HD Camcorder

[NH2004]

I'm considering upgrading from my old JVC GR-D240 MiniDV Camcorder to a HD model in time for a forthcoming trip to New Zealand in February.

I've been looking at the foloowing two models:

Sony HDR-SR10E @ £456.97 from Amazon

Sony HDR-SR11E @ £610 from Comet

Is the Sony HDR-SR11E worth the extra money?

What are people's general opinions of these camcorders?

Any other models I should consider?

Thanks in advance

[RenaultSport]

Hi
You should also look at the Canon HF10/100 range. Highly regarded camera - unfortunatley I dont know how they compare to the Sony's.

[A n d r e w]

Originally Posted by NH2004

Is the Sony HDR-SR11E worth the extra money?

Yes.

What are people's general opinions of these camcorders?

The SR11 seems excellent: good optics, large-ish sensor, excellent build quality, nice big LCD, the camera control dial, etc. The SR10 is the poor cousin in many ways but is still a good camera, especially if its main use is shooting outdoors in good light.

Any other models I should consider?

A step down in price from the SR11 will get you a Canon HF100 or HF10 (pretty much identical except the HF10 is more expensive, black, and has built in memory). In terms of straight-out picture quality, the Canon and the Sony are pretty similar.

Andrew.

[NH2004]

Thanks for the reply.

I've been looking around and the many reviews and it's so difficult to choose.

I'm being put off of the Hard disc route, due to reading that they can't be used at altitude, otherwise the HDD will be damaged. It's obviously not something that would be an issue most of the time, but I'd primarily use it for travelling and there are occasions I'd like to film when at high altitudes.

This makes me lean more towards the Canon HF10. It being much cheaper at £530 from Amazon with £50 cashback from Canon. I could use the money saved to buy some 16GB SDHC cards. How much HD footage can you store on 16GB?

How does the Canon HF10 compare in terms of video quality with the Sony - HDR-SR11? Does the Sony have a far better sensor?

[inspiredron]

I'm very pleased with my Panasonic HDC-SD100. Good in low light but don't expect wonderful stills - it's a video camera. Used for 4 weeks in Africa and superb wildlife results. My only mistake was to use the 30x digital zoom (ie 2.5x digital on 12x optical) which is rather fuzzy. A converter would be better.