Tripod Productions LLC

what is the best format in camcorders?(as in miniDV, DVD,hard disk drive,high defenition and flash memory)?

and also, what is the best camcorder available right now?

I agree with qwerty that consumer DVD camcorders should be avoided. I also agree that miniDV tape based camcorders are best quality/format.

I disagree that hard disc drive (HDD) camcorders are the recommended alternative to miniDV tape. HDD and flash memory based camcorder use the same file formats when storing video. We do not know what sort of video you want to capture. Because HDD camcorders have known problems with vibration (from loud audio sources – like very loud crowds, loud engines, loud bands, whether amplified or not) that results in the hard drive heads parking and no video being written to the hard drive… AND they have known problems with high altitude (low air pressure) resulting in the same inability to record video, HDD camcorders are after flash memory camcorders in the hierarchy.

Neither miniDV tape nor flash memory camcorders have these problems with vibration or high altitude that HDD camcorders have.

Since you did not provide a budget, the best camcorders available n the different categories (in my opinion):

Entry level:
Canon ZR900, ZR930 (miniDV tape). The 950 fell off because it has no mic jack.
Canon FS10, FS11, FS100 (flash memory)
All 4 are standard definition only. All have a 1/8″ mic jack – none have manual audio control.

Mid-range:
Canon HV30, Sony HDR-HC9 (miniDV tape; DV/HDV). Both have a 1/8″ mic jack and manual audio control.
Canon HF10, HF11, HF100, Sony HDR-CX12 (flash memory, AVCHD). Have a 1/8″ mic jack – manual audio control unknown – download and read the manuals from the manufacturer’s site.

Past this, ALL have easy to get to manual controls (zoom, aperture, focus, audio, and others) in addition to auto stuff. Unless noted, have XLR audio connectors.

High:
Canon GL2, Sony DCR-VX2100 (miniDV tape, standard definition only; 1/8″ mic jack)
Sony HVR-A1U (miniDV tape, DV/HDV)

Prosumer:
Sony HDR-FX1000 (miniDV tape; 1/8″ mic jack)

Low-end pro:
Canon XHA1; Sony HVR-Z1U, Z5U, Z7U (miniDV tape, DV/HDV)
Panasonic HVX200 (P2 cards – flash memory – DV/HDV/DVCPro)

High end pro rigs will use DVCPro, HDCAM, XDCAM or other formats written to tape, flash memory or special optical discs. This is very different from the consumer file formats.

OMG:
Any camcorder from Red with all the options/lenses

TOP 7 Best Hard Disk Drive Camcorder To Buy

Sony DCR-SR68 80GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder $349.99 The DCR-SR68 features a built-in 80GB hard disk drive for extended recording, as well as a professional-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® lens, which delivers sharp, high-resolution images, an LED video light, and a powerful 60x optical zoom that lets you capture extremely tight shots, even from far away….

Sony DCR-SR68 80GB Hard Disk Drive Handycam Camcorder (Red) $399.99 The DCR-SR68 features a built-in 80GB hard disk drive for extended recording, as well as a professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, which delivers sharp, high-resolution images, an LED video light, and a powerful 60x optical zoom that lets you capture extremely tight shots, even from far away….

Sony HDRXR260V High-Definition Handycam 8.9 MP Camcorder with 30x Optical Zoom and 160 GB Hard Disk Memory (2012 Model) $699.99 Record and store up to 60 hours of 1920x1080p Full HD video and thousands of 8.9MP photos with the HDRXR260V Handycam camcorder. Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode minimizes camera shake and blur, even when using 55x Extended Digital Zoom. Enjoy the advantage of superb low light shooting with Sonys Exmor R CMOS sensor.   1920×1080 Full HD 60p Recording w/8.9MP still image cap…

SanDisk Extreme 16GB SDHC Flash Memory Card SDSDX-016G-X46,Black $14.66 Get the perfect balance of speed and reliability for high definition video and faster shot-to-shot performance with SanDisk Extreme HD Video SDHC cards. Delivering Class 6 video performance with up to 45 MB/sec read/write speeds, you’ll be ready to capture HD video on the latest digital point & shoot cameras and DSLRs that have high-definition video recording capabilities. Go with the latest in Sa…