Which HD Camcorder?

[T800]

I'm looking for a HD Camcorder that ideally has some of the following features;

• Between £400-£600.
• View Finder.
• 1920x1080p with decent picture quality.
• 5.1 sound (does this work well?).
• HDD.
• Optional extra memory like SD card.
• Mac compatible. It doesn't have to be able to play only transfer for storage.
• HDMI out.

What are my options?

[redsox_mark]

I don't think there is any which meet all the requirements.

Closest is the Canon HG10. You can get it for around £500. It does all except it doesn't have 5.1 recording. (Not essential in my view).

Or the Sony SR11, but it's closer to £700. It has 5.1, doesn't have progressive recording.

[T800]

Thanks.
The HG10 does look pretty good, having a brief look at some reviews it mentions micro SD for still photos but no mention of it for video.
Does this mean if the HDD is full I have to empty it before shooting anymore footage?

[Disturber]

I believe the Panasonic HDC-HS9 covers all of those requirements, other than the view finder. From the reviews i have seen, highly recommended too.

[senu]

Originally Posted by T800

Thanks.
The HG10 does look pretty good, having a brief look at some reviews it mentions micro SD for still photos but no mention of it for video.
Does this mean if the HDD is full I have to empty it before shooting anymore footage?

Yes
The HG10 does not record video onto the card
Im a little unsure about 1080p output on the Panasonic
and like Mark
I dont rate 5.1 recording much...even if well captured ( ) Im unsure if it can be retained during editing
Its low light abilities are average
1080p Panasonic support is sparse . Vegas doesnt support it yet

[T800]

Originally Posted by senu

Yes
The HG10 does not record video onto the card
Im a little unsure about 1080p output on the Panasonic
and like Mark
I dont rate 5.1 recording much...even if well captured ( ) Im unsure if it can be retained during editing
Its low light abilities are average
1080p Panasonic support is sparse . Vegas doesnt support it yet

I'm sure Pro Logic II would sound just as good a camcorder produced 5.1 track.

Which one has average low light abilities?

[redsox_mark]

The Panasonic has average (or below) low light performance. The HG10 is better in that regard. Though all camcorders perform better with good light.

[T800]

Thanks for the replies guys.

[dkE]

I recently went through similar discussion with the good guys on this forum and plumped for the HG10 and really like it. Got it from Jessops at their special internet price of £499 plus used a code to get a further £25 off...if this helps...

[waf-tastic]

Great price! Care to share the code?

Scratch that - now £599 :-(

[mmace]

I'm looking for similar and have come up with the SD9 mentioned above (no HDD, just over £400) or the Sony SR10 (£510)

[dkE]

Originally Posted by waf-tastic

Great price! Care to share the code?

Scratch that - now £599 :-(

Glad I got it when I did. Just checked and empiredirect have it at £499 and there are usually codes around to get up to 10% of their prices - making an even better deal...

[rhubarbe]

Bing!

This matches all of your requirements:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...ders-35263.htm

Panasonic HDC-HS100

Sadly, it's kinda shy and won't be putting in an appearance until September.

[waf-tastic]

Originally Posted by dkE

Glad I got it when I did. Just checked and empiredirect have it at £499 and there are usually codes around to get up to 10% of their prices - making an even better deal...

Their 10% voucher is currently for white goods - http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/disc...redirect.co.uk. £450 would be a great price. Amazon also have it for £500.

[waf-tastic]

Originally Posted by dkE

I recently went through similar discussion with the good guys on this forum and plumped for the HG10 and really like it. Got it from Jessops at their special internet price of £499 plus used a code to get a further £25 off...if this helps...

What do you think of it so far? Any highs/lows?