Buying a camcorder - advice please!

Hello all - I'm new to the forum and have joined hoping to get some advice on buying a camcorder. Looking to spend upto £650 for the right camera - I'm after a reasonably compact one to carry around but am after as good picture quality as possible. I am a keen stills photographer, have had a few SLR's over the years and have since moved to a digital SLR camera. I am now looking to buy my first camcorder and have done some research but hope to get some decent user advice

These are my thoughts so far, feel free to say your piece!

Hard disk is the way forward isn't it? Will other formats be phased out in the coming years? I kind of like the idea of a Hard disk.

I have heard mini DV gives a bit better picture quality.....is this true? Are there any other formats I should consider? What is their longevity like?

I have been looking a 3CCD cameras like the JVC GZ-MC505. Is there any other camcorders that do as well as the 3CCD ones?

I shall just be recording family events/holidays etc, but am a stickler for picture quality.... Are the HD camcorders good at the moment or are they in their infancy? Are there any reasonably priced HD 3CCD camcorders available?

That's enough just for now!

Thanks, Mark

[lurcher]

Best PQ in your price range is the Sony HC3E ( high def mini dv ) , I researched the JVC 505 and it had everything I wanted bar a viewfinder which was a no no for me.
I went for the Sony SR90 instead ( good PQ and 30 HD ) , I def needed a HD machine as I required to record 4/5 hrs at one.
There is the Sony High Def HD model available but it outside your price range and not as compact as the HC3E.
JVC are due to release a High Def HD model in the new year but dont know price.
I"d be future proof and go for High Def ( HC3E ) and live with tapes or wait and see what HD High Def versions emerge.
I also have the Sony HC1E ( High Def )

Cheers for that lurcher....

On reading more about the JVC GZ-MC505, the MPEG2 format seems a bugger when editing. I shall have a look at your suggestions and do a bit more research. I'm also looking for a thread that discusses the pros and cons of the formats - in fact, I may well start one and let someone direct me to the original version if I duplicate!

Cheers, Mark

Spent most of my day researching what camcorder to buy as my first. So far have ruled out HDD. I also wonder if HD is gonna be a useful as I won't have a HD TV for a good 12 months and HD DVD recorders and players are not widely available/affordable at the moment. Seems I would be buying too much "future" technology for my cash. I am swinging towards either the Panasonic GS300 (approx £390) or GS500 (approx £560).

Are there any other cameras I should think of? What are the views of spending the extra £170 on the GS500 above the GS300?

[HMHB]

Hello Mr Pie

I'm in exactly the same situation as you at the mo. I've ruled out HDD cams for the next couple of years until they develop more and won't be upgrading to HD for at least another year. According to Which? and some of the other sites I've read, Panasonic and Sony are the best to go for at the moment. The one I've chosen is the Panasonic NV-GS300, which you can get at around the £400 mark on froogle. Oh, and a few people have warned me off JVC's.

Hope this helps.

[redsox_mark]

Originally Posted by pilsburypie

Spent most of my day researching what camcorder to buy as my first. So far have ruled out HDD. I also wonder if HD is gonna be a useful as I won't have a HD TV for a good 12 months and HD DVD recorders and players are not widely available/affordable at the moment. Seems I would be buying too much "future" technology for my cash. I am swinging towards either the Panasonic GS300 (approx £390) or GS500 (approx £560).

Are there any other cameras I should think of? What are the views of spending the extra £170 on the GS500 above the GS300?

The GS500 is better than the GS300 (as you would expect), but in terms of the video quality the difference is very small. Feature wise also very similar, the GS500 has a nice manual focus ring. The GS500 is also physically larger. The GS300 is the better value in my opinion.

Cheers chaps.

I'm now gonna go into a shop to actually hold these cameras. I have quite big hands so I want to see if one "feels" better than the other. Must say I am swinging towards the GS500 as the slightly bigger CCD's will be better indoors - the comparison photos on the pana3CCDuser site show a definite difference between the 2.

Suppose I will be buying one of the Panasonics in the early part of the new year -I'm reading more and more good things about them...... unless anyone else has any other pearls of wisdom!

Mark