Ok, time to by my first digital camcorder and I have a really tight budget of £350 tops but would prefer £300.

There are several models out there from JVC, Panasonic and Canon (the Pany GS10 fits my hands best). The JVC DX25 looks the coolest.

But which one will give me best value for money.

I am interested in videoing family outings and parties so low light performance and reliability are important. Camera functions are not.

Your help is appreciated.

[JayX]

personally, i'm not touching JVC again because of the numerous deck problems with my previous camera. i upgraded to a sony prosumer cam, and it destroys the previous jvc hands down (granted, the price difference was big, but the whole unit feels a lot more stable)

from memory the canon lowerend cameras aren't wonderful (whereas the prosumer models are ace) but things might've changed since i looked at cameras in that range (i started with a £800-for-£500 model last year) so best to check sites like simplydv.co.uk

see what model sony offer at that price, as the current range of cameras seem very good. you're gonna possibly have problems with low light tho, its a problem with DV at that price, and you're talking VERY expensive to get a camera that'll record happily in low light situations. maybe a video lamp is a good investment if you can get away with it.

[melliott1963]

You'll find that a lot of people on this site, me included, are very happy with their Sony Camcorders.

Doing a quick surf on www.ajelectronics.co.uk I see they've got the TRV14 for £335.00 including VAT and delivery, which falls in your price range. For a first camcorder, I'm sure you'd be pleased with the results from this model.

That said, I doubt you'll find any camcorder in this price range that will perform well in low light. It's all down to what you find acceptable and what you don't. You can always buy a video lamp at a later date if needed.