When you first start looking for a the best night vision camcorder you will find many different options. There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the right night vision video camera that is right for you. Features include deciding on video format, type of recording format, the image quality, accessrories that are included and many other extras.
The primary decision to make is what type of recording media your night vision camcorder will use. And the recording media is usually tied to the individual video format that the camera is designed to record. You need to be familiar with the most common modern formats to enable you make your choice.
Video Cassette Tapes: This is the oldest format and it seems that it will not be an option for much longer since many manufacturers have discontinued making cameras that use tapes. The MiniDV format remains the most common format and you can get tapes that will record in both standard and HDV video. Tapes are a relatively inexpensive option but you should be aware that this format may not be around much longer.
Mini DVD or DVD Discs: This format allows your camcorder to record right on a DVD disc. While this makes it convenient to easily play your footage on regular DVD players, this format is also being superceded by the newer digital formats.
Memory Cards: To get the smallest form factor, compact camcorders are available that use memory cards for storage. These allow the camera to be made extremely small in size. One of the more commonly known types of compact camcorders that use this method is the popular Flip camera. In higher quality camcorders you need to make sure that the cards you are using are fast enough to keep up with the speed of the video stream that is being sent to the card.
Built In Hard Disk Drives: Hard drives are not just for computers. Now camcorders are using hard drives for internal storage. Most of these types of cameras allow you to record in either standard or high definition quality. If your camera uses memory cards or a built in hard drive you will have to download your video to another media to store and use it.
While there are a number of choices in choosing the type of storage your night vision camcorder will use, your main decision is whether you want to use a removeable media like tapes or disks, or have a system to download and store your media from units that use memory cards or internal hard drives. Knowing in advance what options are available will help you make your best choice.