This depends on what your most concerned with. If it's picture and sound quality, then you'd be better off with a digital camcorder. If it's affordability of the unit and accessories (tapes, batteries, etc.) then this Hi8 camcorder might be the better pick for you.
The difference would be about the same as the jump from VHS to DVD (if it's a miniDV camcorder) or from VHS to bluray (if it's a 720p or better digital camcorder.)
Yes, this camcorder is capable of taking still digital photos as well as recording video.
Digital zoom takes what the camera is capturing and artifically enlarges the image to give you a zoom effect. Optical zoom, however, is actual physical magnification of the picture, ensuring that your footage is as good as it can be.
The Handycam Dcr-sr68 80 GB hard drive tops the list with Sanyo following with two models: the VPC-GH2 HD Dual Camcorder and the HVR-HD100U high definition. Canon offers the DC410 DVD Camcorder.
put it into the digital camcorder and charge it with the original charger
I want to buy mxt digital camcorder is good product.
Sony makes digital camcorders with great zoom and picture quality. A good one would be the Sony HandyCam HDR-XR150.
HDD camcorders do not have as sharp of an image as a digital camcorder. Digital camcorders usually come with an HD feature. HDD camcorders are old school for anybody these days.
Try the Aiptek PKDV58-CS Digital Camcorder, which is a decent quality camcorder that is still affordable.
Answering "How could a digital camcorder be useful to students and professional business?"
There are many websites for digital camcorder ratings, such as www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings, and www.pcmag.com/reviews/camcorders. The websites provide up to date camcorder articles, reviews, and ratings.
The Canon XL1 Digital Camcorder is sold on the Amazon website. The average price for the Canon XL1 Digital Camcorder around $500 when purchased used from sellers who sell through Amazon.