What is the most important thing to know about buying an HDV camcorder?

What is the most important thing to know about buying an HDV camcorder?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What is an HDV camcorder and how does it work?; Can I watch my videos on a Hi-Def TV?; What equipment do I need to shoot HDV? and more...

So, you're in the market for an HDV camcorder. You're going to have a lot of choices. I think that one of the questions you really need to ask is, "Which flavour of HDV is it?" HDV can encompass either a 7-20 or it can be a 10-80. Typically most manufacturers have gone 18 but there are manufacturers that are recording 7-20 HDV. So there are really two flavours of it and that's one question you really need to bring up to your salesperson; which one are you getting? So, if you're looking for best picture quality, try to find an HDV format that records in 10-80. If you have a very specific application like sports, you may want to consider a 7-20 format by whichever manufacturer is producing 7-20.