WHILE digital cameras might be the norm in most offices these days, more and more businesses are using camcorders to record events, make training videos and record sales presentations.

Camcorders are of four main types . . . traditional tape camcorders, DVD camcorders, hard drive camcorders and flash memory camcorders. Flash memory camcorders are the newest type and are still on the expensive side but are unmatched when it comes to functionality.

Sony DCR-HC96

The DCR-HC96 uses MiniDV tapes, which while still in wide use, are now being surpassed by DVD and hard drive as the media of choice. Like all Sonys, this camcorder is highly reliable and robust and will not let you down.

Price: 566 from Pixmania. ie
Review: http: //url. ie/3b7 "No problem recommending the DCR-HC96 for the vast majority people who will use it for what most home video-making folks do. . . recording vacations, birthdays, babies, kids. . . the things camcorders are purchased for. Video quality is very accurate in daylight and under low light conditions.

Although it doesn't have the convenience of a DVD camcorder, DCR-HC96 makes up for it with quality video."

Canon DC230 DVD camcorder

The easiest to use of the camcorders, this direct-to-DVD recorder means you film your kids, eject and pop it straight into your DVD player for immediate viewing. For families who would rather watch unedited home videos, this gives you what you need.

Price: 552 from Pixmania. ie
Review: http: //url. ie/3bb "The Canon DC230 DVD camcorder offers the convenience of viewing and sharing DVD discs, whether shooting in 16:9 Widescreen HR (high resolution) format for their widescreen Television (without resorting to cropping or stretching the scene), or bringing distant subjects and scenes up close and personal. Canon's DC230 camcorder makes video excellence and video ease two sides of the same coin."

Panasonic HDC-SD1 AVCHD

It's compact, it has 3CCDs and it records true high definition to high capacity SD cards using the MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression system. Sleek, compact and very sexy, the high-price HDCSD1 is ideal for anyone looking to produce high-quality videos. The solid-state flash memory media also helps it become a very reliable camcorder. If you want to spend some SSIA cash and want to see every wrinkle on the stars of your fllms, this cannot be beaten.

Price: 1,254 from Dabs. com
Review: http: //url. ie/3bd

"The SD1 is a fantastic little camera that undoubtedly delivers what is promised of it by its maker. The fact that it employs high-capacity solid state media technology makes it all the more attractive to "rst time users looking for great quality, HDTV compatibility, ease of use and no-tape "ddling."

JVC Everio GZ-MG21

Sporting a 20GB hard drive, the JVC still manages to keep itself compact. A good zoom and very large storage space make this the pick of the bunch. One area that is a let-down is the short battery life. You can buy an additional longer-life battery for this device.

Price: 499 from Peats. ie

Review: http: //url. ie/3b8 "This latest hard drive camcorder from market leaders JVC is as small and user-friendly as we've come to expect, and it also packs a mighty 32x optical zoom. . . You get a large amount of storage on the shockprotected hard drive . . . four-and-a-half hours at the highest detail setting, and it's much easier to edit your video files than with a tape camcorder. Ten minutes of footage (about 700MB) can be sent to your PC in about a minute."