3ccd camera advice please

[potemkin]

hi guys, im in the middle of picking which camera to purchase. i wanna get the best value for my money at the same time i want the camera to be good enough for small rackets. here are the cameras and their respective prices. any help would do. thanks guys.

1.Sony*DCR-HC1000 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder ($999)
from digital liquidators

2. Panasonic*PV-GS200 3CCD Ultra-Compact Digital Palmcorder MultiCam Camcorder ($689) digital liquidators also

3. Panasonic*AG-DVC30 3-CCD Camcorder ($1,599)
Digital liquidators

4. sony trv900 ($900)
second hand.

5.panasonic pvdv953 ($800)
second hand

6. sony vx1000 ($800)
second hand japanese version

7. canon gl-1 ($1250)
second hand comes with tripod and case

[extremyks]

I'll get a new unit than a second hand to be safe... so no worries.

The Panasonic*AG-DVC30 3-CCD Camcorder ($1,599) 'Style 3' has that pro look for those rakets of yours.

[MG]

i'll go for sony or canon.

[dominiquejames]

this link might help: http://www.macworld.com/2004/10/reviews/dvcamcorders/index.php

[El CaMOTe]

The Panny 953 is a model phased out na, the 200 replaced it locally. Don't know if the 953 is still being made in Japan etc., My friend has one and I have used it a few times. More of a consumer camcorder, silver & grey, looks too much like a typical household camcorder. For rakets, it will not 'move' your clients !! But excellent cam.

The Panny 200 seems to be the best of both worlds. Consumer size and price w/ the prosumer look !!

The Sony TRV 900 is phased out na. Here we have the TRV 940 and in the U.S. the TRV 950. Excellent cams both but prosumer expensive !!

For second hand cams, check out eBay for the prices.

Good luck,

[carlo ledesma]

I've worked with the Canon GL-1 recently (here in Australia it's called the XM-2) and the image quality under low-light conditions is very good. Beat out the Sony PDX-10 in terms of gain and other exposure settings. It's good value for money. Personally though, if I had the cash, I'd get a Sony PD-170.

[Bob Serrano]

Given those choices, I'd go with the DVC30. Can't say that I've used it firsthand but I've read a lot of good reviews. Sort of bulky, though. Initially, the GS200 sounds appealing--and it actually has a wonderful feature set. I've used it first hand. Only thing is, you're talking 1/6" CCDs. Doesn't quite compare to the robustness of a 1/3" 3CCD image.

[gaol]

Originally posted by El CaMOTe


The Panny 200 seems to be the best of both worlds. Consumer size and price w/ the prosumer look !!


Good luck,

How about the Canon Optura 40? Anyone have user feedback on this? I've seen it on display at The Podium together with the Panasonic PV-GS200. They are in the same P6x,xxx pirce range.

From what I've read, the GS200 betters the Optura 40 in low-light conditions. But in good lighting, it appears to be a toss-up between the two.

On thing going for the Optura 40 for me is that the included battery appears to be interchangeable with the battery of the Powershot S50 digicam, which I have. That way, I can use my spare digicam battery for both.

[Edited on 11-19-2004 by gaol]

[El CaMOTe]

We might be comparing apples and oranges here, ... 3 CCD against a single CCD, even with same megapixels, colours should come out better in the 3 CCD (1 colour per CCD!),

but then again there is a saying "Beauty (in this case, video) is in the eyes of the beholder." So if you are just shooting household/family videos, + the battery compatibility issue, get the Canon, just don't expect to get 'broadcast' quality.

The Optura I believe is the smaller handy one, so it is much easier to use.
Dunno if it is cheaper though??

Do tell us what you have decided on and how it works for you.

Cheers,

[gaol]

Originally posted by El CaMOTe
We might be comparing apples and oranges here, ... 3 CCD against a single CCD, even with same megapixels, colours should come out better in the 3 CCD (1 colour per CCD!),

Hehe, sorry if I veered a bit. :blush:

I did a search of camcorder threads, and not noticing the thread title, I decided to post here in connection with the gs200-since the optura 40 appears to compete with this in the same price range.

but then again there is a saying "Beauty (in this case, video) is in the eyes of the beholder." So if you are just shooting household/family videos, + the battery compatibility issue, get the Canon, just don't expect to get 'broadcast' quality.

The Optura I believe is the smaller handy one, so it is much easier to use.
Dunno if it is cheaper though??

Do tell us what you have decided on and how it works for you.

Cheers,

I have to admit, it's one of those my-son's-first-birthday-is-approaching-and- wouldn't-it-be-nice-to-have-a-camcorder things, but I was hoping to get something with the best-for-the-money video quality and something I could "grow into using" if I'm going to spend anyway.

By the way, unlike the previous vertical compact form factor Opturas, the Optura 40 is back to the traditional camcorder form--which I prefer actually.

Will keep you posted. Thanks!