Panasonic PV-GS300 Digital Camcorder  

I'd love to have one of those.

Typically I go camcorder to PC via Firewire. Copy the raw DV to the hard drive. Capture with DVgate, assemble in Sony Movie Studio and add text, transitions, etc.

Output is a little weird for me because I have an older version that does not have the MPEG codec, and it isn't sold standalone any more. So I output to .avi and use some shareware to convert .avi to MPEG2 for DVD. Turns out surprisingly well.

But wonky workflow. I'll upgrade to the current Movie Studio + DVD next time I have some video to work on.

Is this your first camcorder, or an upgrade?

This is the camcorder I am thinking of getting. It seems to get good reviews , but I am hesitant due to the question of its low - light video performance. Much of my video will be in normal house indoors. I dont like having to turn on every light in the room I am shooting in to get a decent picture. Since you own this camera, have you used it in a normal indoor setting with moderate lighting? If so, how did the video come out? Is it dingy looking with washed out colors and lots of noise? I used to have a JVC which had an auto gain control feature which seemed to allow for a brighter video in normal indoor usage, but I am really wanting to try out the Panasonic model.

Well, there's always a hotshoe accessory light....