Comparing Pocket Camcorders – Which ones are the best?

Often ideal for practical storage in hand bags, pockets and pouchs, pocket camcorders are ideal for vacation recording, events and even blogging. For the blogger who uses bloggy setwork and loves to travel light and still wants the power of video, a pocket camcorder is a worthy option. This article serves as a mini guide to the main types of camcorders available and their distinct features and uniqueness. It is no way an endorsement of any of the pocket camcorders mentioned but rather a guide to the most common pocket camcorder brands:

Pure Digital’s Flip Video: Pure digital was the pioneer pocket camcorder company that introduced the original Flip Video in 2007. The company has since introduced several other models including the Flip Mino HD. Known for their simple use and built in capabilities, Flip Video pocket camcorders are ideal for first time and aspiring videographers. Their size and practicality and features can make them a worthy contender for the wallet of a prospective buyer but they are not without their disadvantages including the size of the view finder LCD screens and limited camera capabilities (video recording only) and storage expansion

Sony Bloggie Series: One of the foremost leaders in the camera industry, Sony first introduced pocket camcorders in 2008 under another name and had to refine their offering to give birth to the bloggie series in 2009. The Bloggie series consists of several models including a touch screen model. The camcorders have duo functions (photos and video) and can shoot up to 1080p Full HD video. They have an larger view finder screens than other models and are quite affordable. Major disadvantages may include ease of use and software compatibility.

Sanyo: Japanese electronics firm, Sanyo is famous for the “shooting gun” style pocket camcorder series that are capable of taking 14.1MP photos as well as 1080i video which is ideal for fast paced action. The series is known for its sturdy design and great specs and is only let down by its battery life and lack of additional camera capabilities.

Kodak: one of the original camera brands, Kodak has bought into the pocket camcorder market with its Zi8 series camcorders that include models that are water resistant, amongst other things and able to take 5 MP photos, output via HDMI and have expansion card slots which are great for additional storage. The series may only be let down by additional camera specifications and lack of internal storage.