Direct-to-DVD Camcorders

Digital video camcorders shoot video in several media formats. More than likely, however, there's only one format the player in your living room will accept directly: DVD. And that's the beauty of DVD camcorders; they let you shoot video to the same disc you'll use in your player. What could be easier, right?

That depends on what kind of video user you are. If you tend to leave your video footage raw and unedited, then by all means a DVD camcorder is a great choice. If you plan on editing your video into full-blown home movie productions, though, we suggest sticking to DV tape, or, if you're a bold early adopter, trying a hard-drive camcorder (stay tuned for our upcoming review of the first such camcorder).

A major advantage that DVD camcorders have over DV tape camcorders is they allow you to skip from scene to scene quickly without having to rewind or fast forward. Another advantage is the footage doesn't require capturing on your computer. The DVD-R or DVD-RAM discs need to be "finalized" before being ready to view, but that's an easy one-step process that's performed by the camcorder.

The disadvantages of DVD camcorders are twofold: Video quality typically isn't as good as DV tape camcorders, and editing the DVD footage can be a real headache. As part of our testing in PC Labs, we import the video footage to four popular editing tools: Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0, Pinnacle Studio 9.4, Sonic MyDVD Studio Deluxe, and Ulead Video Studio 9. Sometimes the video can't be imported to any of the programs, and the rest of the time it's only compatible with one or two. That means you stand the chance of getting stuck with whatever options the proprietary software offers, which will frustrate advanced users. Our reviews will let you know which camcorders are compatible with which editing programs.

Now that we've got the warnings out of the way, it's time to mention the camcorders themselves. Our favorite right now is the Sony DCR-DVD403, which produces the best video we've seen from a DVD camcorder, and includes some nice extras like Dolby Digital 5.1 sound recording and a big 2.7-inch LCD. The DVD403 also produces adequate still images, unlike some of the other camcorders here. It doesn't come cheap, but if you want the best, the DVD403 is the way to go.

Hitachi's DZMV780A is the affordable choice among this group, but that doesn't show in its video quality, which is quite good. The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but the DZMV780A is a good choice for the price.

The award for eye-catching design has to go to the Sony DCR-DVD7, which turns camcorder design on its head. Users hold the camcorder at arm's length and frame video shooting with the 2.5-inch LCD, similar to the way some shooters use digital camera LCDs.

Lastly, the Sony DCR-DVD201 is our former Editors' Choice, before being replaced by the DVD403. Video quality is quite good, and the DVD201 has been available long enough that you should be able to find a good deal on it.

Compare these four camcorders side by side in our comparison table.

In this roundup:

Sony DCR-DVD403 DVD Handycam Camcorder It produces the best video we've seen from a DVD camcorder, and it includes plenty of other nice features, too.

Hitachi DZMV780A This camcorder gets the job done, and is a good choice for the price.

Sony DCR-DVD7 DVD Handycam Camcorder It certainly looks cool, as anyone who's seen the commercial for it knows. Video quality is adequate, as well.

Sony DCR-DVD201 Handycam Its good video quality and handy features earned it an Editors' Choice. It's been available long enough that you'll be able to find a good deal on it, too.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Originally appearing in PC Magazine.