Sony Camcorders have long been viewed as leaders in the field, and Sony's current crop of models offers options for movie makers on many different budgets. Popular for their ease of use, Sony Camcorders are a favorite among point and shoot consumers.

Mini DV camcorders have many advantages over traditional analog video cameras and even Digital and DVD camcorders. Mini DV camcorders are compact, small and afford better editing. They have a better picture resolution compared to Digital Camcorders and even though they cost more, it comes as no surprise that many people prefer them over their more traditional counterparts. Mini DV camcorders are sold on many websites, electronics stores, through shopping magazines and niche magazines like the ones dedicated specially to white goods. These camcorders are sold by brand, zoom strength, LCD display properties, price, and size, so it becomes easy selecting the one that best suits your needs.

The major brands of Mini DV camcorders are Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. Sony is the market leader in the Mini DV camcorder segment, while Canon, though a late entrant in the market, is fast catching up. Sony Camcorders are popular owing to a wide variety and many innovative features, and they come with a reasonable price tag . The Sony Handy cam DCR HC 42, for example, is a Mini DV digital camcorder with still recording as well as MPEG movie recording features. This light, compact camcorder delighted users with it's easy to use features and high sound and image recording quality on it's May 2005 launch into the Mini DV camcorder market. Another new feature is the facility for low light and night time recording. And it has a lithium battery which lasts up to eight hours, far more than the batteries of it's nearest rivals Panasonic and Canon. The camcorder costs around $600.

Panasonic Mini DV camcorders are the next popular after Sony Camcorders. The PV-GS 150 model, for example, comes with 3 CCDs, instead of one, as is the case with the Sony Camcorders. You can choose between internal or external microphone for sound recording. Canon's ZR 300 camcorder series has similar features, but it is available with only one CCD. The commonly used Mini DV products are cassettes, camcorders, recorders, and players. Most Mini DV recorders and players are available as two-in-one systems in the form of Mini DV decks, which may additionally have features like editing and conversion of recordings. Mini DV camcorders are compact and light, and Sony Camcorders are extremely popular due to their features like MPEG movie recording and night time recording, all at a reasonable price. Panasonic's players have minimal features and meant only for playback purpose, and due to this they are a very cost effective option for those not interested in too many high tech features and buttons. JVC and Panasonic are also popular Mini DV recorder brands. software and hardware systems or manually. Mini DV conversion is inexpensive, and it can be done very easily by amateurs as well as professionals.