Which camcorder would you choose

[Dari]

Sony:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

Advantages:
1920X1080i
AVCHD on 120GB HDD

Disadvantages:
High compression (only 16mb/s)
HDD not removeable
USB only
$1400

Canon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

Advantages:
24fps or 30fps in Progressive mode
AV in/out
Firewire
No compression
$911

Disadvantages:
1440X1080i
Tape based

If only I could merge the advantages of both cameras, I'd be in heaven. But seriously, which would you rather have? Will the 1920 lines on the Sony and 1440 lines on the Canon be noticeable when compared side-by-side? Will the Sony have a lot of jerkiness when it comes to fast-moving action?

 

[everman]

How about the Panasonic hs9 or sd5? I did a little looking around for a nice small one and they seem nice, the sd5 records only to SDHC cards, whereas the HS9 has a 60gb hard disk. I love how small the sd5 is.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Dari
Sony:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

Advantages:
1920X1080i
AVCHD on 120GB HDD

Disadvantages:
High compression (only 16mb/s)
HDD not removeable
USB only
$1400

Canon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

Advantages:
24fps or 30fps in Progressive mode
AV in/out
Firewire
No compression
$911

Disadvantages:
1440X1080i
Tape based

If only I could merge the advantages of both cameras, I'd be in heaven. But seriously, which would you rather have? Will the 1920 lines on the Sony and 1440 lines on the Canon be noticeable when compared side-by-side? Will the Sony have a lot of jerkiness when it comes to fast-moving action?

Correction. The Canon is using different compression (MPEG-2 HDV format.) Chances are, the HV30 image would be better (I own a HDR-HC7 and the HV20 is better - that is HDV to HDV). Also, read carefully on the AVCHD. The format recorded is probably still only 1440x1080 with a 1920 sensor. Have not verified that one yet, but it has been a general thing done lately.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Canon. without a doubt.

 

[theblackbox]

HDV uses 1440x1080 (1080i) so there is no benefit in resolution as compared to AVCHD. I think Sony is the first company to have a true 1920x1080 hdv camera that shoots on XDCAM (35 mbit/s 1920x1080) which far exceeds the consumer market. The canon is a nice camera, feels a little flimsy, and uses minidv. I've used minidv forever, and just made the switch to avchd. I doubt i will ever go back. If you use Final Cut Pro, avchd is the easiest format to work with, it is easy to grab captures without queueing a tape.
if you plan on using 24p (the canon does a 24p wrapped in 60i) you can then take the footage, and get rid of the pulldown and make real 1080p24 footage. i tried this with the canon and the footage looks great, but it requires extras steps.
The newest sony avchd hdd cameras are pretty impressive, upping the ante for avchd. I would stay away from panasonic. the 3ccd system it uses just doesn't do well in low light. canon and sony both use cmos sensors that do much better.

It really depends on what you are gonna do with it.

 

[theblackbox]

and to answer your questions about fast moving action. a lot of people say avchd artifacts, but i have yet to have problems with any speed artifacts. Shooting in 24p will cause more issues with action then avchd ever could. 24p without the editing capability isn't very useful at the consumer level. In order to make it useful, you need to be able to reverse telecine to remove the pulldon to make it better. BUT, if you have ever seen a movie shot digital at 24p(24f) it's pretty funny to watch. the motion merely mimics what you would see from film, and still not well.
30p(30f) is okay, if you plan on putting it on the web, you can reduce it to 15fps and it does well. otherwise, it's just another gimick.

If it were me, i'd choose the sony. hands down. but the sr11 with it's 60gb hd is a much better deal, and it has all the other features of the sr12.

once cameras are able to do avchd at 25mbit/s i think we will see the end of minidv, there just won't be any use for it at the consumer level.

did you look at the canon hf-10?

 

[DanMart25]

I don't think Sony will have jerkiness capturing fast moving actions; however, I would pick Canon's VIXIA HV30; it comes with Dual Flash Memory. Check out for some expert reviews.

 

[Dari]

I got the HV30 and made some recordings on tape. How do I erase content on the miniDV? Do I just tape over it? I can't find instructions in the manual.

 

[gsellis]

Tape over.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: gsellis
Tape over.

Thanx.

 

[imported_Goo]

I have the Sanyo HD1000 1080i camcorder, SDHC card, crystal clear and compact. And 1/2 the price. Loved it. Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Gooberlx2]

From what I understood readin the HV20 review on camcorderinfo, was that Canon's 24p absolutely kills the other consumer HD cams in lowlight. Of course, though, it has an effect on motion so it depends on how that affects your shooting needs.

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
From what I understood readin the HV20 review on camcorderinfo, was that Canon's 24p absolutely kills the other consumer HD cams in lowlight. Of course, though, it has an effect on motion so it depends on how that affects your shooting needs.

Kills? Not according to shooters over in DVInfo. In fact the HC7 might be slightly better. There were some configuration issues that muddy the water and the Sony can do better if the slow-shutter setting is off.

While CMOS is vastly improved, it still needs another generation to get better with low light. The 3CMOS chip cameras still are not as sensitive as the 3CCD cameras like the Sony PD170/VX2100.

 

[Blain]

Even though I had the hots for a HDD or flash drive camcorder...
I bought the Canon HV30! :laugh:

What sold me was...
1. Video quality (especially low light)
2. Mpeg-2 compression (less compression and easier to editing than AVCHD - more programs)
3. Mic in, headphone out, hot shoe, add-on lens adapters, viewfinder & LCD
4. Optical Image Stabilization

 

[gsellis]

Originally posted by: Blain

Even though I had the hots for a HDD or flash drive camcorder...
I bought the Canon HV30! :laugh:

What sold me was...
1. Video quality (especially low light)
2. Mpeg-2 compression (less compression and easier to editing than AVCHD - more programs)
3. Mic in, headphone out, hot shoe, add-on lens adapters, viewfinder & LCD
4. Optical Image Stabilization

Yeah! This forum at DVInfo discusses issues with the HXx0 series by both prosumers and pros.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf - HDV2 Canon HVxx forum