Hello All,

I need to buy an HD Camcorder and what best place to ask for advice than here.

Objective: Capture memories of my new born growing up. Initially all the recording will be indoors (as she is a new born) so low light performance is a consideration. I want her to be able to view those videos 15-20 years from now and enjoy (Let's see how that goes)

Price Point: $600 +/- (For Initial investment... Storage cost is not a concern).

Me: Fairly technical person and good with software. So far have mostly use my DSLR (Canon XSi) to shoot stills. Only camcorder I ever had was Canon ZR series.

I am open to any brand and would prefer something that shoots (& records) 1080p if possible. Do not care too much for editing the video nor wish to use many manual controls (mostly my wife would use the camcorder... I get to touch it sometimes). The biggest concern is the Video Quality.

Please advice...

PS: I can get Refurb Canon HG10/HV30 for $400 from a friend who works at Canon. Both of these however do not record in 1080p.

So Guys... There is no good HD camcorder under $700 that records in 1080P ? :confused:

What is my next best bet ? HV30 or HG10 ? Or should I increase my budget ?:o

It has great low light performance AND takes excellent still photos too.

Video test clip:
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/3096d0b31712edcabe

Two still photo samples:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/Captain_Marvel/SANY0169.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/Captain_Marvel/SANY0202.jpg

I was about to recommend the same but Rock Flint beat me to it. And you can painlessly store all your videos onto an external HDD without the need of a PC.

Nice !!! The pictures posted by Rock Flint and Videos I saw on Vimeo look awesome. Only thing I would be concerned about would be lack of optical IS. What is your experience with digital IS when zoomed in ?

The review showed impressive low light performance.

The most important now... Where can I buy this in USA ?

Nice !!! The pictures posted by Rock Flint and Videos I saw on Vimeo look awesome. Only thing I would be concerned about would be lack of optical IS. What is your experience with digital IS when zoomed in ?

The review showed impressive low light performance.

The most important now... Where can I buy this in USA ?

Thanks for the kind words about my postings. They reflect the ability of this camcorder.

Digital IS is not great. I have learned that getting used to the shape of the camcorder and learning how to hold it still helps. I plan to start using the monopod that I bought a few years ago but never used. When the lens zooms to telephoto, the digital IS is not able to keep the image still. It does better at wide angle.

Where can you buy one in the US? Right now, it is not yet available. I bought mine on eBay from a dealer in Hong Kong. A little ofver $600 including S&H. It came by air and delivered by FedEx 3 days after I ordered it. No problems with the order and they threw in a 4gb SDHC card with a Nikon logo on it.