[Eohon]

Hey all, im in the market for a small portable hd camcorder (not overly concerned with still photography) for an upcoming road trip to CA.

I'm torn between the Sony TG3 and the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000. For the most part the Sony seems to be coming out on top, reviews saying that the build and video quality is superb. I'm concerned it can only capture interlaced and not progressive though. I read a review where one guy said panning from left to right showed jittering on playback.

The Xacti on the other hand captures in progressive but I have read that the OIS is terrible.

I'm happy enough with the sizes/prices of both cams. I have been planning this trip for a few years with friends so I just want something small which can capture great footage :o)

Can anyone offer any advice on these two cams or is there an alternative camera im not mentioning?

Thanks a mill, Tony

[eyedoubleyou]

I am also in the same situation and decision.

Could anyone advise or suggest something else similar.

Thanks

[eyedoubleyou]

Why not the Panasonic HDC-SD10?
Isn't this in the same type of camcorder?

[Goldiethedog]

I chose the TM10 (SD10) because of the OIS. It arrives tomorrow but i'm worried about quality in anything near low light after the SD20 thread.
Thinking I should have gone for the SD200 now.

[JonStatt]

Originally Posted by Eohon

Hey all, im in the market for a small portable hd camcorder (not overly concerned with still photography) for an upcoming road trip to CA.

I'm torn between the Sony TG3 and the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000. For the most part the Sony seems to be coming out on top, reviews saying that the build and video quality is superb. I'm concerned it can only capture interlaced and not progressive though. I read a review where one guy said panning from left to right showed jittering on playback.

The Xacti on the other hand captures in progressive but I have read that the OIS is terrible.

I'm happy enough with the sizes/prices of both cams. I have been planning this trip for a few years with friends so I just want something small which can capture great footage :o)

Can anyone offer any advice on these two cams or is there an alternative camera im not mentioning?

Thanks a mill, Tony

The IS (EIS) of the SD2000 is terrible once you zoom in. I tried one and really wanted to love this little beauty, but my hand is just not steady enough to make-up for the poor stablisation. I tried the various techniques mentioned on the web, and I would like to think I have a fairly steady hand...

I find this area of the market very difficult to evaluate. The Panasonics like the 10 series are very compact and light...but their sensors are actually below HD...it must be interpolating.

The 200 series looks a better proposition..but if you have gone that far..then maybe you should do the job properly and go for the excellent 300 series!

[MorningGlory90]

Thanks for this as I'm also in the same situation. I was considering the Sanyo quite a lot until I read this, mainly the electrical image stabiliser that if it really is bad when zoomed in (which is what'll I'll be doing a lot), is an absolute no no for me, it'll make my concert videos not as good as they should be.

Now I'm back to deciding whether I should get the Sony TG3 or Panasonic TM10, which is a rather hard choice for me at present, given I've had cameras from both brands before which were good, and also owning my current camera the Panasonic TZ7. I am however leaning towards the SONY, as for the price what the Panasonic does have over the Sony to me just isn't worth the difference, and I should be able to live with 10x optical zoom as its still a hell of a lot.

[Eohon]

thanks for all the feedback guys, i went ahead and bought the TG3. i decided that good optical stabilization was a must and more important than capturing in progressive mode.

altho i have only performed a couple of initial tests re saving down footage and compression etc... im very impressed with it so far.

i'll post back with a full review when i get to know it better but think i made the right choice.

basically at the end of the day if you want something that's portable and delivers great quality hd footage the TG3 seems to fit the bill. I would recommend getting an extra battery and a 15GB extra storage card though. a 4 GB card will only hold 25 mins of top quality hd footage and the battery only lasts about an hour or so.

oh yeah, the reviews on the still image quality were all correct. the still images are pretty crap! :o)

[BingoBongo275]

I've got the TG3. I dont use it for still images but the full HD Video is absolutely amazing on my Samsung 46" screen

When most people see the quality the response is OMG!

Cheers

Jez

[coolblu]

I bought the TG3 back in Sep 08, so I didn't get the choice of chosing between the two.....

But having read some reviews (professional and consumer), some of which went totally over my head I must admit. Also I've only seen one 3min footage from the HD2000, as compared to my hours of home footage on the TG3.

Apologies if this is not technical enough.....

