A camcorder has the ability to record video, audio and most of them also take still shots. The camcorder fulfills both of these functions. Digital camcorders are popular eletronic devices used by the public to record video and audio and also have still picture digital camera capability as well.

In the beginning, video camers were huge and the recorder was a separate unit. These were used mainly for television broadcasting, not very convenient for general public use.

In 1982, it was Sony that first released the professional camcorder video camera. The Sony Betacam utilized a reduced-sized cassette and video. This was revolutionary for the television industry and although it added to the typical cameraman’s job, it quickly became the standard for capturing the all important events, such as news.

The first consumer camcorder was released by Sony in 1983. It was still a big and bulky dinaosur, too big to be held in one hand. By 1985 other electronic manufacturers, such as Panasonic, Hitachi and RCA were also releasing NHS camcorders. The video fanatics loved these cameras.

The digital era came into play around the mid-1990′s. The DV and mini-DV was quite a size reduction as well as a great improvement in video and audio quality over the regular analog camcorders.

As the camcorder got smaller in size so did it price tag. Back when it took two hands to wield the bulky camcorders when they were first introduced they carried a price tag of over $1500.00. Now, they are mini enough to fit in a pocket and priced as low as $100.00.

When buying a camcorder you will want one with the best quality and most features that you can afford.

3 Top Camcorder Brands:

Here are the three best consumer rated camcorders with quality features.

Canon HFS100

Canon, always a leader in camera technology has the HFS100 High Definintion Flash Memory camcorder with Full HD recording. For 2009 they have upgraded to 8 megapixels and have manual Audio Level Control.

Sony HDR-CX100

Next in line is Sony, which is true innovation at work with superior audio and digital media. They have their own HDR-CX100 Flash Memory High Definition model camcorder. This one includes a battery saver feature known as BIONZ image processor that improves the speed and quality of video. Plus it has a technology known as Smile Shutter, so it automatically knows to take a still photo when your subject smiles.

Panasonic HMC150

Now to the Panasonic version, their HMC150 offers High Definition superior image quality. This camera exceeds professional videographers expectations and is as easy to use as any digital still camera.

Any of these models will provide a quality camcorder. Learn more about the camcorders with a complete digital camcorders types guide.