The digital camcorder has come of age offering impressive quality as well as image manipulation after shooting. You storage medium should be a primary choice as in what you are going to do with the image after you have recorded it. Straight in the video recorder leans towards the VHS format although this is becoming more rare. A handful of leads can connect you directly to a TV or PC which then opens out the range to include Mini DV tapes Micro MV or Hi8 tapes. If however you don't want to get more complex than just a pile of DVD's then a DVD RAM could suit you. Finally if you are going to be doing a lot of work on the PC then some removable memory such as a memory stick or SD card could be a must have as it will plug you and your captured movies right in. That choice made, a good LCD screen is handy if you are a avid crowd scene shooter. Opt for a built in light or a low light facility for nighttime shooting and image stabilising if you run around a lot.