Currently there are basically four storage media to choose from: MiniDV, DVD, HDD & FLASH. Each with its pros & contras. Whichever medium is chosen, a back-up plan is of course highly recommended.
MiniDV :: Mini tapes are the oldest but still very popular medium, especially among prosumers, thanks to their mature technology and ability to record high quality images, each frame containing the full picture, as opposed to AVCHD's interlacing or progressive fields.
+ best standard-definition image quality
+ mature technology
+ relative ease of editing
+ cheap (tapes only cost about 2€)
+ after transfer, the tape can be kept as stand-alone archive
− moving parts
− sequential
− outdated
DVD :: Why anybody would go for this medium is beyond me?
+ ease of use: recordings can be viewed instantly on any DVD player
+ cheap (DVDs only cost about 1€)
+ after transfer, the DVD can be kept as stand-alone back-up
− rotating disks are prone to head crashes
− capacity limited to 4.7GB (8.5GB with DL)
− multiple DVD formats
HDD :: If you need loads of storage space, this is currently your only option. That is, until affordable Solid-State-Drives start rolling in.
+ enormous storage capacity (from 30 to 100GB and more)
+ random access
− sudden movements may interrupt recording (an automatic safety precaution to prevent head crashes)
− built-in medium (any damage is fatal)
− no auto back-up solution
− relatively expensive
FLASH :: With flash memory capacities of 4GB and more getting cheaper each day, I'm sure this medium will eventually wipe out all the others. Be it in the form of replaceable memory cards or SSD.
+ capacity (up to 16GB and increasing)
+ random access
+ robust (no moving parts that can crash)
− affordable but not cheap yet
− no auto back-up solution (after transfer cards are usually reformatted for re-use)
Conclusion... While MiniDV still offers the best image quality, as Einsteiger I’d personally rather not get started with tape. It’s the past. It reminds me of film rolls and I sure never had fun with those. I know it’s not quite the same, but that’s how I feel about it.
DVD and HDD are out of the question for me: rotating disks, moving write heads and handheld shooting just don’t go together.
Meaning flash memory is my only remaining candidate. SSD however isn’t quite there yet, but it’s coming, as announced e.g. by Canon. Needing a camcorder right now though, I’ve decided to go for SDHC, the most standard flash memory card solution. As a bonus, that would also allow me to reuse my current camera’s 1GB SD cards, at least above water where I can easily swap them. For underwater an 8GB SDHC card, with about as much capacity as a tape, would be super.
