Which format is right for you

Supreme Video + Electronics

Which Camcorder format is the right one for Your needs?

Digital Video / 8mm / VHS Compact / Hi8 /SVHS-C / VHS

There are many different types of camcorder formats, and choosing the one that's right for you is the first choice you'll have to make after deciding to buy a camcorder. Each of the six most widely used formats have there own advantages and disadvantages.

Digital Video - These Camcorders are typically the smallest and have the best picture quality that you can get. They can also record CD quality sound. The tape used is a miniature 1/12 the size of a standard VHS format tape. The recording time that these DV cassettes give is one hour. The only problem with these camcorders is the price, which is usually a little more expensive than most of the other camcorder formats. If you want the best type of camcorder on the market than digital may be the way to go.

8mm - The 8mm is the most common type of camcorder sold. This is because of there price and size, which has gotten much smaller in recent years. The cassette they use is about the size of 2 standard decks of playing cards and can record for up to 5 hours. Since they use a different format than the typical VHS formatted VCR, the tapes have to be transferred to VHS format in order to be viewed. The most common solution is hooking the Camcorder directly into the VCR and play the tape through the camcorder. An optical link is another solution. 8mm VCR's are available as the least used solution to this problem.

VHS Compact - This type of camcorder uses a smaller type of VHS cassette. Because of this, they are smaller than a full size VHS camcorder. The tapes used by these camcorders are the same size as the 8mm. This smaller size means that less tape can fit into the cassette and recording time is cut down to half of an hour at standard speed. You can increase recording time to an hour and a half by sacrificing some picture quality and setting recording to slow speed.The features that come with full size VHS camcorders can usually be found on these VHS-C camcorders as well.

Hi8 - These Camcorders are almost the same as the 8mm format, with the exception of higher resolution and picture quality. These camcorders are compatible with regular 8mm tapes but will only record 8mm quality on to those tapes.

SVHS-C - These Camcorders are almost the same as the VHS-C format, with the exception of higher resolution and picture quality. These camcorders are compatible with regular VHS tapes but will only record VHS quality on to those tapes.

Full Size VHS - The advantages of using this format is that it uses the same tapes that most standard VCR's use. This enables you to pop the video that you just shot, into your VCR, right after you shoot it. The VHS tapes they use have a recording time of 2 hours at thier standard speed. The problem is that these camcorders are very big and bulky because of the large tapes that they use. If you want simplicity by eliminating the transferring of videos from one format to another in order to view your video, than you might consider this format.

Any Other Questions or comments about choosing a camcorder format that is right for you can be directed to our sales associates by clicking here

Back to the Buyers Guide