TG3:
Pros

• Looks nice...nice shape/titanium finish. Looks and feels like a quality machine
• Automatic lens cap (which the Sanyo hasn't got) - I'm lazy and hate the idea of having to remember to pop the lens cap on whenever I've finished shooting...
• The 5.1 digital sound is crystal clear
• Plug & play straight into my PS3 without any jiggery pokery

Cons

• It's NOT 1080P - buggs me everytime
• AVCHD uploaded onto my PC are m2ts files - I hate them!!! Bloody billions of little file things instead of one MPEG4 or AVI file
• For some strange reason you can't stream AVCHD files straight from the PC to the PS3 - you have to convert/change file name or something like that. If, like me you have loads of footage, its a REAL pain
• The Sony software sucks and you may have to look at buying decent editing programme (can be expensive)
• memory cards are EXPENSIVE
• oh and have said it's 1080i

HD2000:
Pros

• It's 1080p 60p (top spec apparently)
• From the 3min footage I've seen - pq looks gooood
• It uses MPEG3 - one file, easy to manage/archive
• Uses SDHD cards - cheap and you can get 64Gb cards now (I think)

Cons

• It has a manual lens cap
• Controls are bit fiddly
• I think MPEG4 files can't be read from the card on the PS3
• Can't hook the camera direct to your TV, needs the docking station (which you don't need to do for the TG3)
• Although it's got a funky design - not to sure about its ergonomics

So by the looks of it the Sanyo may be a better option....but I still very happy with my TG3.

Just wished it was 1080p and didn't use damn AVCHD/m2ts file thingys

Also, have a read of these

HD camcorder tests and comparison of Sony HDR-TG7 (HDR-TG7E/ HDR-TG5),Sanyo Xacti HD2000 (Xacti VPC-HD2000) and Sanyo Xacti HD1010 (Xacti VPC-H

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 - DigitalVersus


That's all I got for now...if I think of anymore I'll let you know. Hope that helps.

[Hangerhead]

reviews I'd seen of the Sanyo show that the low-light capability is pretty poor, otherwise, it would have been my choice for a first digicam (still looking).

[inertia]

"Bloody billions of little file things instead of one MPEG4 or AVI file"

an mt2s file is just a standalone file like any other ?????

[Erlang168]

Originally Posted by coolblu

• For some strange reason you can't stream AVCHD files straight from the PC to the PS3 - you have to convert/change file name or something like that. If, like me you have loads of footage, its a REAL pain

That is strange?

I have a pile of m2ts files on a network hard drive and stream them direct to the PS3.

Could it be a windows thing?

Sorry for drift OT

[elliots]

I have the hd 2000, the camera is really good, small compact, long battery, sdhc cards.....

the 1080p60 quiality is excellent, but nothing will play it properly apart from the camera or a decent PC.

I usually record in 1080i 60 which give a very smooth playback and when I use my wd hdtv it looks awesome on a 50" pioneer 508...

There are issues how ever when on full zoom the eis does not work that well, it take a little while to stabilise, the still looks amazing in bright light for a camcorder, it low light with flash they look very good.

Its not a dedicated still camera though but its if you print them or view at 75% they look great, if your the type of person who zoome in 300% then look elswhere as you will start to see jpg artifacts.

The low light performance is excellent, it cam out top on camcorder info, it has a cmos sensor which is much better then a ccd chip for noise reduction, coupled with the f1.8 aperture you get really good low light performace for a camcorder.

Maybe some testers had it on high sensitivity as this does make the low light videos look really noisy.

overall if you realise that the eis is not the best then you can get around this, it has not put me off using it at all.

most of the other camcorders cannot do 1080p60 only p24 so you get a choppy look to movement etc, The pistol grip works well for me.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good camera and a great HD camcorder as long as you remember the eis is not the best.

I had tested a samsung h104 and the sanyo looks better on the plasma, the ois on the samsung was better at full zoom.

camcorder info review paragraph on low light performance.

"Here's a surprise: the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 recorded the best low light sensitivity on any consumer camcorder we've tested so far this year. By a wide margin, it beat out each of the three competitors we're using as comparisons throughout this review. For those curious about the hard numbers, the HD2000 needed only 9 lux of light to peak at 50 IRE on our waveform monitor. The Canon HF20 and Panasonic HDC-SD20 required 22 lux and 23 lux respectively, while the high-end Canon HF S100 called for 16 lux of light to produce the same results. (More on how we test low light sensitivity.)"

so some reviews could be using the wrong settings....

