Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and have a question to ask...

First off I've got to stress that I've never owned a camcorder of any kind before, so I'm new to all this. However, I've been tasked with filming a wedding in a couple of weeks' time (it's a low-key family affair and they're not too bothered about it being amazing quality or professional) and I'm using it as an excuse to buy a camcorder, as I've wanted to get one for ages!

After doing a bit of research, the model I'm currently edging towards is the Panasonic SDR-H280. It seems to have most of the features I'd require - the Mega OIS looks good, I'm seduced by the Leica lens, and it's 3CCD - all looking good.

However, in the future I would like to use it to film gigs, mostly in small venues where the light is dim to say the least. A couple of reviews I've read of the SDR-H280 warn that it's not too great in low light. I'm just wondering, how bad are we talking here? If I was to film in a nightclub or on a lamplit street, would the quality be so bad as to render the film unwatchable, or would it just be a little fuzzy? I really don't mind if it's not top-notch quality - I know my budget doesn't stretch to that - but I'd like it to be watchable at least. Equally with filming indoors, in normal indoor light conditions.

Any tips? Does anyone own this model and would like to share their experience? I'd be really grateful for any guidance, because I'm leaving for this wedding in a week's time and am hoping to buy soon - I want to get a bit of practice in before filming the wedding.

Thanks in advance!

[redsox_mark]

Low light performance is an issue with virtually any consumer camcorder; in that price range other models are similar. In normal indoor lighting you'll be able to see what you are shooting; sharpness isn't the issue, it is colour and noise/grain. For the money the H280 is a good choice.