I am in the market to purchase a higher-end camcorder. I also has a hi-def television. My selection must be able to be used by an amateur fairly easily and able to withstand the rigors of being used in a moving(speeding, carving, tracking) vehicle.

I have found the following to be different, but in the same neigborhood as far as features and price:

Canon XL1s
Panasonic AG-DVX100A
Sony DCR VX2000
JVC GR-HD1

Items of importance to me- high resolution, audio, 24 frame/sec recording(but not mandatory), 16x9 filming


Does anyone have any experience with any of the models above? Any other recommendations? I understand that some come with their own editing software and some do not. My computer will probably need to be replaced(only 1.8 Pent 4- 256RAM) to meet the software requirements.

I hope to be able to capture some pretty good video this year... but no more jumping the car. I have new shocks/springs and I'm not ready to blow them out yet.

Thanks in advance,
Skip

 

Sony PD-150 is nice. It's like a vx2000 with a shotgun mic. XL-1s are nice too. Cannon GL2s are good too.

 

Oops, I posted over on S2000 Talk where you posted this first.

I own a XL1 and would not give up the selection of lenses for the low light capabilities of the Sonys, for example. This is something to keep in mind with the XL1s, which does impose cost and size penalties but in exchange you have the ability to capture that silver screen landscape footage that you won't be able to capture with the other cameras.

My advice:

If you're looking to such a camera for in-cabin use, will you need nighttime recording? If not, save your money and get a decent 3CCD miniDV, say a Panasonic 953. It's going to give you comparable daylight video quality to all the models you named, and you can get it at bhphotovideo for $900 something. I suggest this because we're not too far away from the era of the 3CCD HDV cameras. All of the cameras you named represent the terminal products of their respective manufacturers.

If you need nighttime footage then a VX2x00 is going to be an excellent choice.

Avoid the JVC, its single CCD imaging system results in some wacky color definition.

Why do you want 24p?

 

All your choices are good however I would highly recomend you go with a camera with 3 chip technology!

 

Thanks for the responses.

Actually, the 953 was one that I wrote down to investigate, although I let price help form an initial opinion. At the price point I was willing to indulge, I won't be replacing it anytime soon. Can I get an estimate of how long before the 3CCD HDV technology is available? And then how long before I can afford it?

Reason for 24f/s? 'Cause I've read, not experienced first-hand, that you get a more "cinematic" product... potentially. As I mentioned, it's not a top priority. I also have two children(11, 9) and wife that I'd like to film(a little late starting) and create a compilation for their later teens(my wife is not a pre-teen ). The recent loss of my father and near-loss of my wife helped me realize that, while stills are good- great, if you're good, motion pictures capture the laughter/tears/sounds of life. With that being said, the most immediate and repetitive use of my choice will be for driving and driving events.

The camera mounts for our car- can they handle the heavier cams? Is there a definitive source of information on this type/group of camcorders?

I'm not really sure what I need, thus my thread. Suggestions, tips, and insights are greatly appreciated. I was hoping to score a piece before the Dragon, but didn't want to rush my decision and make an expensive mistake.

 

^ just got the order for the camera mount ... there is a delay in shipping (waiting on butterfly screws) will ship item out Friday or sooner if I can.

BTW it can hold up to 10 lbs and still be sturdy

 

Of the ones you listed I would go with the DVX100A.. BUT if your are looking for something to mount in your car I wouldn't reccomend any of those, your going to really want something smaller. Look into Sony's PDX-10 or Panasonic's new DVX-30 (I think thats what its called). They have smaller chips so they wont be as sensitive in real low light, but when lit well they look great, plus they will fit in your car. None of the cams you listed have 16X9 chips, they have an Electronic squeeze but you lose image quality. So if you want 16x9 your gonna neeed a anamorphic lens as well. The only cam I can think off of the top of my head in this price range that has 16x9 Chips is Sony's PDX-10. Thats one of the smaller ones you can mount in your car easily, you might want to look into that one... Ok enough typing for me

 

Thanks.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FF2Skip
Thanks for the responses.

Actually, the 953 was one that I wrote down to investigate, although I let price help form an initial opinion.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FF2Skip
Is there a definitive source of information on this type/group of camcorders?