What is Different About an HDD Camcorder?
Having a dedicated camcorder to capture events in full motion means quality video. With different types of camcorders available, it's important to know the reasons why they differ so you can make sure that you choose one with features that suit your particular needs and capabilities.
What are the Features of an HDD Camcorder?
An HDD camcorder is one that stores recorded videos onto a hard drive rather than a miniature DVD or SD card. These hard drives are similar to what you would find in a laptop or computer and are not accessible as they are inside the digital camera. You will usually find hard drives in large sizes that can be bigger than a memory card.
- Storage: HDD drives generally have a lot of space to store HD video which can take up a lot of room. Some hard disk drive handycams can expand with SD cards but usually you are stuck with the drive size the camera comes with. Although this is generally large, you may find that your drive gets full and you have no way of changing it. You also need to think about if you are away from a computer for long periods of time as this is the only way you can download photos.
- Easy to use: When you connect your HDD camcorder to your computer to download videos, you'll find the files are already in a suitable format that your computer can read easily. Other kinds of camera require you to reformat videos but with HDD you don't need to.
- Long lasting: Hard drives last longer than DVDs and because you are not opening and closing the camera to access the drive all the time, you don't have the risk of dust and debris getting inside the camera.
What are Some of the Sony HDD Camcorder Models?
With a lot of different Sony camcorder models available, it's important to check the specifications to ensure that you are choosing an HDD camera if that is what you are after. Some of the models you can find are:
- HDR-XR550V: This high definition handycam has a massive 240 GB hard disk drive with optical SureShot image stabilization. You can find a wide-angle G lens and 10x optical zoom.
- HDR-CX100: This AVCHD camcorder has a smile shutter and 2.7 inch touch-panel LCD screen. It captures HD video to the built-in 8 GB flash memory and is compatible with memory stick pro duo media. You can shoot 4 MP still digital images and take advantage of the face recognition feature.
- DCR-SR42: This 30 GB HDD handycam camcorder has 40x optical zoom and can record for up to 20 hours. It has a 2.5 inch touch-panel swivel screen and includes one-touch disc burn.
Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony.