Yep another first time buyer in destress.

Sorry to be repetitive guys coz im sure you get lots of people like me but im really stuck on what Mini DV to get.

My buget is no more than £500, id be making videos of sporting events that i like going to. Im impressed with the reviews on the Sony camcorders but to be honest they all seem very much the same. Which is a problem, because they all get pretty good reviews. Oh and ill be editing stuff on my computer, (don't know how much diffrence that makes).

What is the very best camcorder you can poosibaly think of in this price bracket.

Thanks!

[El Indio]

You may wish to consider the Panasonic NV-GS120 as it has 3CCDs for ~£500.

From what I have read, it has great PQ (in its class). The downside seems to be that image stabilization is poor.

For sports photography you may require things like manual focus, fast shutter speed, progressive and true wide screen, which will limit your choice of camera.

[MarkE19]

I think that you will find the Sony TRV-33 to be an excellent camcorder that will do everything you require - and more!
The TRV-33 is now a discontinued model, but many people on here have said that the new Sony models are of a lower quality than those they replace. Also, because it has been discontinued you will get it for a very good price. In the link above it is only £486 inc VAT. There are loads of people on this forum that have this cam and all of them seem to highly recommend it. My advice is to grab one while you still can as they wont be around for long.
This camcorder also has full AV & DV inputs as well as outputs that may well come in very useful when you do start editing on the PC.

I don't own and have never used the TRV-33 so can not recommend it on personal experience, but I do know as I said above of loads of other members that would back up my advice to get this cam. I do own a Sony camcorder and find that they are about the best camcorders available - even if a little expensive at their full price.

HTH,
Mark.

[MartinImber]

I kept recommending it - I WAS FIRST

And carried on until someone told me it was discontinued

[MarkE19]

Martin,
do you do a search for all new posts that contain 'TRV33' or something

Mark.

Thanks for all your replies guys, really useful, i will look into both the camcorders u have added.

Thanks!

[MartinImber]

Originally Posted by MarkE19

Martin,
do you do a search for all new posts that contain 'TRV33' or something

Mark.

No - just seeing whats being recommended now!

[sparced]

I came on here exactly a year ago and was told about the TRV33, almost bought one but few things needed replacing so I went without. Now I'm back in the martket so I come back here and am amazed the model is being recommended.

£450 doesn't sound too impressive I'm sure 12 months earlier it was only £50 more.

[bowenjones]

Originally Posted by Marc R2

£450 doesn't sound too impressive I'm sure 12 months earlier it was only £50 more.

But you'll certainley get your money's worth especially when you consider
it's replacement, the HC40, is regarded as being inferior in most aspects.
I have the TRV33 myself after getting advice from some of the members
on this forum and I can't reccommend it enough. Excellent camcorder