Professional HD Camcorders are for the more serious camcorder users. They can record broadcast standard video, so they are perfect for independent film makers, documentary makers, video journalism or any video professionals.
Unlike consumer models, professional camcorders are capable of delivering excellent video quality with a variety of advanced controls that allow you to have much greater control over your picture. The iris, zoom, focus, shutter, audio level and white balance can be manually adjusted on almost all models.
Professional Camcorders will have larger or multiple CCD chips or CMOS sensors to provide far more accurate image reproduction. They may have interchangeable lenses as well, allowing you to fit a range lenses that suits your production.
A large number will film on tape based media like MiniDV or HDVMini tapes. Others may offer solid-state memory such as P2 or Sony's Hard Disc Drive system, either as a primary recording media or as an additional interchangeable secondary recording media source.
Audio recording is more advanced on this type of camcorder. Most allow for external microphones to be attached using an XLR connection allowing you to use the camcorder in a variety of situations and still record good quality sound. The audio channels can be adjusted and some will let you adjust individual stereo channels.