both offer instant access to the video that you’ve recorded, High Definition (up to 1080P) recording, great accessibility from your computer, and many more features. In fact, most manufacturers use the same optics and electronics to produce a HDD version and Flash version of the same camcorder, so the only real difference between the two is where they store their video and the implications that has on how you use the device.

We’ve reviewed a lot of flash memory camcorders, and generally we think flash camcorders are the best of breed of the digital camcorders. They are smaller, lighter, less power hungary, and more reliable, but one thing we’ve never liked about them is the limited video storage. As the recording quality has skyrocketed up to 1080p @ 60 frames per second, the amount of storage space needed to operate one of these camcorders rapidly exceeds the current size of flash memory cards. And even more disturbing is the high performance memory cards needed to record at that quality are VERY expensive. One of our editors stumbled upon the MoFoto Portable Video Storage Device, and we realized that it would be a great companion to the flash camcorders we like so much.

The Sanyo VPC – FH1 HD 1080p Flash Memory Camcorder is another state of the art video camera that brings a new meaning to video recording. Running on a full HD mode of 60fps (frames per second); this compact camcorder captures smooth motion and clearer videos. With Sanyo’s proprietary CMOS technology, the Sanyo VPC – FH1 HD 1080p records at full 60 frames per seconds, having the ability to capture bigger frame rates, producing clearer and better images.  The VPC- FH1 also features 16x Advanced Optical Zoom for video which …

The Vixia HF100 is very similar to its predecessor the Vixia HF10 in most of the aspects. The two main differences between the siblings are the built-in memory and the color. The HF10 has a built-in flash memory of 16GB, while the HF 100 doesn’t and the HF10 is black, while the HF100 is a matte-grey. The HF100 is a compact and sleek flash memory camcorder with an array of features and high quality video.  
The Vixia HF100 is an AVCHD format Flash Memory camcorder. The AVCHD uses MPEG-4 AVC …

Portable video storage devices generally fall into two categories: very basic & very feature rich.  Selecting the right device for you depends on how you intend to use the device.  Feature rich devices such as the Epson P-7000 support viewing JPEGs, RAW images, and even standard definition video.  The basic devices, such as the MoFoto, are little more than a hard disk with a memory card reader on it.  If you just want a really big hard drive to store your videos, then the basic devices are a good fit …