Action Cameras & Camcorders

Capturing life's precious moments on video is something people have enjoyed for decades. Over the years, technology has soared and the selection has broadened greatly, allowing for limitless possibilities. Whether you're looking to record things like your kid's piano recitals, or are all about documenting your extreme outdoor adventures, you're sure to find a device that suits your needs perfectly. But what to go for, a camcorder or an action camera? Read on to find out which is best for you.

What's the difference between a camcorder and an action camera?

A camcorder is your traditional handheld video camera recorder that's perfect for capturing special occasions or moments in time. The classic go-to for making home videos, camcorders are intuitive and easy to use, offering handy features like optical zoom, manual focus, and exposure controls so you can document the scene easily and effectively.

Action cameras are small, durable, lightweight, and wearable or mountable devices designed to come along for the ride on all your exciting outdoor escapades. Attach it to your helmet or mount it to pretty much anything from a bike to a surfboard to document those exhilarating moments so you can revisit them any time you want.

What are the different types of camcorders?

When shopping for a camcorder, you'll come across ones with a flash memory, hard disk drive, or both. Flash memory camcorders are equipped with a slot for memory cards that are used to store your footage. With a hard disk drive camcorder, there's no need for additional cards, as footage is recorded directly to the built-in hard drive. You'll often find camcorders that have both features as an option.

What should I look for when buying a camcorder or action camera?

When it comes to camcorders, you'll want to consider major factors such as size, type, weight, resolution, storage capacity, and audio quality. What's more, look into controls and features like autofocus, zoom (optical, digital), WiFi, microphone, image stabilizer, and flip-out LCD screen.