Pocket Camcorders: The Pros and Cons

We love the creativity and fun of capturing things on film. Like most devices, the trend in recent years is for our camcorders to shrink in size. We've come to expect everything in a package the size of a credit card or a tube of lipstick. Small is often good, but the important thing to remember when you buy a camcorder is that you need to really identify what features are important to you. No single gadget has it all, it's merely a matter of finding the one that suits your needs. A shopper who knows what he wants, is the one who is most likely to get it!

Before you jump in and buy that pocket camcorder that you've seen discussed everywhere, realize that there are advantages and disadvantages to consider.

The Advantages

• Size: This is obvious of course, but a pocket camcorder offers users the ultimate portability. They'll slip into a pocket easily and don't require you to carry a bag around. What's really great about this, is that it allows you to have it with you at all times. You'll be able to capture all of those impromptu moments and avoid the frustration of not having your camcorder available when you want it.
• Low Cost:  Many pocket camcorders are at the low end of the price scale with the majority of them under $200 and some even under $100. Certainly, they're a great option when your budget is limited.
• Ease of Use: These tiny devices aren't too complicated. They don't offer a great many features and don't have complex menus to navigate. Many offer the ability to film with the push of a single button, and increasingly, they offer one button operation for uploading to video sharing sites. This can eliminate a lot of frustration and greatly reduce the learning curve. 
• Increased Memory:  More recent pocket camcorder models are boasting far better storage capacity. Generally, they have SD card slots that will accept up to 32GB memory cards. This means that users can film for up to 10 hours in some cases before having to download. These devices can now accommodate much more than mere clips, they can record full length movies.
• Improved Recording Quality:  The recording quality offered in these undersized camcorders has continued to improve. It doesn't rival that of a full featured camcorder, but both resolution and frame rate has increased.  There are now a number of pocket camcorders that will record 720p video at 60fps and others that will record 1080p video at 30fps.

The Disadvantages

• Size:  Yes, small size can be an advantage but it can also be a disadvantage. Holding a smaller camcorder makes it harder to get a reasonably steady shot. Tripods can remedy this but then portability becomes a problem.
• Screen Size:  Most pocket camcorders offer a display screen that's 2 inches or less in size, making it harder to monitor your recording or review it. There are one or two models on the market with a 2.5 inch screen, but these are rare based on the overall size of these devices.
• Inferior Image Stabilization:  Most pocket camcorders offer either no real image stabilization or electronic stabilization only. Optical image stabilization is far preferrable to assure steady films, but it's hard to come by in the world of pocket camcorders.
• Inferior Audio: Good audio is important in most films. Quality, stereo mics are needed, and even in full sized camcorders, an external microphone is recommended for the best audio. Most pocket camcorders have inferior microphones, many placed where they won't pick up sound well, and they generally lack an external mic jack. Progress is occurring as the Kodak Zi8 now has a mic jack and the new Zoom Q3 has some high quality stereo mics, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
• Inferior Lenses: The average pocket camcorder doesn't feature a high quality lens for capturing great images. There are exceptions of course, but they are at the high end of the pocket camcorder market generally costing several hundred dollars and out-weighing their smaller cousins. Their censors also tend to be smaller and less numerous which means the video quality is less impressive.
• Fewer Features: Pocket camcorders generally offer fewer features such as advanced editing, multiple shooting modes, optical zoom, and so forth. Therefore, you're more limited on what you create. Remember, they offer simplicity more than anything.
• Less Control: Again, ease of use is the strong suit of these devices, therefore the user often isn't able to make manual adjustments to focus and so forth.

Pocket camcorders offer some excellent features for those wanting simplicity, affordability, and portability. They can be a great choice for those who don't have complex filming needs as their video quality is often quite acceptable. On the other hand, for those who want more creative control and the highest quality audio and video, a more full featured camcorder would be a better choice.