The Sony DCR-DVD 405 came out in 2006 to replace one of Sony’s successful DVD camcorders, the DCR-DVD 403. The DCR-DVD 405 is equipped with a 1/3-inch Advanced HAD CCD imaging sensor that is identical in specifications to those of the DVD 403. This is a bigger imaging sensor than most entry-level camcorders. The bigger size also translates to more crisp and clear videos and a better low light performance. The 1/3-inch imager has an effective resolution of 2.5 megapixels when capturing videos in 4:3 aspect ratio. The camcorder is also capable of capturing videos in wide screen mode, 16:9 aspect ratio, at 2.06 megapixels effective resolution.

Sony DCR-DVD 205 records video directly to 8cm DVDs. These discs are small and are easy to use and share. After recording, you can pop out the finished product from the camcorder and insert it to any DVD player or transfer them to your computer. Make sure that your DVD player can play the different DVD format.

The Sony DCR-DVD 505 camcorder, released in early 2006 replaces the DCR-DVD 405. It runs on a single Advanced HAD 1/3 inch ClearVid CMOS imaging sensor that has an effective resolution of 2.1 megapixels in both video and still photography modes. It records digital video in MPEG-2 format using DVD disk media. It is compatible recording thru DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD-RW disks – all in 8cm sizes.

The Sony DCR-DVD 305 contains many improvements, compared to previous Sony camcorders. The main improvement is the use of 1/5.5” Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) 1070K CCD imaging sensors. You also get a 5.1 Channel Surround Sound mic, rather than an onboard stereo mic. It also includes a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot, remote control and USB terminal. Moreover, this DVD camcorder has 12x optical zoom and 800x digital zoom.

The Sony DCR-DVD 105 is an upgrade of Sony’s previous DVD camcorder model, the DCR-DVD 92. Like most DVD camcorders, it records in MPEG 2 format for video recording. It also offers three quality modes when recording with its HQ, SP and LP settings. It is compatible recording in DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW 8cm disks.

The Sony DCR-DVD 108 is the company’s entry level DVD camcorder for 2007. They built it to replace the older DCR-DVD105 model. This camcorder excels in its ease of use but may lack the manual options that will satisfy the hardcore videographers.

The HDR-UX20 is Sony’s top DVD Handycam for 2008. It captures video in AVCHD format with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This resolution is a step up from other Sony models, which have a resolution of only 1440 x 1080. It can store High Definition (HD) videos at 16Mbps in its 8GB internal flash memory or in a Memory Stick Pro Duo card. Its Hybrid Plus ability enables this camcorder to record videos in both types of media. Video recording comes in three options with HD HQ at 9Mbps, HD SP at 7Mbps and HD LP at 5Mbps. You can then choose to record these HD videos on DVD media.

The Sony DCR-DVD 508 is Sony’s replacement for the DCR-DVD505 camcorder. The DCR-505 received many great reviews from consumers when it came out in 2006 and Sony produced the DCR-DVD 508 to follow in its success. The new DCR-DVD 508 is equipped with a more powerful CMOS imaging sensor and a better optical image stabilization system.

Hitachi DZ-BD7HA is the first camcorder that can record to a Blu-ray disc and one that has it all wrong. It has a few features that do not have little potential.
You will need an extremely expensive Blu-ray disc reader to view the video. It features the worst auto and manual controls. It has bad auto and manual focus. Most of its manual controls operate from the LCD. The USB and HDMI terminals are on the LCD. Despite of the facility to record to HDD, Blu-ray, and SD/SDHC, the still pictures are recorded to a SD/SDHC card. One of its worst features is its low light performance. It has the capability to deliver good results only in very bright light.
Over and above Hitachi DZ-BD7HA is a very expensive camcorder that also happens to be the worst performer when compared to other camcorders like the Canon HR10 and Sony HDR-UX7.