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...erformance.htm

[elliots]

Originally Posted by [/LIST

HD2000:
Pros

• It's 1080p 60p (top spec apparently)
• From the 3min footage I've seen - pq looks gooood
• It uses MPEG3 - one file, easy to manage/archive
• Uses SDHD cards - cheap and you can get 64Gb cards now (I think)

Cons

• It has a manual lens cap
• Controls are bit fiddly
• I think MPEG4 files can't be read from the card on the PS3
• Can't hook the camera direct to your TV, needs the docking station (which you don't need to do for the TG3)
• Although it's got a funky design - not to sure about its ergonomics

Manual lens cap does initially feel like a pain but it will not go wrong, you can replace it if you loose it and it fits in your pocket.

controls work well, the shortcuts are great and can be customised.

Mp4 files will run on the 360 and the ps3 but only 1080i 60 or 1080p30 the 360 or ps3 are designed for BRay so 1080p24 is the best it will do unless they can release a driver for them.

The Wd hdtv and the popcorn Hour a-110 cannot handle the 1080p60, but will do the 1080i60 and 1080p30, a PC running the Splash video player works a treat and also out of the camera on the hdmi.

The Shape works well for my extra large spanners, with the screen out you can use this to steady your pictures / videos.

I have uploaded a video in really low light to me it looks fine, way better then my samsung h104 and kodak zx1.

YouTube - SANY0119

quite quick to respond to the monitor as well... ignore the jerkyness it plays perfect on the PC.

[ronaldkwok]

Agrees with what elliots said in his posts. Here's the link to my latest HD2000 upload in Vimeo, a typical home video in indoor lighting and hand-held. The built-in mic is pretty good too.

Birthday - Sanyo HD2000 Indoor home video on Vimeo

[elliots]

Check this out, Super Macro 1080p.....

Try and get some other HD Camcorders to get this quality and distance, 1cm......

YouTube - Sanyo Xacti hd2000 supermacro test HD 1080p

Awesome on the 50" plasma and 1080p HD Projector....

[senu]

Originally Posted by elliots

Check this out, Super Macro 1080p.....

Try and get some other HD Camcorders to get this quality and distance, 1cm......

YouTube - Sanyo Xacti hd2000 supermacro test HD 1080p

Awesome on the 50" plasma and 1080p HD Projector....

It is impressive
but
How often would you be shooting macro video?
How does the camcorder fare in normal shooting for colour, low light and ergonomics ect

Sanyo has been playing catchup in these area until lately and the inclusion of this impressive macro ability may be viewd by some as an attention grabbing gimmick for gadget lovers unless the camcorder is a good all rounder

[elliots]

Originally Posted by senu

It is impressive
but
How often would you be shooting macro video?
How does the camcorder fare in normal shooting for colour, low light and ergonomics ect

Sanyo has been playing catchup in these area until lately and the inclusion of this impressive macro ability may be viewd by some as an attention grabbing gimmick for gadget lovers unless the camcorder is a good all rounder

camcorder info gave it a good review apart from the eis, I am more than happy with its performance and its one of the only camcorders that support the 1080p 60 true HD quality.

its 24mbps so the detail is very well captured, Low light is excellent thanks to its cmos sensor and it has one of the best still shots I have seen from a camcorder, colours are captured perfectly well, i am no expert but on a 10' 1080p pj or a 50" pinoneer 508 the pics and video's look fantastic.

I use my wd hdtv to play back 1080i 60 video and this upscales to 1080p so it looks very nice indeed on the bigger tv screens etc.

The Super Macro could be seen as a gimmick but most video's people shoot are just for memories, I like to take close ups of things be it insects or flowers etc, its nice to edit or use for other video's for cut scenes.

As long as the gimmicks work well then they can come in handy,the super macro is just one extra feature that most camcorders don't have.

I like the look and feel of the pistol grip as well, the old fashioned oblong box has been around since time began so to see this change is a step forward.

The extra batteries cost me £3.80 delivered each and work fine, l-ion 1750 MA, coupled with SDHC cards which can be had for £23.00 for a class 6 16gb it has no problems like Hard drive camcorders with shock / adding extra capacity.

take a look at the review at camcorder info....

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 Camcorder Review - Sanyo

excerpt...

"The Canon HF S100 and the HF S10 are Canon's top-line consumer HD camcorders. The HF S100 goes for approx. $1300, which is more than double the street price of the VPC-HD2000. So, these two products aren't probably the best comparison. It is interesting, however, to see how well the HD2000 stood up to this titan of a consumer camcorder. The Sanyo had better low light scores in every category and was able to match the HF S100's performance in most bright light testing. The HF S100 does have a better design and it features a control dial that is as smooth as a traditional lens ring. Even so, it says a lot about the VPC-HD2000's capability that it is able to stand with a high-end camcorder like the HF S100."

