Camcorder - Buying

Siva, it depends on how you use your camcorder
if size is not an issue and you want to be future ready go for the HDD with better resolution(with 3ccd etc)..i believe it gives HD compatible recording

VFM is HDD with same resolution as old DV

would not recommend the DV/miniDV now as the HDD is more user friendly..but if you are one of those who shoots very long clips then DV is recommended as you can change the media when you run out of it.

I downscaled after an old Sony digitalHi 8 to a Sanyo Xacti which records in Divx on an sd card...very low features..only vcd quality but can put it in my pocket and is waterproof

found it very diffucult to lug the old one around and realised was not using it much due to it.

Sivat, I would recommend something like this:
http://sumaria.co.in/product_info.php?products_id=3582
Manufacturer page
Sony HDR-SR10E
A near-HD camera (note: it does 1080i, not 1080p) with a 40GB hard disc (15 hrs) allowing you to capture more and with greater clarity.

As Arj mentioned, a 3-CCD camera offers the best quality. I expect other useful features would be Image Stabilisation and Night Shot mode.

Of course we are discussing cameras useful for shooting your family vacation and such and NOT for professional purposes. The main reason being the poor chroma subsampling of these cameras. For both miniDV (PAL) and AVCHD (format used by this Sony), the chroma subsampling is 4:2:0 i.e. for every 4x4 matrix of visual information, only 2x2 of colour information is stored. This is especially bad with bright reds, where you will see stair-stepping. A cheap trick therefore is to shoot high-def and downsize to SD on the PC later for storage.

This camera features 4-megapixel still shots as well so that helps too and the face detection technology should help with portraits. One criticism of this camera is that it performs a bit poorly in low light situations but not too bad.

However it has a good quality lens can record in 5.1 surround sound that is pretty neat when played back on a home theatre.

Another option is the Canon HV30: http://www.camcorder...der-Review-34401.htm
Don't know about availability in India but the Canon XL is incredibly good for professional video shooting so I'd expect no less from these.

HI Siva,

The choice depends upon your application, if you mainly shoot family events get a compact one that can be carried around (weather resistant if possible).

If you are in for quality serious shooting Canon XL2 is the one to be given serious thought. Fixed lens of most camcorders are a limitation, one has to resort to adapter lenses to go wide or long.

some useful info http://www.camcorder...C-SD1-JVC-GZ-HD7.htm

I need it primairly to cover my kids...and since i play it on a 42" TV, the resolution has to be good. I'm looking at atleast DVD quality.

Another thing is .. i want to avoid tapes, as it takes a lot of time to convert it into DVD.


Question 1:
Will i get DVD quality from HDD camera's that operate at resolution limited to that of DV (Standard resolution)

Question 2:
Since i'm planning to buy a Playstation 3 with HDD shortly...would investing in a Hi-def camera make sense...it is the right time ?

Question 3:
What are the recommended models...it looks like cnet is the only site with some recommendation for camcorders.

I checked the price of Canon HG10 (hi-def) in US. Costs $700+$70shipping (UPS)+30%duty = around Rs.42k. The same thing is sold in India for Rs.88k by Canon. :|. But they were generous to offer a 5% discount