Am just about to buy a new HG10. I hear some utterings about HDD reliability.

I need the camcorder for this March so the Canon flash based HF100 is out of the running. In any case it has no viewfinder.

I see some people singing the praises of the Sony CX7EX (CX6EX in Europe) on this forum. But every review I have read has put the HG10 picture quality above that of all AVcodecHD camcorders including the Sony. Also here in Europe the Sony CX is €100 Euro more expensive than the HG10. IMO the Sony is a case of more € for less camera. Then for my trip I would need 3 or 4 8GB 'sticks'. The genuine Sony ones are near €100 each. (sony, how bout an SD slot? ... Not likely!) Also the CX has no viewfinder. I want/need a viewfinder on the sunny white sand beaches of The Philippines, and Ulura Rock (Ayes rock) Austraila.

Also the fact that all the still cameras I have owned have been Canon (A1, T70, Ixus 40, and most recent 30d + lots of accessories), without one failure, has influenced my choice.

I asked the owner of a small camera shop here in Dublin about HDD camcorder reliability. He said he has never had one returned. He may sell only 100 or so each year though. I read about one guy who had a faulty HDD on his new HG10 and the replacement had some other fault. He then got the CX he wanted as a replacement. But to me this sounds like a case of Murphy's law.

I am just wondering how many users here with HDD cameras (either SD or HD) have had failures.

Pascal

Just my opinion, but there is a certain risk no matter which mechanism the recorder uses. Flash-based recorders are probably the safest since they have no moving parts. Tape-based recorders are probably next in reliability. HDD and disc-based recorders probably have similar risk in that they are both volatile to some degree.

HDD recorders have the advantage of allowing the longest recording time, which means no fiddling with tapes, memory cards, or discs. To me, this was a great boon and certainly outweighs the risks involved in using a HD. That said, you do need to be careful not to drop or hit the recorder, which could potentially damage the HD. The recorder does have some safety devices which are meant to protect the HD from damage, but the risk is still there.

Your best bet if you go the HDD route is to back up the files on the HDD to a laptop or other external storage device when you are done with a shoot. You can simply drag and drop the raw video files from the camera to the storage vice via USB and it takes relatively little time compared to capturing footage from a tape or disc.

I just got the HG10 myself about a week ago, so I can't specifically comment on its reliability. However, I did do quite a bit of reading and researching and did not encounter a lot of anecdotal evidence suggesting an unusually high failure rate with the HD camcorders.

Am just about to buy a new HG10. I hear some utterings about HDD reliability.

I need the camcorder for this March so the Canon flash based HF100 is out of the running. In any case it has no viewfinder.

I see some people singing the praises of the Sony CX7EX (CX6EX in Europe) on this forum. But every review I have read has put the HG10 picture quality above that of all AVcodecHD camcorders including the Sony. Also here in Europe the Sony CX is €100 Euro more expensive than the HG10. IMO the Sony is a case of more € for less camera. Then for my trip I would need 3 or 4 8GB 'sticks'. The genuine Sony ones are near €100 each. (sony, how bout an SD slot? ... Not likely!) Also the CX has no viewfinder. I want/need a viewfinder on the sunny white sand beaches of The Philippines, and Ulura Rock (Ayes rock) Austraila.

Also the fact that all the still cameras I have owned have been Canon (A1, T70, Ixus 40, and most recent 30d + lots of accessories), without one failure, has influenced my choice.

I asked the owner of a small camera shop here in Dublin about HDD camcorder reliability. He said he has never had one returned. He may sell only 100 or so each year though. I read about one guy who had a faulty HDD on his new HG10 and the replacement had some other fault. He then got the CX he wanted as a replacement. But to me this sounds like a case of Murphy's law.

I am just wondering how many users here with HDD cameras (either SD or HD) have had failures.

Pascal

Hello,

Don't be afraid, tape based camera can be also failed! I am using JVC GZHD7 since last 9 months, I am very much happy, why don't you think about JVC GZHD? It is really good HD camera! I have posted some videos, if you wants to see them folow below links:

http://vimeo.com/642155

http://vimeo.com/640085

http://vimeo.com/638812

http://vimeo.com/635871

http://vimeo.com/630531

http://vimeo.com/623399

http://vimeo.com/621475

http://vimeo.com/617515

http://vimeo.com/617254

http://vimeo.com/616634

http://vimeo.com/458245

http://vimeo.com/458673

http://vimeo.com/466120

http://vimeo.com/469280

http://vimeo.com/601216

http://vimeo.com/603273

http://vimeo.com/605499

http://vimeo.com/608358

Thank you Travis. I was of the same opinion myself. IMO HDD have become very reliabale in the last 10 years or so. I have never had one fail in any of my laptops even though they have taken falls occasionally.

Kaushik, Thank you for your reply also. I have already seen your post on the other thread. I would not even consider the JVC GZHD7. It is out of the running from the start because of price. It is €390 (€575) more expensive than the HG10 here in Europe. I like the idea of the the mpeg-2 fast data stream but reading reviews, it does not seem to live up to its expectations. Also I feel that the AVCHD camp will dominate in the coming year. I have Ulead 11 + and beleive that it will edit this format easily.

Pascal Canning