A camcorder is a combination video camera and recorder. They are used by consumers to capture video and sound to be played back later. Companies like JVC and Sony created early camcorders that used analog videotape. In the 1990s, digital tape became more common, but tape is slowly being replaced by optical discs and memory cards to store recorded video on. All tape based camcorders have removable video cassettes.

Before the camcorder was introduced, recording video required a video camera and a separate VCR. In 1983, Sony released the first camcorder called the Betamax-based Betamovie. The unit was extremely bulky and needed to rest on the operators shoulder. JVC would soon release their own version of the camcorder. Over time, companies improved the design and increased the amount of video that could be recorded.

Camcorders went digital in the 1990s with the miniDV. Sound and picture quality improved and the cameras themselves became much smaller in size to the point of being handheld. Technology has made camcorders more accessible to a wider audience. Entry level units can be purchased for as little as $100.