The first video cameras were designed for television. These cameras were large and had to be mounted on trolleys. The recorders were actually located in a separate room. However, we love to make things smaller and eventually these cameras were turned into portable video cameras.

At first, the video camera was two separate units. One unit was the video camera and one was a VCR. JVC introduced the VHS-C format in 1982 which was a reduced-size cassette for portable VCRs. At the same time, Sony released the first professional camcorder called the Betacam.

Panasonic, RCA and Hitachi started releasing full-sized VHS camcorders in 1985 with three hours of record time. Many consumers jumped on the chance to record their own videos.

Finally, in the mid-1990s, digital camcorders were introduced. The digital camcorders introduced a smaller cassette media thus reducing the size of the camcorder even further. These camcorders are much easier to carry and use then the old bulky camcorders.