Hello everyone, im new here and i would really appreciate your expertise and opinion on this.

I know very little about camcorders. I currently have a Sony DCR-SR33, but i also have access to a Sony PC110.

I have a task ahead of me where ill need to record a lot of footage in a light room with a bit of background noise, very similar to an operating theatre.

My question is, which one of the above cameras is better? Iv looked at some reviews and a lot of them are subjective. The figures dont make much sense to me either. What im looking for is good (best) quality images, and from a distance of roughly 2 metres, being able to focus on small areas, say 2x2 cm.

Regarding sound, which one has the better microphones?? and can i attach external microphones to to the camcorder, as iv been searching and havnt been able to find anything. Can anyone direct me to some cheap or second hand ones? What else can be attached??

I think thats it for now, i would really be grateful for any insight as im useless with this stuff

thanks for reading

[redsox_mark]

The PC110 is better for video quality. It has a larger sensor, and the DV format uses less compression. I believe it also has an external mic input. Audio from the built in mics will be similar between the two.

You could also consider the Canon MD101 or MD205, both give decent video quality for the (low) price and have an external mic input.

Thanks Mark

How many hours of video could a miniDV store, because ill need to be filming for a good 5 hours and i would prefer to have it all in one place, which makes the HDD ideal as it can store 7.5 hours of footage on the highest setting.

[redsox_mark]

MiniDV tapes are generally 60 minutes, though 80 minute ones also exist. You can increase recording time by 50% using LP but not advised. If you need to shoot uninterupted for 5 hours then a HDD model will be more convienent. You'll also have to consider the battery life, unless you will be running off of the mains.