"So, HD2000 surely comes with its share of setbacks. If you're comfortable with these deficiencies, this latest model from the top of the Xacti line is bargain. The expected retail price is only about $600, which is a great price for a camcorder that can compete with all the mid-range models from the major manufacturers. In fact, we expect the VPC-HD2000 to give any high def consumer camcorder a run for its money this year."

[senu]

Originally Posted by elliots

camcorder info gave it a good review apart from the eis, I am more than happy with its performance and its one of the only camcorders that support the 1080p 60 true HD quality.

its 24mbps so the detail is very well captured, Low light is excellent thanks to its cmos sensor and it has one of the best still shots I have seen from a camcorder, colours are captured perfectly well, i am no expert but on a 10' 1080p pj or a 50" pinoneer 508 the pics and video's look fantastic.

I use my wd hdtv to play back 1080i 60 video and this upscales to 1080p so it looks very nice indeed on the bigger tv screens etc.

That is fine. I guess I was keen to get a real world user endorsement away from camcorderinfo's ( reputable though they are) and you have given just that

The Super Macro could be seen as a gimmick but most video's people shoot are just for memories, I like to take close ups of things be it insects or flowers etc, its nice to edit or use for other video's for cut scenes.

As long as the gimmicks work well then they can come in handy,the super macro is just one extra feature that most camcorders don't have.

I agree It is not a useless add on , I just wanted to be sure that in addition to it Sanyo had sorted out the basics
Saying that Macros seem to be more of the Still imaging stuff

I like the look and feel of the pistol grip as well, the old fashioned oblong box has been around since time began so to see this change is a step forward.

The jury is out on the pistol grip design but clearly it has its own fans..

.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 Camcorder Review - Sanyo

excerpt...

"The Canon HF S100 and the HF S10 are Canon's top-line consumer HD camcorders. The HF S100 goes for approx. $1300, which is more than double the street price of the VPC-HD2000. So, these two products aren't probably the best comparison. It is interesting, however, to see how well the HD2000 stood up to this titan of a consumer camcorder. The Sanyo had better low light scores in every category and was able to match the HF S100's performance in most bright light testing. The HF S100 does have a better design and it features a control dial that is as smooth as a traditional lens ring. Even so, it says a lot about the VPC-HD2000's capability that it is able to stand with a high-end camcorder like the HF S100."

"So, HD2000 surely comes with its share of setbacks. If you're comfortable with these deficiencies, this latest model from the top of the Xacti line is bargain. The expected retail price is only about $600, which is a great price for a camcorder that can compete with all the mid-range models from the major manufacturers. In fact, we expect the VPC-HD2000 to give any high def consumer camcorder a run for its money this year."

Thanks for taking the time to detail your own experience and camcorder infos.. It should be very useful for anyone considering it as an alternative to the established names ( Ie Sony , Canon Panasonic)

Camcorders have not been Sanyos strong point up till recently. Indeed Im not sure exactly which area of electronics they have excelled in recently despite being a very old hand in the game . I saw a large no of Air conditioning units with the brand on a recent trip abroad

Regarding camcorders, using 720p and an Mpeg4 codec ( not AVCHD) in earlier models did not do them any favours especially for playback/editing compatibility ect

I remember them from childhood shifting large nos of decent performng and reasonably priced Colour TVs and the Music centres ( Cassete tape , Phonogram and radio) and Boom boxes!

[elliots]

Originally Posted by senu

Camcorders have not been Sanyos strong point up till recently. Indeed Im not sure exactly which area of electronics they have excelled in recently despite being a very old hand in the game . I saw a large no of Air conditioning units with the brand on a recent trip abroad

Regarding camcorders, using 720p and an Mpeg4 codec ( not AVCHD) in earlier models did not do them any favours especially for playback/editing compatibility ect

I remember them from childhood shifting large nos of decent performng and reasonably priced Colour TVs and the Music centres ( Cassete tape , Phonogram and radio) and Boom boxes!

I have a plv-z2000 1080p sanyo projector as well, Great piece of kit....

