Epoch defining Camcorder

What was the camcorder that changed everything for you?.

Could be for any reason, first ever camera?, recorded great memories with it?.

For me it was the Sony VX1000.

I'd ran a JVC KY-17 up until that point, and here was a camera a quarter of the size and weight giving better results!.

It took me a few months after buying that camera to get into non-linear editing (we'd shelled out on a £25k Panasonic 3 machine suite about a year before) with an early Avid MC system, with a massive 18gb across 2 drives (I remember thinking what am I gonna do with all that space?).

Before the vx1000 we had used a Sony consumer Hi8 for all the portable applications, with the VX1000 we could use the same cam for both.

It was a quirky beast, with some silly Ae modes and a clumsy audio interface, but the pictures were great for the money. It still gets used occassionally (for the clamped to car bonnet type shots) and still ticks along quite happily, and the footage still cuts in ok with my more modern cams.

Any others?

[MartinImber]

Sony BMC100P - the first one!!!

[MarkE19]

Well I went from a very old Sony Video8 camcorder (not even Hi8!) to a Sony TRV-900. Now that was a massive jump in quality & features. It is also a lot smaller and lighter.
Also like Roy Mallard I didn't start with NLE for quite a while. It took me about 2 or 3 years before I could afford to get a PC with enough memory/HDD space for NLE as I am only into editing for my own use and not making money from it.

Mark.