[goks92]

I plan on buying a camcorder this week to use for regular filming like sports and family etc. But im also going to use it to film my wedding/reception in august and honeymoon.. Any advice on what camera to get, i believe ive narrowed it down to the canon hf s100, Panasonic HDC-HS300, Sony hdr-xr520v but im open to suggestions....Budget is no more than 1000...


Eventually im going to build a core i7 with bd burner, but thats not till the fall..

 

[dla26]

I'll bump this up, since I was going to ask a very similar question. I'm used to the plasma/LCD/AVR/projector forums where there are a ton of these questions with plenty of recent advice going around. The camcorder forums appear to be light on that front for some reason.


The only difference between me and the OP is that I haven't narrowed down my selection at all -- I'm just starting my research.

 

[Chevypower]

It's because the same questions get asked over and over, with the same answers given.

Probably the Sony HDR-XR500v (I don't think you need the 520v). The 120GB HDD is plenty big (14hrs 40mins in the highest quality). On the Canon side, HF-S10 I guess.

 

[Zevi]

Having recently bought the XR500 myself, I second Chevy's opinion. For me, the main reason the Canon, as well as other good cams, were not candidates was the fact that they do not have a viewfinder. I consider it a must-have.


Good luck!

Zevi

 

[donaldk]

And the new Flash memory based versions of the 520 and the 500 the Sony HDR-CX520 and HDR-CX505 sporting 64 and 32 gigabyte of internal storage?


Additional storage is available on Sony memory sticks (currently 32 gig max. 64 gig on its way). European shipping to commence mid-August, at list prices of 1300 and 1100 euro including VAT. US list at 1299 and 1099 USD.

 

[kennethmn]

Sony lacks manual shutter & apperture and can be slow on finding focus. If you only use auto modes it will be fine.


If you need a viewfinder and manual control get the Panasonic.


Avoid cams with harddisks! Flashbased (SDRAM, internal RAM) are more secure (no HD failure), smaller and uses a little less power. If you record on SDRAM it's very easy to copy data to your computer without cables. If you run out of space just go to nearest electr. shop and buy an extra RAM card. Just as you would do with DV tapes in the old days...