Advice on switching from mini dv to sd card

[Disturber]

As the title suggests, I am thinking of switching from a minidv camcorder to one that uses sd card's instead and need some help please.

I am currently using a Sony dcr-hc42e minidv camcorder and have been very happy with the results. The main problem is that I am starting to collect a number of tapes and have found that I have very little time to copy them to my mac, let alone editing and making dvd's etc.

Am I right in thinking that if I got a camcorder that used sd card (or a hdd), it would be a simple case of dragging and dropping the files across?

I have been into town today and have looked at three different models. Panasonic SD5 + SD9 and the Canon HF100. On first impressions the Canon seemed better but obviously costs more. Now I believe that they all use the AVCHD format, which means I could simply put the sdcard into my Panny BD30 and watch the files?

I am also thinking about a network hard drive to store the files on, would the files need editing to watch or copy to dvd on a macbook, also would the files, once copied to a dvd, play on my BD30?

My macbook is 6 months old and had leopard with imovie 08. I have heard that there maybe problems with the Panasonics, is this true and likely to be fixed in the future? The macbook is pretty basic with 1gig ram and 2.2ghz processor, could it handle the editing side of things?

I have seen the SD5 for £350, SD9 for £400 and HF100 for £550. It would be mainly used for filming the kids and holidays etc I assume that the footage would be similar from all 3 models?

So I guess my main questions are, would I benefit by switching to an sd card camcorder, will my existing mac cope with the HD footage, would a network hard drive be worth it or would it be more simple to copy straight to dvd, which camcorder would suit my needs more?


Sorry for all of the questions, and thanks for any replies.

[dave_bass5]

You can just drag and drop the files from a SD card, no need for any special import function in software.
One thing to make sure is that if you were to get the HF100 (at least) is that the SD card you get is a class4 or above and to make sure your card reader can read these.

Ive no experience with the other ones you listed but i got a HF10 a few weeks ago for doing more or less what you want to do and i find its great compared to my old Pana GS50.

[Disturber]

I am assuming that I could connect the camcorder straight to my mac via usb to import the files, so no need for a card reader?

[dave_bass5]

Originally Posted by Disturber

I am assuming that I could connect the camcorder straight to my mac via usb to import the files, so no need for a card reader?

Yes you can.
with my HF10 (i assume its the same with the HF100) you do have to have the camera hooked up to the PSU to do any transfers. Can be a bit of a pain if you aren't at home or don't have the PSU with you