Panasonic SDR-S26 - Or JVC MG335

[jwmachon]

Hi,

[I]m looking for a new camcorder sub £250, i would like one which is very compact, good image stabilisation and good video quality.

I am very interested in the 2 above cameras but i would like to know from people that as had hands on experience with both of them to advise me which to choose.

From what i have read the sdr-s26 as got good zoom, good stabilisation and good all round quality, but the mg330 not mg335 as in title as a 30gb hard drive.

They are both about the same is size i just dont know which to go for.

Any advice would be fantastic.

Many Thanks,

Jonny

[jwmachon]

mg330 not mg335 as i have accidentally put in title

[jwmachon]

Anybody :-)

[andrew29]

Hi Jonny,

I have been in exactly the same situation regarding the same two camcorders, its a mind field. In the end i got the JVC MG330 (FYI it says 335 on the box) as Argos had it on offer for £200 with £10 voucher so i took the plunge. My decision was based on the fact that they are similar in spec but the JVC came with 30GB of memory and realised I would have to buy a few memory cards to get the same storage capacity from the Panasonic. So far I have been impressed with the 330 considering it was only £200. You read all these reviews and it gets confusing, you hear all about low light focusing, grainy low light pictures etc. My view is that I only paid £200, yes the low light is not TV quality picture and it has to adjust its focus in low light, but its ok for family film. Overall quality is good I have not experienced much grainy pictures even in very low light, I was expecting very pixilated quality considering the price but to me its DVD quality.

Again, I have only had the JVC MG330 for a day and have already burnt a DVD and played it back. You have to be realistic for £200 its great value for money considering the price tag, very simple to use, small, lightweight and you can choose your colour!!

I think it helps to understand a bit about photography I have a DSLR and even that struggles to focus in low light so I am not sure what some people expect from a £200 camcorder. Also try to avoid high contrasting scenes i.e. someone sat near a window on a sunny day its hard for the camera to expose the scene correctly.

Too be fair you would probably be happy with either one as they are both great looking camcorders with fairly good reviews, my decision was based on storage and finally the Argos offer so I took the plunge. Just go with your gut instinct. I took the view with Argos that I could always take it back if it was no good!!!

I am no pro and have limited camcorder experience, but hope this helps!!!

Good luck

Andrew