Camcorders with hard disks offer much more storage capacity.
Since the dawn of home video, operating a camcorder has meant juggling and managing some sort of media, be it tapes or flash cards. The development camcorders able to store video directly to an internal hard drive has eliminated the need for storage media and streamlined the shooting process. Although the innovation is handy, it may not be for every amateur videographer.
Pro: Lots of Storage
Because hard drives are able to hold data more densely than flash storage technologies, a hard disk camcorder will be able to capture much more than a camcorder with flash media storage. Entry-level hard disk camcorders are typically outfitted with about 120 GB of storage space, which provides enough storage for about 100 hours of standard-definition video depending upon camera settings and video quality.
Con: Unexpandable Storage
Hard disks can hold a lot of video, but when they're full, you're unable to swap them out for a blank media to record onto. For travelers with no access to a laptop upon which video can be downloaded, this may provide a limiting factor.
Pro: Easy Searching
A hard drive provides quick, nonlinear access to your video, making it easy---and faster than many flash mediums---to track down the portion of video you would like to use.
Con: Fragile Storage Medium
Although advances in hard-drive technology have made them much more shock resistant in recent years, hard disk camcorders are still more prone to losing or corrupting data if they're dropped from a large height onto an unforgiving surface than flash storage units are.
Pro: HD Ready
Many hard disk cameras are HD cameras, allowing users the option to shoot in high resolution and produce better quality video. The ample storage space provided by a hard disk enables more capacity to shoot HD video than many flash cameras.
Con: Exspense
While manufacturers offer a few affordable hard disk camcorders, most are aimed at more avid videographers, and come with a less than entry-level price tag. Users on a budget may opt to purchase a flash-based handheld and a slew of storage rather than committing to the price tag of a hard disk camcorder.
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