Storage Space

• In 2010, hard drives cost less than flash memory. Hard drive camcorders average 40GB of storage space but at least one features 240GB, enough for more than 100 hours of high-definition video. Flash-based models currently top out at 32GB.
  
  

Power Consumption

• While battery life varies among different models, flash cameras tend to run longer on a charge. A hard drive has a motor and other mechanical parts that consume more energy than solid-state flash memory.
  
  

Price

• While prices of the two camera types overlap, you can find several flash cameras for less than $200, as of September 2010. Hard drive models tend to start at just more than $300.
  
  

Removable Media

• You can remove the media from an SD card-based flash memory camcorder. This can be handy for mailing, storing or otherwise transferring the content. The drive in a hard drive camcorder stays with the camera.