[jonathan2202]

I am looking at buying a camcorder costing no more than £350 and are interested in 3 flash memory models - listed above. I dont suppose there will be a massive difference between any of the models however was wondering which performs the best in low light. I have read so much about poor low light performance and although i dont expect perfection for this sort of money i want the best i can.
In addition this may seem like a daft question but here goes, all 3 of these cameras are tiny does that make them difficult to opeate and hold them stable? The models with HDDs are a better size and seem more comfortable to hold.

Thanks for your help

[jonathan2202]

The original title has changed now as i'm looking at 3 flash camcorders, at the moment i'm thinking of buying the S26 for around £230 from Dixons with 8GB memory card and bag included which can also hold my digital camera.

So which of the 3 is the best?

[B_O_O_Y_A_R]

bounce

[A n d r e w]

I don't think there are frequently active members here who own any of these camcorders - let alone have been in the position of comparing them one with the other(s). The lack of response to the original poster is a bit of a giveaway there. But you never know.

Some rules of thumb:

1. Buy the largest sensor you can afford. Sensor size translates almost directly into picture quality (less noise) when shooting indoors. Bear in mind that sensor size is given as a fraction, though is sometimes mixed with decimals (i.e. 1/6-inch, 1/3.2-inch, with the latter being the larger). 3CCD used to be the quality option, but single CMOS camcorders have come a long way and are increasingly becoming the norm. Camcorders with a single CMOS sensor usually offer a larger sensor than 3CCD camcorders (which usually have three small sensors, and three smalls don't add up to a large!).
2. Bear in mind that standard definition video recorded to tape (mini-DV) is less compressed than standard definition video recorded to hard drive or solid state memory (mpeg2). This means that pound for pound, tape camcorders generally offer better picture quality (fewer compression "artefacts") than hard drive / solid state.
3. Stick with the major players: Canon, Panasonic, Sony (listed in alphabetical order - no preference stated!).

Andrew.