Let’s get straight into it. To make things simple, the good points and bad (if any) of both camcorders are listed below for you.

Sony Handycam HDR-SR7
Good bits:
oThe Sony HDR-SR7 has a good sturdy design and is not at all bulky.
oIt comes with a 20X optical zoom which is quite good for camcorders.
oVideos are really clear and have a high definition.
oYou can record up to 8 hours of video to the 60GB hard drive at the best quality.
oThe ports on this Sony are all covered. This adds a professional finish while protecting the ports.
oSupports the Dolby 5.1 surround recording for cinema quality sound.
oComes with a built in microphone.
Things That Could Be Better
oThe LCD screen could be a bit larger. As it is a touch screen you’ll need the space.
oThe Sony HDR-SR7 could benefit from a windshield filter to reduce background sounds when recording video outdoors.
oThe Sony is a bit on the pricey side, you can expect to pay over $1200 for this camcorder.

So what can we say about the Canon HV20 in this Sony HDR-SR7 vs. Canon HV20 camcorder?

Canon HV20
This camcorder is cheaper than the Sony, but does a lower price mean less impressive specs? Let’s have a look.

The Good Bits:
oNot a bad price. The average cost is around $780.00. You’ll have to shop around though as the price margin is quite wide depending on where you shop.
oCanon included a joystick for easier manipulation of the menus.
oAlso included is a manual dial so you can control the focus.
oYou can achieve clear footage with high definition and crisp colors, which is superior to many other brands. When shooting in normal lighting, there is hardly any noise at all.
oThe Canon is easy to operate which makes it quite popular.
The Bits That Can Be Improved
oVideo quality is a bit poor when using the night mode and recording in low lighting.
oThe white balance can’t be changed while you’re shooting which makes it a pain to record if moving through various lightings.
oPhoto quality is not very good, even for a camcorder. Photos look fine on screen but that is as far as you’ll want to take it.
oIf the LCD is set to bright and while in HDV mode you can only record up to 65 minutes before the battery dies.

Well I hope you enjoyed this Sony HDR-SR7 vs. Canon HV20 camcorder review. Whichever camcorder you choose you won’t be disappointed.
Both camcorders are quite similar when it comes to features and performance so in the end, it comes down to price.

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Wonerdering how to decide between Hard Drive Camcorders versus DVD camcorders, then you are not alone.

When choosing a camcorder there are many features which are important such as the battery life, image quality, memory, size and warranty to name a few. In this review, we won’t be talking about those, but will spend most of the time weighing up the recording formats. Which is better, a camcorder that saves to a hard disc drive or one which saves to DVD?

By the time you complete this article, you’ll be able to decide.

Hard Drive Camcorders
Main Advantages

Space:
oNo need to worry about running out of space on your tape or DVD while recording. (Although the hard drive will fill up eventually)
oRecording directly to the HDD gives you more recording time than DVD disks in most cases. On average you can enjoy as much as 12 hours of recording depending on which HDD camcorder and video quality you choose.

Compatibility:
oYou don’t have to worry about disc compatibility, media or file formats.
oWhen you save your files to the camcorder hard disk drive, files can be moved, deleted or transferred, just like with your PC.

Flexibility:
oYou’ll have the flexibility to arrange or rearrange the order of your play list or favorite clips when showing off your movies and footage.
oCamcorders include hard drive protection to prevent your data from being damaged in the event of a dropping accident.

Main Disadvantage

Battery life:
oMany of the camcorders have a short battery life, so even if your hard disk allows you to record for a long time, the battery would need recharging frequently and this could be annoying.

DVD Camcorders
So how does this format fear in the hard drive camcorder versus DVD camcorder review?

Main Advantages:

oYou can record straight to 8cm DVD disks, so there is no tape to rewind. The camcorder would automatically find space and begin recording your fresh footage.
oMany compatible DVD formats are now available.
oIndividual scenes can be stored in easy-to-access play lists that are displayed as thumbnails.
oEnjoy your home movies on your home computer, Playstation or home DVD player.

