[SwindonTim]

I'm looking to get a budget DV cam to replace my 6yr old Sony Hi-8 machine and to hopefully last for 2-3yrs before I invest in a more expensive digital camera/camcorder, assuming the 2 mediums converge as they are expected to do. All reviews I read point to the GS11 being acceptable, especially for the current price (~£250), however I have 2 questions that hopefully someone can answer:

1. How bad is the picture in low light conditions (eg. indoors)?
2. Will the picture quality be better than my Hi-8 camcorder?

Thanks in advance for any feedback on this question...

[MarkE19]

1. Even a DV camcorder that is said to be good in low light conditions will be poor compare to an old analogue cam with indoor recording. If this is going to be a regular recording then you need to either get a video light, stick to Hi8 or pay for a prosumer camcorder.

2. Taking into account the above then IMHO yes the PQ will be a fair bit better, especially if editing on a PC where you will loose quality by captureing analogue video.

Mark.

[SwindonTim]

Thx for the quick reply. What's the minimum I would need to pay to get a prosumer digital camcorder that could match the quality of indoor filming of a Hi8 camcorder? (By indoor, I'm talking about children's birthday parties, Christmas day, etc.)

Totally honest answer, either a canon XL1s (around £2k) or Sony VX2100 (around £2200), both have 1/3rd inch ccds, although the individual pixels on the canon are larger, (& thus catch more light), the Sony can equal it by use of it's advanced HAD system ccd's (minute thin film lenses over each pixel magnify the light reaching the ccd).

Both my Sony TRV900 & Canon XM2 use 1/4inch ccds, and although the XM2 is marginally better, I still need to crank up the gain to a level I would rather avoid (9-15db, sometimes 18db, very noisy picture).