CANON DIGI CAMCORDERS

[rvt1000]

Hey Everyone, I know this isn't part of the digital photography forum but I'm curious to get all of your inputs.
I'm trying to buy a MINI-DV camcorder and I'm thinking about the canon series but I want to make sure it's a 3CCD, which means I'd have to delve into the semi-pro series which is way too expensive for a broke med student. I've heard the Panasonic (I know, I know) GS250 is a relatively cheap 3CCD camera....I'm kind of torn because I love canon but price is kind of scaring me. So any advice would be appreciated.

[scottbergerphoto]

Canon makes incredible Mini dv camcorders. The GL1 which was replaced by the GL2 gives beautifully clear video.

[slin100]

While 3CCD does give wonderful color fidelity, I've read that the performance is not quite as sterling on the consumer-level camcorders. It's somewhat of a gimmick some have said. Nonetheless, the Panasonic GS250 does get pretty good reviews. If you're looking for superior video quality under a range of conditions, I don't think any of the consumer cams are going to cut it, even one with a 3CCD.

As I understand it, Mini-DV camcorders are still in early stages of technology curve. One of the biggest problems is low-light performance. Most consumer-level camcorders have tiny sensors. And like P&S digital still cameras, video under low light is very noisy. In fact, picture quality has gone down in the transition from analog Hi8 to Mini DV.

If you're stuck on getting a 3CCD camera, I've read that the top consumer-level performers are the Panasonic GS400 and GS250, and the Sony DCR-PC100. I just got a Canon Optura 60 about a month ago and it performs reasonably well. A big plus is that is has Optical Image Stabilization.

[Rob612]

Surely the 3 CCD is a great thing to have but I have to say that unless you do not want really go pro but limit yourself to semipro stuff the high end single CCD gan give astounding results. I have an MVx 3i that is absolutely great, and with optical stabilization, that really helps. This will cut your budget a lot, giving you the chance to inves in good quality NLE equipment. Without NLE, for anybody that wants good results, it's wasted money, IMHO. Think about a dedicate PC with lots od ram, lots of HD and if the budget allows a real time editing card like the Matrox RTx.100 (that' what I have, and I love it). you can always move later to higher level digicams if the need arise but the NLE stuff will stay the same anyway. Just my 0.02.