Main Disadvantages:

Compatibility:
oDVD camcorders and home DVD players are not always compatible, although manufacturers are working hard to rectify this problem.

Comlexity:
oEditing DVD movies imported from camcorder to PC is not always easy, but again the manufactures of DVD camcorders are working on the bundled software to make things easier for you.
oYou must finalize discs before being able to play them in a disc drive. Some camcorders make this process easier than others.
oIf any data is damages, your disc is virtually useless as you won’t be able to play it.

So there you have it, the hard drive vs. DVD camcorder review. Now you can see the pros and cons of each. Of course when making your final decision, it does come down to your preference. But at least now you are armed with a bit more info to help you decide.

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Which features to consider?
When comparing camcorders it’s important to take more than one feature into consideration. This is the only fair way to make a proper comparison and find out which model is best for you. You have to ask questions and look at the specifications in detail before making a final decision. Which camcorders are lightweight and portable? Which camcorder takes the sharpest picture? The latter question is probably one of the most important questions to ask, as picture quality is what really matters when it comes to camcorders.

Before you get into the subject of picture sharpness and resolution, think about what you want in a camera, especially from a price, recording format, and features standpoint. Once you’ve put together a shortlist of potential models, you can narrow down the list by finding which cameras offer superior picture quality and the sharpest picture.

Which Zoom is best?
Zoom is one of the first features you should take into account when shopping for a camcorder. Zoom is important because you’ll probably want a camera that has the ability to zoom in so you can capture important moments as they happen. The amount of zoom doesn’t really matter as long as it’s above 10X. Stay away from digital zoom, as this degrades the picture quality – optical zoom is the way to go.
Most lower-end camcorders produce grainy video in low light – this is to be expected. If you need a camera that performs well in bad lighting conditions, be prepared to pay a lot more for the feature. However, if you don’t plan on shooting video in the middle of the night, most basic camcorders should suffice, providing excellent picture quality in normal lighting conditions.

LCD Screen
The LCD screen is another important factor to consider. Bigger LCD screens are always preferable because they allow the user to see images more clearly during recording and playback. Larger screens come with a bigger price tag, so this choice may boil down to budget.

What about Resolution?
Once you’ve considered all the above features, it’s time to think about resolution. Which camcorder takes the sharpest picture? How do you compare different models and find out which ones offer better resolution?
In digital camcorders the CCD (the device that converts light into digital information) chip is responsible for producing the picture quality, so this is what you should pay attention to when making comparisons. Most camcorders come with one CCD chip for recording the picture information contained in an entire scene. More expensive cameras contain three CCD chips with a prism that divides the image into the colors red, green, and blue – one for each chip. This leads to higher picture quality and sharper images.

Luckily, you can find some camcorders with three chips for a decent price, but usually this type of camcorder does cost more. How important is video quality to you? If you must have the highest quality out there, go ahead and spend more money, however, most amateur filmmakers don’t need anything too fancy.

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Mini-DVD is simple enough. This type of camcorder records directly to DVDs that you can play right away on any device that has the ability to playback DVDs.

Quality:
Mini-DVs are a little less straightforward. Strangely enough, mini-DV camcorders record onto miniature tapes – but don’t be alarmed. Although video technology has long since left the era of VHS in the dust, that doesn’t mean mini-DV technology is inferior. This is far from the case.
On the contrary, mini-DV camcorders actually produce better picture quality than their mini-DVD counterparts, but they are not as convenient. For obvious reasons, recording directly to a DVD disc makes it easier to watch and share videos right after they have been recorded.

In the end, the type of camcorder you choose depends on what’s important to you. If video quality takes the cake, go with mini-DV. On the other hand, if convenience and ease-of-use wins out, don’t hesitate to purchase a mini-DVD camcorder instead.

