When it comes to digital video camcorders, a brand name that's at the top of the list in terms of quality, functionalilty and overall ease of use is Sony. For many years, Sony camcorders has long been the standard-bearer of electronic items, ranging from stereos to CD players, and now with video games too with the launch of the Playstation brand. However, one area where Sony has always excelled has been when it comes to its digital camcorders.

One of Sony's most popular camcorders is the Handycam. The Handycam is one of the first digital video recorders that actually fit neatly inside the palm of a person's hand - hence the name Handycam. A variation of the Handycam, complete with room for the analog tape and all, was first mass produced and introduced to the public around 1983. This first version of the Sony camcorder Handycam came with a large handle for people to grip and hold with. However, lefties found this to be quite inconvenient, as it was predominantly designed for right-handed people in mind!

However, while Sony introduced the Handycam video camcorder to the world, Sony perfected this device in the middle of the 1990s with the digital revolution in full effect. Here, video enthusiasts marvelled at how small and effective the handheld video camera could be. While before, large analog tapes were required to record, store and playback video, now, you could use a small Mini DV tape to do the same thing. And that's was only the beginning of the Sony camcorder

As Sony camcorder technology improved, the size of the camcorder decreased. Amazingly, as newer technologies were created, prices also went down. This enabled Sony to market its camcorder, and the Handycam, to a larger, wider and more accessible audience. Now, people could easily record their favorite moments on a hard drive that was actually built inside the Handycam itself. Once the movie was recorded, people could simply upload them right on to their computers.

The Sony camcorder defined how people record and share their movies. From analog tapes to digital drives, Sony has always been at the forefront when it comes to digital camcorder technology!