Hi there.
I'm looking for a small handheld broadcast quality camcorder, mini dv is fine.
Ideally, the highest possible quaility with firewire and good sound.
Would spend around £1000.

Ideally Canon or Sony. Will be filming in low light, at night, I'll have a light slotted into the camera so a lens that has f/1.8 or f/2.8 would be cool.

Something like the Canon XL2 or XL1s but a bit smaller?

Would also be interested to know about capturing the video, how good are the .jpgs when you capture them from the tape (not memory card) .

Any ideas?

for £1000 you'd be pushing it to get either a Sony HC1000 or the far superior Panasonic GS400.

If you want to invest in the future, spent £2500 on the Sony HDV-FX1.

I'm attending a demo weekend later this month so will be able to file a fuller report then, but it looks the mutts nuts.

GS400 looks good, is it broadcastable? I just need it for short news items lasting a couple of minutes. Just been looking at the video samples on dvspot.com and well impressed. Thought Sony would have been better.

I would probably go for the GS400 unless there is something better at around the £1500 mark?? Let us know. Is there much difference between the GS400 and GS200.

GS400 has optical image stabiliser (for hand held situs, the GS200 has an electronic system which saps your video resolution at output) GS400 has a zebra pattern 'broadcast safe' peak level signal warning system.

GS400 can output colour bars (for checking broadcast safe colours).

GS400 has manual audio record levels.

The GS400, like any dv camcorder, can, if used properly, give broadcast results. It is a bit better than the GS200, if you are a technical user.