This review is written for the casual user. I'm writing it from the point of view of someone who suddenly found themselves in the position of needing to preserve memories (a newborn) and little patience for researching such a diverse field as camcorders. I mean the options are so numerous, and the features to choose from are so intricate that I had no idea what most of them were... Where does one even start?

LIST YOUR PRIORITIES
Well, the best way to start shopping for a camcorder (or a digital camera, or almost any technology really) is to make a list of features that are important to you. Obviously, there will be additional features you may not even be aware of yet (or aware that you would want) but those you cannot address until you know more about the products you're researching. You have to start somewhere concrete, and listing what's important to you is key. Here is what we thought important:

1. Size: We were looking for a compact camcorder; something that is easily portable and can be held with one hand. If it is too bulky and heavy I just wouldn't bring it with me places (and after all, no matter how great your camcorder is, you actually have to USE IT to create videos).

2. Price: I did not want to create videos of the present at the expense of the future ("sorry honey, mom and dad spent all their money on a camcorder to remember you as a baby so don't expect to go to college..."). Our agreed price range was to stay under $500, but he further below $500 the better of course. How did we arrive at this price? If we already knew how much we were willing to spend the decision would have been much easier (get the best you can afford!). But how do you know what is a reasonable price range to shoot for? Well, the amount we decided was on the reasonable side came to us only after we researched the next step (types of camcorders). In general I pretty much assume I'll go middle of the road and not buy the cheapest or the most expensive.

3. Format: We agreed that we want a digital camcorder so that the movies would be better preserved. Our thinking was that a home movie is safer on a DVD than on a VHS tape. Mind you, there are ways to digitize footage from an analog source and run it through software that would fix the color and clarity after it is digitized, ending up with a comparable quality film that can be then saved on a DVD or a VCD (Video CD) for best preservation. Note that some believe analog quality could never be comparable to digital quality; I am not one of those people as I believe anything digital footage can undergo to make it better in the camcorder, so could analog footage once transferred to a computer. However, a digital camcorder makes all this much easier and produces good results that are easier to work with and preserve.

In addition to the above, a further advantage of digital camcorders is that they allow direct transfer of footage to a DVD recorder. I doubt this could be achieved with an analog camcorder.

Now it goes without saying that the idea is to get the best possible video, sound and lens quality possible in the range of products that address my 3 key issues.

TYPES OF CAMCORDERS
The four main types of camcorders we looked at are listed below.

1. VHS: We had already decided we wanted to use digital footage (see #3 above) but I had to include this option because it is, hands down, the cheapest. Analog video is in MY OPINION the best type of raw footage to start with, and it is possible to digitize it with very good results to save on a DVD (assuming you have very good software for editing video). Prices for reasonable VHS camcorders can range well below $200 which is attractive. However, these camcorders are often larger than digital ones. We decided against this option because of our misguided notion that footage shot by this type of camcorder would not be digitized at all (which it could, but with more effort) and because of the size. I'm still happy with the decision we made despite the fact that it was based on somewhat faulty notions.

2. Flash: Of the digital camcorders these are the cheapest but they hold the least amount of video.

3. Mini-DV: The next higher in price as far as digital camcorders go, and also the most popular at the moment. There is a sense that this format for storing video may last for a few years. It also offers a mid range between price (usually in the $400-600 area) and length of videos that can be stored on each cartridge is comparable to a VHS tape, with possibilities to compact the footage and store longer videos as "extended play"). We went with this option (obviously, since this is the type of camcorder I'm reviewing).

4. DVD: There are camcorders that can store footage directly on a DVD. These are the most expensive in the bunch that we looked at (ranging somewhere in the $600-800 price tag for the most part).

As you can see, putting our list of priority features together with the widely available types of camcorders easily distinguished which type we should look at. This is practically the only no-brainer when it comes to shopping for technology: get the best thing that you can afford.

Of course you never know what advances will be made in the field and which media will become obsolete. That is why you want to transfer your footage to DVDs so you could enjoy your home movies in the future.

BRAND NAMES
Just a quick note about this. I read a few reviews and decided in advance which brand names to avoid, that being JVC. Now I have to note that this is a most popular brand name in camcorders and many many consumers buy JVC products. As it turns out, many of these consumers suggest in their reviews to buy Sony instead (it is apparently considered that JVC is the "poor man's Sony", and as such, is not worth the money because it's not that much cheaper than Sony's products). It amazed me how consistently JVC camcorders failed their owners, and quite a few consumers wrote that it starts out great but fails, usually within 90 days of purchase. So, while I have no personal experience with the JVC camcorders, my research suggested to avoid these and at the same time distinguished Sony as a front runner for my consideration. This did influence my decision.

FEATURES OF THE SONY DCR-HC20
1. It is a mini-DV camcorder. The cartridges are cheap enough, but for best quality you should only record one layer of data on each cartridge. As with VHS tapes, each time you tape over footage with new footage quality is diminished, but in the case of digital media this is much more noticeable. An example of this is that footage shot on top of a layer of data not only showed the previous layer through it but also had its date and time info misread by the computer upon transfer.

2. The price of this camcorder is $400, which is middle-of-the-road for compact digital camcorders. Not the cheapest but also not the most expensive.

3. 10X optical zoom lens with 120X digital zoom.

4. Swivel screen touch panel LCD display (2.5", with 123K pixels). Also has a B/W viewfinder. The touch panel is cool and has an "easy" setting where the menu options are reduced and the selections to touch are larger, making simple tasks easier and faster. I'm guessing, though, that someone with big fingers may have some problem selecting buttons on the touch screen. This hasn't been a problem for me or my husband, but it's something to test if you think it may be a problem for you.

5. Nightshot infrared video recording (available in most Sony's, from what I'm told).

6. Video resolution of 340K.

7. Steadyshot stabilization.

8. It has a USB connection to transfer still shots to a computer, and also a firewire connection to transfer video footage. We bought a firewire card to install in our PC for this purpose. Many newer laptops come with these on board already. When attached to the computer using firewire cable you can also use the camcorder to videoconference. Of course it also comes with A/V connectors that can be attached to your TV so you can play your footage directly on it.

9. Other features that I don't use or am less interested in include the fact that this camcorder can take still shots and has a remote control. It has an "intelligent accessory shoe" which means nothing to me but may be important to you. And it has a Carl Zeiss lens, whatever that means.

10. The accessories available for this camcorder are numerous. I bought a bag and a nice tripod (on ebay). I may eventually invest in an additional battery for when I take the camcorder on trips where I wouldn't be able to recharge it. Other accessories include various lens filters, flash, external microphones, and a whole lot of other items that I wouldn't know how to use.

MY EXPERIENCE
The film I've taken with this camera has been top notch for my use. The video and sound quality are excellent, and the rechargeable battery has kept its charge to allow me to take a good amount of video. The way I see it, if the battery holds its charge for a full mini-DV cartridge, which it does, that is sufficient.

Videotaping is easy as pie. I can hold the camcorder in one hand and the record/stop button is easily reachable by my thumb; I can also use a record/stop button on the side of the touch screen if I want to. The zooming button is also easily reachable with my thumb so basically I can perform all operations with one hand. This is a huge plus.

The resulting footage is clear and well focused, and has retained excellent quality when captured on my PC; I can edit it with MS software that came with my operating system and create all sorts of cool little videos (with added music, effects, voiceovers, transitions, etc.). I can also compress it down to much smaller files and still keep it watch-able quality-wise. This makes the films possible to send by email or save on smaller storage than DVDs.

So, having now created 3 full-length DVD projects using this camcorder and having used it numerous times for videoconferencing purposes, I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up for everyday home and family life usage.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations