GS-400 won´t be expensive. I´m telling it because:

1) DV-953, which was pricing around $950-1000 at B&H, costs officialy (pana´s site) $1500. Panasonic will maybe give same price to the new GS-400, so, logically, the street price is gonna be dramatically lower than pana´s announcement, just like the old model.

2) Panasonic strategy is to offer good 3-CCD cameras for a price 20-40% less than other brands. So, if Sony, the expensive one, is gonna price HC1000 around $1550 (at least it´s the Japan´s price), Panasonic will never allow GS400 to be as expensive as Sony´s cam, cause they know they can´t beat it.

3) As time passes, these camcorder usually becomes cheaper.

Conclusion: I believe GS-400 will be lower than $1100 quickly.

Conclusion#2: I must improve my english.

The MSRP of GS400 in US is 1499$
there are a number online stores offering the cam for 1200-1300$
Not that i'll go and purchase from them, but if they make a big order the discount may be good enough for them even to sell for 1200$.

B&H has given me the MSRP of 1499 as their expected price of the cam.

Yes, the GS400 should be really cheap.

It is NOT a lowly priced hi-ended camera. It will be a normal home-user camera with some technical jargon thrown in for publicity and 3 VERY small chips to capture video. For what we are getting, it may well be better bang for the bucks to get a normal 1 chipper!

I don´t agree. A lot of reviews told DV-953 has a great image in good light situation. As good as VX-2000 and GL2. So, as good as PD-150 and XL-1.

Sure there must be a little difference, but look at the price!

Other issues are the manual control and functions. DV-953 is totally manual, and has some good functions. GS-400 will be even improved!

It´s not a high end cam, but also is not the kind of camera that is made only for people like my father, that doesn´t care about specs.

GS400 will have much better low-light performance, will have high-quality widescreen capability, and it will be small and compact.

it is as high-end cam as it can get in this size.

Yow, I think it will be time to part with your old cam and upgrade =)
or.. maybe you ARE upgrading.. thats why you talk B.S. about GS400, just making sure there is enough inventory for you when you buy it, aren't ya? eh? =))

it's mine.. mine I tell ya!

GS400 will have much better low-light performance

Compared to what?

Santa Clause

Safe answer since no one has used one yet.

I'm eagerly awaiting.

I hope whoever gets one first will share some frames.

=)
...well... I was comparing it with it's predecessors ;-)
at least by the specs

George, are you going to buy one as soon as it comes out?

I've got the itch but I want someone else to go first (this time). :)

I'll scratch myself as soon as I can! ;-)

Yes, please buy one the day it comes out and let poor Pokey know what's wrong with it so he don't have to worry about buying one no more. :-))

Upgrade is on my mind, towards the DVC30 or DVX100 range, no point staying in the same level and call it an upgrade.

As for comparing with the VX2000 or XL1s, in good lighting, no problems, comparable, but in low lights, the MX500 is not even as good as my MX350 or Frank's MX300.

Maybe the GS400 can be better, but cramping more pixels into a smaller chip reduces sensitivity, and using a smaller chip also means losing the wide angle range of the lens.

Don't you also own a JVC JY-DV300? Or am I mixed up? :-))

How much better can the DVC30 be against the MX350 and MX300? I don't think going for another 1/4" chip cam is worth it at this time, Yow. It's like the difference between a MX5000 and a GS100. Sure, the Mamba is better, but this better is slight.

My day job is pretty tough on me now, and I have not much time for my video sidelines. No income = no new toys.

I am hoping to go DVX100, wide angle and low lux is great. But I'll keep my 'smaller' MX350 for tours. At that the MX350 is actually twice the bulk of the new GS series!

I have only 1 video camera. My next big toy should be the S3pro digital still camera, and that, again, depends on my photography sideline income.

Back to the topic, I still beleive that Panasonic is REALLY good at lowering prices, and with good marketing skills. They do VERY well in Japan. I am sure Rejoso can testify to that! :) :)

George-
When B&H told you the GS400 would be $1499, did they give you any indication of when they would have these in stock?

I don't even think that Pana USA has made an official announcement yet, so I doubt B&H knows when.