[craynerd]

Dear all

I have posted a couple of time recently as I am looking for a camcorder for the arrival of a new member of our family.

I have narrowed it down to a SD camera probably miniDV.

Can someone tell me which they would plunge for between these two and what really is the difference between the two. Like I say, I`ll be filming family, in and outdoors but mainly inside. I will want to edit clips on my pc and store short clips on my computer HD but on the whole I`ll burn to DVD.

I would appreciate any final help. I think whatever the outcome of this thread, I`ll eventually plunge for that one. (Any purchasing advice - i.e cheapest or best deals! would be appreciated)

Cheers
Chris

[senu]

Short of rehashing the manufacturers spec sheet they are sufficiently similar to suggest you would be happy with either
The need you wish then for, editing storing clips and DVD creation don't distinguish between them

The Panasonic has Optical image stabilisation and a 3 ccd chip system
and a " Leica" lens.. suggesting the promise of superior image quality

The Canon has Mic in , but electronic image stabilisation and a single chip

Both quote similar lower light ability on their night view mode ( gimmicky TBH)

I think the Panasonic is better on paper with 3 ccd and OIS but for anyone who might want an external l mic ( important if you wish for superior audio) the Canon offers excellent VFM as it is also £100 cheaper
So the Panny doesn't have it all its way

In short.. its close

[fastra]

Should you pick the Panny, have a look on here, they have it for £265 (which I think is quite a good price..?):

Panasonic GS330 Mini DV Camcorder 10 x Optical Zoom 2.7 inch LCD Screen - Ebuyer

[craynerd]

thanks for your comment.

I don`t think I`ll use the mic input on the canon as I prefer to dub music over the majority of my footage and therefore I equally wouldn`t miss it on the more expensive panny.

Senu - your language seems rather sceptical of the superior quality of the panny, will the difference in quality be similar.

I`ll be honest, I don`t think from the sounds of it that the panny is worth the extra £100 more than the canon. What else does it do better?

Chris

[senu]

Originally Posted by craynerd

thanks for your comment.

I don`t think I`ll use the mic input on the canon as I prefer to dub music over the majority of my footage and therefore I equally wouldn`t miss it on the more expensive panny.

Senu - your language seems rather sceptical of the superior quality of the panny, will the difference in quality be similar.

I`ll be honest, I don`t think from the sounds of it that the panny is worth the extra £100 more than the canon. What else does it do better?

Chris

I have used Panasonic's before and they were 3CCD and OIS , and they were brilliant :MX 350 and MX500. I Have 2 Sony s with 3CCD OIS and Fast lenses ( which are perhaps a bit more upmarket) and a quite good single CMOS EIS model So Im less sold on tech sheet but how it is implemented
Pansonic did make a superlative GS 400 which knocked all the competition way but they havent had a super hit since than even though they've kept offering superior specs on paper

With the Pannys I found though that 3CCD gave better colour , low light suffered and grain was easier to get in lower light
My issue is that the superior technology does not translate to as much superior performance over the Canon as it should but it is better
This make me think Panasonic have perhaps cut corners at the budget level in order to out it there hence not offering DV in even if Mic in was felt to be less impt. The Leica lens is a plus though
As an aside Most Panasonics have 3CCD but the other single CMOS brands seem to not be less marketable compared. And well sorted EIS works , and may be close enough to a budget OIS to compete

[fastra]

Originally Posted by craynerd

I don`t think from the sounds of it that the panny is worth the extra £100 more than the canon.

Chris

????

Did you look at the link?


The cheapest I can see the Canon at is through Pixmania at £205 (excuse me if you've seen it cheaper) and Ebuyer have the Panny at £265, each charge a tenner(ish) for delivery.
So the difference is only £60 really - is it not???