Data Rate-How important?
 

Hi,

How important is the Data Rate for a Camcorder? How do the Data Rate Work? The highest the best?

All else being equal, higher equals better. Higher data rate means less compression, which should yield a cleaner image.

However, if I am using codec "X" in my camera, and you are using codec "Y" in your camera things get a lot more difficult to say which is better.

A data rate of 100 on codec "X" may be equivalent to a data rate of 15 in codec "Y". And even determining what the equivalent numbers are is pretty hard too.

Wow...is this really an asnwer?:P
haaa...i'm getting more complicated on it now...
:D

he meant to say, higher is better. but you have too look at the highest possible bitrates for your codec: avchd has a 24mbs top, so this is the best you can get... there are some other less spread codecs that can go higher, but you have to know how high they can go...

Usually, the higher the rate, the better...but there's some exceptions:

1) If the quality of the image captured by the camera isn't that great, the higher bit rate will basically just mean that the noise is being captured more accurately! In other words, it's possible that a camera with a lower bit-rate MAY produce video that looks better than another camera with a higher bit-rate, so you shouldn't go on bit rate alone.

2) As the bit rate increases, the improvements in image quality can be less obvious. Camcorderinfo reviewed Canon's HF11 (captures at 24Mbps) and noted that the difference in image quality to the HF10 (17Mbps) was barely noticeable:
Canon Vixia HF11 Camcorder Review - Canon Flash Memory