Best Camcorder For The Money

[kjl3x]

I'm looking for upgrade my Sony DCR-PC100e which I've been particularly happy with over the past 3 years. I don't use it to take any digital photos as I tend to stick to digital SLR.

My budget is circa £1,000 and have been looking at the Sony DCR-PC1000E or the DCR-PC55E or the Canon MVX4i. Is the improvement in quality from the PC100e worth the upgrade?

Any advice would be appreciated

[redsox_mark]

Why are you looking to upgrade?

I can't see any advantage of the PC55E, other than it is smaller. It's way under your budget (e.g. £323).

The PC1000E has 3 CMOS sensors, so that would be an improvement. It also has a widescreen LCD. £578.

Or, if you have £1000 to spend, consider the HC1 HDV camcorder. It is physically bigger than these others (but still the smallest HDV camera to date).

Mark

[kjl3x]

I'm upgrading because I'm presuming that the technology over the past 3-4 years will have significantly improved on the picture quality I currently obtain on my DCR-PC1000e.

[redsox_mark]

My view is that while value for money has certainly improved, if you compare a single chip compact camcorder (like your PC100) with a new similar spec model (like the PC55) you would not see a significant improvement in quality. What is significant of course is you can get a PC55 for just over £300, while your PC100 would have cost considerably more.

But while 3 or 4 years ago £1000 would only get you a single chip model, with that budget today you can get a 3 chip SD one, or a HDV one... here you would see significant improvement.

Mark