[senu]

Yes projectors as well , but Im yet to seen any Sanyo LCD/ Plasma displays in a market crowded with LG Samsung Sony, ect
They also make some excellent performing Medical electronics kit ( specialist) which I ordered a few years ago and still going strong

[ptr1aa]

At first glance the sanyo 2000 might be the right choice , impressive image quality and 60p full hd , all this very cheap , but , image stabilization is crucial.
I have a samsung hmx20c and , while the image is unbelievable ( macro too can get to 1cm distance and is unbelievable ) the lack of a good image stabilization renders all that image quality to nothing.
Lately i started to get better with the shaking but still i get tired to focus on my hand not moving too much , give this camera to a kid or the wife to film and you can't watch what they recorded.
NO , THE SANYO IS NOT AN OPTION FOR AN ALL AROUND CONSUMER WHO WANTS TO SHOOT THE KIDD BIRTHDAY OR HIS VACATION.
The Sanyo i might see it in the hands of an enthusiast who needs 1080 60P , or someone who really knows what he buys and needs it for something , if you don't know much about cameras stick to the big names , that is sony, canon , panasonic and maybe jvc.

[elliots]

Originally Posted by ptr1aa

At first glance the sanyo 2000 might be the right choice , impressive image quality and 60p full hd , all this very cheap , but , image stabilization is crucial.
I have a samsung hmx20c and , while the image is unbelievable ( macro too can get to 1cm distance and is unbelievable ) the lack of a good image stabilization renders all that image quality to nothing.
Lately i started to get better with the shaking but still i get tired to focus on my hand not moving too much , give this camera to a kid or the wife to film and you can't watch what they recorded.
NO , THE SANYO IS NOT AN OPTION FOR AN ALL AROUND CONSUMER WHO WANTS TO SHOOT THE KIDD BIRTHDAY OR HIS VACATION.
The Sanyo i might see it in the hands of an enthusiast who needs 1080 60P , or someone who really knows what he buys and needs it for something , if you don't know much about cameras stick to the big names , that is sony, canon , panasonic and maybe jvc.

I have to disagree, the image stabiliser does work, just not that well, I had a samsung h104 with ois and this too struggled to work well, it did work but in a fashion.

You can easily hand hold the sanyo and get shake free footage as long as you are not zoomed in all the way, I don't many camcorders that are great at ois on full zoom.

Anyone who thinks ois is a miracle worker is mistaken, it does its best but some camcorders do its best better then others.

The Sanyo is perfect for the Kids parties etc, you don't do many full zooms, its small, batter lasts over 2 hours and you get excellent low light performance as most parties are indoors.

The h104 is supposed to be the next level on from the hmx20c I know its not got the better sensor is has the 16gb ssd, in it.

when I used the 104 indoors under low light i got really bad results, the battery lasted just over an hour, the outdoors stuff was good but looked jerky in comparison to my kodak zi6 720p60, 25p looks like its missing every third frame to me and I am sure other will admit 60p looks super smooth. once you are used to the extra frame rate you find it hard to go back, the touch screen was a nightmare to see in sunlight and greasy finger prints just made the problem even worse, the still's were well rubbish, my camera phone was almost as good (5mp hero), the Sanyo takes 8mp and looks great unless you zoom 300%.

Each camera has pro's and cons i guess the you need to take a good look around before purchasing, this would include the smaller names as the big names tend not to give value for money in my eyes, plastic fantastic and cut down versions of there uber expensive models..... try in the shop get a feel the camera, dont let the shape put you off before you even hold it...

This is why I like the sanyo and will stick with it, sure the eis is not perfect but the pro's outway the cons.

[elliots]

Originally Posted by senu

Yes projectors as well , but Im yet to seen any Sanyo LCD/ Plasma displays in a market crowded with LG Samsung Sony, ect
They also make some excellent performing Medical electronics kit ( specialist) which I ordered a few years ago and still going strong

I don't seem many LG / Samsung or many sony LCD PJ either.....

[senu]

Originally Posted by elliots

I don't seem many LG / Samsung or many sony LCD PJ either.....

I like your spirited defence of Sanyo...Im not attacking them though
Lets digresss a bit:
Sony do make some excellent Projectors though.. BenQ too..and they dont make camcorders. Epson PJs are great, as are thier printers but ..hey..no camcorders!
Samsungs camcorders too have been less than exciting ...

Back on track Im by no means Anti-Sanyo ( or pro any particular brand) but their camcorders have not really been headline grabbing till lately and if your experience suggests they are now well worthy of consideration then .. well done to them
And well.. you have a nice kt to record your memories
Another consideration is compatibility of files for editing. Some older sanyo output were a little hard to edit easily..
OIS is not perfect but it is (when well implemented) better than EIS.
I use camcorders with both types and simply try not to rely on IS...

