The latest generation of mini digital camcorders are perfect for the novice. Ultra-compact and portable, lacking in features for the sake of simplicity, these cameras are intended to fit in any pocket, and to shoot a video with the push of a single button.

The really small pocket-sized cameras (Flip Video or Muvi Micro, for example) do not set out to compete with the multi-featured high definition end of the market. Instead, they offer ease of use. The Muvi, for example, can be used entirely hands-free. Straight out of James Bond, it can be clipped onto your hat or bag, and the voice-activated recording feature allows it to start recording when it hears your voice. When all goes quiet, it switches itself off. Not only spies and private eyes prefer sneaky recording. Discreet mini camcorders such as these are perfect for capturing the moment.

A mini camcorder can also double up as a ‘fairly’ average digital camera. Some can achieve 8 megapixels, though half that would be more common. Voice recording? Your mini camcorder can also be enabled for quick voice notes on the move.

It is such a bonus to be able to shoot a video at a moment’s notice without the need to carry around a bulky camcorder. So if you already own a camcorder, a mini camcorder is still worth considering simply because of convenience. To find out how to shoot killer video with your Flip-style camera just click here.

This is a recurring problem for Mini DV users, although the later mini DVD and flash memory mini camcorders are mostly trouble-free in this department.

It is worth bearing in mind that apparent incompatibility with Vista is usually not a Microsoft problem, and can be solved quite easily by downloading an updated driver from your camcorder’s manufacturer’s website.

Another common misconception is that downloading via the USB port can provide acceptable results for Mini DV camcorders. USB may not control your camcorder’s downloading functions properly, and the flow of information may not be sufficient for full DV/AVI file transfer. If your mini camcorder has an i-link connector, you
should be able to use a firewire/i-link/ieee 1394 cable to connect to your PC’s firewire port.

Other common fixes to try range from the ridiculously simple idea of shutting down your PC, connecting up your camcorder and turning it on, then rebooting the computer (if this works, you may have to do this every time!),  to the more complex.

Some possible fixes are:

• replacing the firewire card. Some chipsets are less compatible with mini DV camcorders than others.
• combined firewire/USB cards have been known to give problems, so if you have one of these it may be worth trying a separate firewire card.
• using Windows Move Maker instead of the bundled video capture software provided with your mini camcorder.
• using the firewire port at the rear of your computer if your PC also has one at the front; bizarrely enough, some front firewire ports on PCs are not connected up.
• trying the (free) WinDV utility; this is an application using a large buffer queue, designed for the reliable capturing of videos from a DV device into AVI files.
• trying the hotfix from Microsoft for PAl-format cameras; some of these are incorrectly detected as NTSC format, which can cause corrupted video output.

If problems persist – Windows 7 is here at last….

DV or DVD? That is the question.  The difference between them is mainly one of evolution.

Mini dv camcorders have been gradually declining in popularity since the advent of the tapeless mini dvd format camcorder which, along with the sd-card, flash memory and hard drive variety, offer greater convenience than the tape-based models.

Although the mini dv format allows for a full resolution of 720 x 480 (NTSC-format) or 720 x 576 (PAL), mini dvd can easily match that, and has the capability of being dropped straight into a dvd player. Footage can also be transferred to a PC much faster than digital tape.

It is true that the digital tape of the dv camcorder is less likely to be totally corrupted than tapeless models, but this is relatively rare – and of course back-ups are the key.  The recently-developed CDRoller utility can recover data from both formats, as well as from flash memory cards, but it is just as well not to put it to the test.

The evolution from cine film camera to the first analogue videotape camcorders, the more recent digital tape dv camcorders, and now the tapeless mini camcorders, steadily reducing in size, is complete!?  Just for now….