[Robert B 2]

I've been researching camcorders for the last month or so now. I ended up deciding that the Sony SR11 would be best for me - it has the viewfinder, does SD and HD, and is highly regarded for its image quality.

I thought I'd wait a bit to see it come down in price - but recently won a £200 voucher for Jacobs. Cue - I decide to move towards making my purchase.

However, Jacobs (nor Jessops for that matter) actually stock the SR11. They stock the SR10 and SR12, but not the SR11. I've phoned 3 different stores who have confirmed it cannot be bought in.

That is incredibly annoying. I wouldn't normally purchase from this type of outlet, but seeing as my voucher would bring down their hgih price to an acceptable level it would be worth it. I can't help thinking these stores have shot themselves in the foot. The SR12 is the same camcorder but with 120GB HDD. I don't need that much memory and don't want to wait for months for the price of the SR12 to come down (it is currently in excess of £800.) Surely the SR11 would appeal to more people!?

So that only leaves me with the option of the Canon HG10 - the only other model in my price range that seems to have a viewfinder. I'd need to get a new laptop to handle the HD footage, but the saving I'd make by purchasing the Canon would make up some of the difference. I've been looking at some £380ish laptops with 2-3GB RAM, 2Ghz+ processors and with dedicated vid cards - so should be enough to edit HD.

However, I just feel that in purchasing the Canon HG10, I'm buying an old model that has been surpassed. And the zoom could be a bit better (only x10). If only I could get the SR11....

Any thoughts? Are there other models with viewfinders, and is there much of a difference in quality between the Canon HG10 and Sony SR11?

Thanks

Ps. Any thoughts on my Laptop query... http://www.avforums.com/forums/lapto...o-editing.html ?

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by Robert B 2

I've been researching camcorders for the last month or so now. I ended up deciding that the Sony SR11 would be best for me - it has the viewfinder, does SD and HD, and is highly regarded for its image quality.

I thought I'd wait a bit to see it come down in price - but recently won a £200 voucher for Jacobs. Cue - I decide to move towards making my purchase.

However, Jacobs (nor Jessops for that matter) actually stock the SR11. They stock the SR10 and SR12, but not the SR11. I've phoned 3 different stores who have confirmed it cannot be bought in.

That is incredibly annoying. I wouldn't normally purchase from this type of outlet, but seeing as my voucher would bring down their hgih price to an acceptable level it would be worth it. I can't help thinking these stores have shot themselves in the foot. The SR12 is the same camcorder but with 120GB HDD. I don't need that much memory and don't want to wait for months for the price of the SR12 to come down (it is currently in excess of £800.) Surely the SR11 would appeal to more people!?

So that only leaves me with the option of the Canon HG10 - the only other model in my price range that seems to have a viewfinder. I'd need to get a new laptop to handle the HD footage, but the saving I'd make by purchasing the Canon would make up some of the difference. I've been looking at some £380ish laptops with 2-3GB RAM, 2Ghz+ processors and with dedicated vid cards - so should be enough to edit HD.

However, I just feel that in purchasing the Canon HG10, I'm buying an old model that has been surpassed. And the zoom could be a bit better (only x10). If only I could get the SR11....

Any thoughts? Are there other models with viewfinders, and is there much of a difference in quality between the Canon HG10 and Sony SR11?

Thanks

Ps. Any thoughts on my Laptop query... http://www.avforums.com/forums/lapto...o-editing.html ?

Bite Size Deals—Beat the Credit Crunch With Us - Sony HDR-SR12E 10MP 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

http://www.bitesizedeals.co.uk/index...productId=1190
The sr 11/12 can be purchased for reasonable prices,what to buy with the voucher would be the problem?i have the SR 12 and love it.

[rogs]

Another alternative, with viewfinder, that Jacobs do stock:

http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk/index...oduct_id=49045

[A n d r e w]

Surely Jacobs can order you one if you pay up front. Have you spoken to a store manager, or just the glamour boys at the front counter?

[Robert B 2]

It is Jacobs I am tied to as I have this voucher which I'd like to put towards the cost. The Liverpool store say they see no reason why it can't be ordered in, but that they are waiting to hear back from the buyers, whilst the Sheffield store have said they have tried and it isn't possible (they could be lying as they can't be arsed), and the Manchester store claim it isn't possible to order things that aren't on their stock list

They must be mad; I'm trying to give them hundreds of pounds.

Any thoughts on the Panasonic HDC-HD100 (thanks rogs)? It has the view finder and I like the idea of solid state storage... but camcorder info seem to have some reservations. Anybody own one?

[rogs]

Ah --camcorder info, bless 'em, seem to have a down on anything Panasonic -- might just be that everything Panasonic makes is rubbish, or it might be....who knows?!

Unfortunately, I don't own an HDC H100, I use the earlier SD5, which I've found excellent.

I have a friend who has the Sony CX6, which was the Sony equivalent to the SD5 at that time (is it really only a year ago!). The images from both cameras are really very good, and it largely comes down to ergonomics, IMHO.
The same is probably true with the newer models.
Personally, I don't like the 'touch screen' type of menu driven control, but others find it ideal.

I like the idea of the manual focus ring on the Panasonic.

Here's another review

SimplyDV Review: Panasonic HDC-SD100 3MOS AVCHD Camcorder

Don't know how it compares to the camcorder info one --probably takes a slightly different tack, the two sites usually do. Simply DV sems to concentrate on the 'hands on' use of the camera, while camcorder info publishes a whole list of figures. Very useful for Pro camcorders, I'm sure, but for consumer units?......
We all have different requirements and perspectives though......