Recording Sounding Different Than Expected

[pianist7]

Many times when I record myself playing, it sounds much different than what I thought it did. Is this the camcorder, or is it I?

[stevebob]

It probably depends on what you mean by different.  Recording devices don't always capture tone, timbre or dynamic contrasts precisely.  If you mean rhythm or tempo, though, it's far more likely that your perception was inaccurate.  It's not easy to listen to ourselves objectively as we're playing, and you may need to work on cultivating a more critical ear for your own performance.