Canon FS100 or Panasonic SD9

[nheather]

Seems like compare chalk and cheese as one is an SD and the other is an HD.

This is how I arrived at this point.

I want a small, light and cheap camcorder that I can take anywhere with me without having to cart all sorts of gear around.

I started of thinking that SD is good enough for me and to be honest it might well be. I've seen some good downloaded video from the Canon FS100.

But then guys here started to sway me towards HD. However, the price of HD still puts me off. Not so much the outlay, but that I'd be less comfortable letting my children (10yo and 14yo) use it unsupervised.

So from my research into SD I'm tempted by the Canon FS100 at £160.

If I were to go HD then I would go for the Panasonic SD9 at £360.

Now I need convincing. I could have 2 FS100s and a couple of SDHC cards for the price of the SD9 alone.

So what are the benefits of the SD9?

Does it perform better indoors?
When it is said that the FS100 does not do well in low light. Does that me indoor lighting or in darker?
Eseential they have the same sensor but the SD9 has three of them, one for each colour - how much of the improvement is this?
Does the SD9 take passable stills?

I've downloaded and viewed the FS100 movies from here

The Verdict: Canon FS100 Review » * daz4590 *

and I was quite impressed.

But I haven't found an equivalent for the SD9 so I'm finding it difficult to compare.

I did take a card into Comet to try them out but was stumped. Comet had removed the display model of the Canon for some reason and when I tried other SD cameras, I found that the Comet security device gets in the way of the card slot.

Cheers,

Nigel

[paulcollins10]

I'm in exactly the same situation, trying to decide between these two camcorders.

where have you seen the FS100 for £160 please?

[razor38]

I'd also like ot know were you found the hf100 for £160. The cheapest i've seen is from Amazon at 478 , with 50 cashbach from canon, = 428

[A n d r e w]

Originally Posted by nheather

I'm tempted by the Canon FS100 at £160.

Originally Posted by paulcollins10

where have you seen the FS100 for £160 please?

Originally Posted by razor38

I'd also like to know were you found the hf100 for £160.

FS, not HF. Still, I admire your optimism.

[senu]

Canon Should stop this nonsensical nomenclature TBH!! Very confusing and potentially misleading
The HF 10/11 ..at par with HF 100??? and then there are the HG 20 and HV 30...

[kayeled]

If you put a search on for Canon FS100, you can see what lots of people have written about it; I have one and I think it is very good for starters and basic filming. I am a complete novice and it is easy to use- the only small problem, which is well documented on here, is it poor performance in low light.

While it isn't amazing, I think it is outstanding value for people on a budget.