Sony DCR-SR35E or JVC GZ-MG330EHK?

[daKlone]

Hi All,

I wonder if anyone could give me a little advice?

My wife wants a camcorder for Christmas and I have £250 (£300 at a stretch) to spend on it.

She is by no means a technical expert (nor am I when it comes to cameras!), so it needs to be simple to use. The Sony DCR-SR35E and JVC GZ-MG330EHK have both caught my eye, but seem almost identical to me. I think she would prefer a HDD camera (or hybrid SD/HDD) rather than DVD or tape.

Can someone give me a clue as to which might be better, or perhaps suggest an alternative?

She'll be using it for general family-type stuff, so nothing too demanding.

While I appreciate that the more you spend the better things become, can we please avoid the well-meaning but pointless "well if you spend £500/£1000/£1500 you can get such-and-such" type replies. Thanks!