[ptr1aa]

Originally Posted by elliots

I have to disagree, the image stabiliser does work, just not that well, I had a samsung h104 with ois and this too struggled to work well, it did work but in a fashion.

You can easily hand hold the sanyo and get shake free footage as long as you are not zoomed in all the way, I don't many camcorders that are great at ois on full zoom.

Anyone who thinks ois is a miracle worker is mistaken, it does its best but some camcorders do its best better then others.

The Sanyo is perfect for the Kids parties etc, you don't do many full zooms, its small, batter lasts over 2 hours and you get excellent low light performance as most parties are indoors.

The h104 is supposed to be the next level on from the hmx20c I know its not got the better sensor is has the 16gb ssd, in it.

when I used the 104 indoors under low light i got really bad results, the battery lasted just over an hour, the outdoors stuff was good but looked jerky in comparison to my kodak zi6 720p60, 25p looks like its missing every third frame to me and I am sure other will admit 60p looks super smooth. once you are used to the extra frame rate you find it hard to go back, the touch screen was a nightmare to see in sunlight and greasy finger prints just made the problem even worse, the still's were well rubbish, my camera phone was almost as good (5mp hero), the Sanyo takes 8mp and looks great unless you zoom 300%.

Each camera has pro's and cons i guess the you need to take a good look around before purchasing, this would include the smaller names as the big names tend not to give value for money in my eyes, plastic fantastic and cut down versions of there uber expensive models..... try in the shop get a feel the camera, dont let the shape put you off before you even hold it...

This is why I like the sanyo and will stick with it, sure the eis is not perfect but the pro's outway the cons.

First of all the h104 have a much smaller sensor , 1/4.5in 2.2 megapixels VS hmx20c who has 1/1.8in 6.4-megapixel , now you can understand why h104 is crap in low light , you just can't compare them or make an ideea what a HMX20c could be.
The holding argument doesn't stand , what if you need to walk to a subject you need to capture but you don't want to stop the recording ? that walk will make your recording a nightmare to watch.
Even with no zoom the image still shakes like crazy , from what i heard sanyo's EIS is the worst of them all , almost non-existent , camcorder info said it and they know what they talk.

[elliots]

Originally Posted by ptr1aa

First of all the h104 have a much smaller sensor , 1/4.5in 2.2 megapixels VS hmx20c who has 1/1.8in 6.4-megapixel , now you can understand why h104 is crap in low light , you just can't compare them or make an ideea what a HMX20c could be.
The holding argument doesn't stand , what if you need to walk to a subject you need to capture but you don't want to stop the recording ? that walk will make your recording a nightmare to watch.
Even with no zoom the image still shakes like crazy , from what i heard sanyo's EIS is the worst of them all , almost non-existent , camcorder info said it and they know what they talk.

fair point but to say its not usable is a little over the top, you can see the eis work when you first use the zoom it switches it off, a couple of seconds later the eis kicks in, as long as your not on uber zoom it does work (as best it can)...

As for the low light camcorder info said its the best they had seen all year so there are some plus points.....

I know sanyo and samsung are not the main players so to speak but there is no harm in trying them out.

each to there own, things can only get better....

[elliots]

This may help you make up your mind, check the comparisons with most of the high end camcorders.....

they all have there problems, even the £1k+....

Product Face-Offs Camcorders - DigitalVersus

[glesgaguyav]

The Sanyo's are Hybrid Cams and not "true" video cams IMO.

To put it simply they are cams that take a series of photos.

If you are in the UK they are not compatible with the video broadcast standards 60Hz compared to 50Hz, this may or may not be a problem for the user dependant on needs.

Sony and all other big name makers produce video cams compatible with UK 50Hz standards.

I personally wouldn't touch one although they do a perfectly good job.

[elliots]

Originally Posted by glesgaguyav

The Sanyo's are Hybrid Cams and not "true" video cams IMO.

To put it simply they are cams that take a series of photos.

If you are in the UK they are not compatible with the video broadcast standards 60Hz compared to 50Hz, this may or may not be a problem for the user dependant on needs.

Sony and all other big name makers produce video cams compatible with UK 50Hz standards.

I personally wouldn't touch one although they do a perfectly good job.

I thought all camcorders take a series of pictures, i.e frames per second, its just some take better pictures then others in various situations.... lol.

get yourself a media player or indeed play it back through the camera and my videos play fine through my 50" plasma, 24" tft and 10' 1080p SANYO PJ....

Maybe the op should get himself a Sony or a Canon as these seem to be the only cams that this forum seems to like....