[Barbs]

Firstly - apologies to the regulars for asking the same questions again...but your advice would be appreciated.....

I have a small budget (£250) and am looking for a basic camcorder - it'll probably gather dust rather than get used too often, so I don't want to stretch to HD until I know I wil use it...plus the missuss will kill me

From what I have read (the last months worth on this forum ) I would prefer miniDV (mainly quality for the budget) and have narrowed to:

Canon MD101 - as preferred by Redsox Mark
Panasonic GS80/180 - know nothing about these, just love the looks and feel of this model
Sony DCR 47e - is this really any better than the MD101?

So a few questions:
1.The Panasonic GS180 has 3 1/6 CCDs (I think) which I believe is better - but is it true widescreen?
2. The Panasonic GS80 only has one 1/6 CCD - does this make a BIG difference over the Canon or the GS180?
3. For the 'sony' factor - is the DCR47 any better than either the GS or MD101?
4. Does the canon suffer from noise on the internal mic? I know that an external mic in is recommended - but this will be a basic point and shoot camcorder for me so I will probably stick with the internal mic.

Also - I expect that I need 'true' widescreen, but do I? Is the 'fudged' 16:9 that bad?

Aplogies again for asking all the same questions - but even after trawling through the heaps of advice on this forum I am none the wiser.

Thanks,

Barbs.

[redsox_mark]

1.The Panasonic GS180 has 3 1/6 CCDs (I think) which I believe is better - but is it true widescreen?

Yes it is 3 CCDs. With CCDs, yes generally 3 is better than 1, large is better than small. (1/6" is a small CCD, typical larger CCD is 1/3"). 3 CCDs gives you more accurate colours. No, it is not true widescreen, and it also has an issue where the image stabilisation doesn't work in widescreen mode.

2. The Panasonic GS80 only has one 1/6 CCD - does this make a BIG difference over the Canon or the GS180?

All the other models you mention (GS80, MD101, HC47) have a single 1/6" CCD. No, it's not a big difference - other factors go into the quality like the lens etc. But the GS180 is the best of this lot (also most expensive) apart from the widescreen issue.

3. For the 'sony' factor - is the DCR47 any better than either the GS or MD101?

In my opinion, no. The Canon is the best value, the GS180 the best overall.

4. Does the canon suffer from noise on the internal mic? I know that an external mic in is recommended - but this will be a basic point and shoot camcorder for me so I will probably stick with the internal mic.

All internal mics will pick up some motor noise. The MD101s I've seen don't have more than average noise.

[Barbs]

Thanks Mark - a very comprehensive reply .....you must be sick of these noob questions.

Just one final thing.... I am leaning towards the Canon MD101, no real reason other than it seems to offer more flexibility than the others. I know that you state that the Panasonic with 3 CCDs is better - but will it really be that noticable? The difference is about £100 - but I could easily justify it if the quality in the image was noticeably better.

Also when the Panasonic is in 16:9 mode - does it just crop the usual 4:3 picture? surely all camcorders shoud offer 16:9 as standard.....or have I got it wrong (again!).

I am trying to balance the image quality against true widerscreen (which seems an obvious neccessity....). So GS180 vs Md101. Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Barbs.

[redsox_mark]

The "true widescreen" thing is a tricky one, as the definitions aren't clear, some claim to be which really aren't.

All the camcorders will shoot in a widescreen mode, which gives you a proper aspect widescreen picture. The difference is a true widescreen will give you the full video resolution; whilst a non-true one essentially crops a 16:9 in a 4:3 frame (losing resolution).

For me, the lack of the true widescreen, and the issue with image stabilisation with widescreen on the GS180, as well as the price difference, makes the MD101 as better choice. The difference in performance from the 3 CCDs is not that much.

[Barbs]

Thanks again Mark.

I took a wee trip out to Jessops and played with the differnet models. I must admit that the Canon feels plastic compared to the Sony.....but in saying that for £150 I really can't go wrong.

So it looks like an amazon order for the Canon Md101 - if only you were on commission for these

[Barbs]

Need some help!

I got the canon md101 and to behonest the motor noise is really bad. With the recordings there is a loud buzzing noise in the background - it is VERY noticeable. I can only assume that this is not normal and that I must have a fault... or have I?

I also got this from amazon - does anyone know what the returns policy is like with them?

Thanks.

Barbs.

[Deanali]

Originally Posted by Barbs

Need some help!

I got the canon md101 and to behonest the motor noise is really bad. With the recordings there is a loud buzzing noise in the background - it is VERY noticeable. I can only assume that this is not normal and that I must have a fault... or have I?

I also got this from amazon - does anyone know what the returns policy is like with them?

Thanks.

Barbs.

Details here

[Barbs]

Originally Posted by Deanali

Details here

thanks - but is was this line from the electronic returns page that bothered me:
It must be unopened (with any seals and shrink wrap intact) and we will issue a full refund for the price you paid for it.

Obviously I had to open it to try it! I suppose I need to claim that it is a fault ... surely it must be!

[Deanali]

Originally Posted by Barbs

thanks - but is was this line from the electronic returns page that bothered me:
It must be unopened (with any seals and shrink wrap intact) and we will issue a full refund for the price you paid for it.

Obviously I had to open it to try it! I suppose I need to claim that it is a fault ... surely it must be!

True, I would say then that it is defective (Not fit for purpose). You should be entitled to a refund.
From what I've heard Amazon Customer Service is good, I expect a lot of the policy is to protect themselves against blatent chancers!

BTW I was/am in a similar postion to you an have gone for a Panasonic GS80 as I was worried about the motor noise on the 101. Not received it yet so can't say if it's good or bad, but it was only £209 from a company called best camera and it includes 2ys warranty/spare battery/case and tape. So evens it self out cost wise with the 101 assuming you would buy a case anyway.