Other considerations:
Still, there are other things to consider when looking at a mini dvd versus mini dv camcorder. Mini-DV camcorders offer more than just superior quality and sharp images – they are also more compact and easier to travel with. More selection is available to the consumer because all the brand names manufacture this type of camcorder. With mini-DV a wider selection of models and higher end cameras allow you to find the exact camcorder you want without making compromises.

At the same time, mini-DVs are more expensive than mini-DVD camcorders, so if cost is a major factor for you, mini-DV may not be the right choice.

Convenience:
Again, mini-DVD camcorders win out if you want to record and play without any hassle. This type of camcorder allows you to enjoy video playback immediately after recording, because all you have to do is play the disc in your DVD player. Not only is this convenient, it’s much easier for all members of the family to use – including grandma! And it’s not a problem if your DVD player is too old to play newer DVD formats – mini-DVD camcorders make it easy to run playback on the television or through a traditional VCR.

DVD camcorders are relatively small as well, although not as small as mini-DVs. With DVD camcorders you can use DVD-R, DVD-RW discs, and DVD-RAM on certain models. Rewritable discs let you record up to 1,000 times over on the same disc, while recordable discs only record one time. The cost of DVD-R discs is comparable to mini-DV tapes, although DVD-RW discs are much more expensive. Editing is also very easy with mini-DVD camcorders.

Neither camcorder is better or worse than the other – it all comes down to a matter of personal choice.

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Hard drive
Hard drive camcorders record video files onto a permanent hard drive installed in the camcorder. This is similar to how files are stored in your computer. Comparable to DVD camcorders when it comes down to video quality, hard drive camcorders generally produce high quality recordings, especially with the high definition models.
The amount of memory contained in a camcorder’s hard drive depends on the particular model you choose to purchase. The most common storage capacity is 30 gigabytes, but you can also find camcorders with 60 gigs of memory. On the plus side, these cameras offer massive storage capacity. You can store up to 7 hours of video on a standard 30 gig camcorder – and that’s at the highest recording quality. On lower settings you can double and even triple the amount of recording time available to you. With no removable media to contend with, you never have to spend time loading new tapes or DVDs, and can continuously record to your heart’s desire. Mini-DV tapes and DVDs only have the capacity to record up to 60 minutes of video on each piece.
Also, with a hard drive camcorder you never have to worry about accidentally recording over tape, as everything is simply recorded onto the hard drive. These camcorders are compact, and easy to carry around, although they tend to cost more and when you run out of hard drive space, you have to stop recording.

DVD Camcorders
In this comparison of camcorder media types we can’t forget to mention DVD camcorders. This type of camcorder is popular for one simple reason: convenience. Because these camcorders directly record onto playable DVDs, the process of recording and playback is seamless. By making use of recordable DVD media, these devices make it very easy to share videos with friends and family, or play back an exciting video spontaneously.
The only drawback is that you have to own a DVD player that can playback recordable DVDs, as older models can’t play anything other than standard DVDs. But that doesn’t mean you still won’t be able to play back from the device – simply use the camera’s A/V outputs to connect it to a television or VCR.
DVD camcorders have many advantages, such as size and portability, and the discs don’t degrade as quickly as tapes. With great features similar to those found on mini-DV and Digital8 camcorders, DVD cameras have a lot to offer.

Mini-DV Camcorders
Mini-DV camcorders are extremely popular due to the video quality they produce. Plus, these cameras use tiny mini-DV tapes to record video, which are affordable, small, reusable, and you can find them anywhere. For all these reasons, mini-DV camcorders are perfect for travelling.
Another fantastic feature of mini-DVs is the ability to more precisely edit videos, as you can make frame by frame edits not possible with digital media.

Hybrid Camcorders
The newest camcorders to hit the market, hybrid camcorders combine the features of DVD and HDD camcorders into one device. This type of camera helps you make the best of both worlds, with the flexibility of DVD recording and the large storage capacity of hard drive camcorders. When using the camera, you have a choice between burning the video direct onto DVD and recording onto the camcorder’s hard drive. A comparison of camcorder media types should now include this new type of device.

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