I want to keep filming nature and wildlife here at my home in Sitka Alaska. For the past 9 months I have been without a camcorder. Due to my very low income and lack of resources, I only have around $2,000 to spend for a camcorder.

Should I try to replace my XH-A1 with a used XH-A1/A1s, or spend my resources on one of the newer pro-consumer models? I love the 20x lens, but I'm also interested in going tapeless to save money. I'm also intrigued about shooting 60p.

Any suggestions?

Dave Rice
Sitka Alaska Video (http://sitkaalaskavideo.blogspot.com/)

Take a look at the new Fuji Finepix HS10 / HS11. It has a fixed 30X zoom lens equivalent to 24 - 720mm on a 35mm camera and records 1080p. Price is around $550. Weight is only 636 grams. It's also tapeless. I haven't seen a test report but it definitely has potential as a low cost/lightweight camera/camcorder for wildlife.

FinePix HS10 / HS11 | Fujifilm Global (http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_hs10/index.html)

Peter
www,parkfilms.com

The Fuji is a little lame on video:
1,920 x 1,080 pixels (Full HD)



I'm looking now at the Panasonic HDC-HS700
Video: 1080 / 60p (28Mbps)
Stills: 14.2 megapixels (4608 x 3072)

and can add a Canon Teleconverter lens and still be under budget.

I'm a little worried about picking up a "used" A1s. I have not had good luck buying used equipment in the past.

May be it's time to go tapeless, and the 60p would be fun for birds in flight, or whales jumping.

I'm not sure I understand how the Panasonic's video is any better than the Fuji. According to a comment I read the HDC-HS700 uses a bit rate of only 17mbps for 30p. At 60p it will use up media a lot faster. Also, make sure your editing software supports 60p. For wildlife the Panny is limited by a 12X optical zoom whereas I think the 30X Fujinon is the best feature of the Fuji. Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose.

Peter
Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Desert Wildflowers - Guides, DVDs and More (http://www.parkfilms.com)

The Fuji uses Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) for video. A informal name for a class of video formats where each video frame or interlaced field of a digital video sequence is separately compressed as a JPEG image. Originally developed for multimedia PC applications, where more advanced formats have now replaced it.

The Fuji is a little lame on video:
1,920 x 1,080 pixels (Full HD)



I'm looking now at the Panasonic HDC-HS700
Video: 1080 / 60p (28Mbps)
Stills: 14.2 megapixels (4608 x 3072)

and can add a Canon Teleconverter lens and still be under budget.

I'm a little worried about picking up a "used" A1s. I have not had good luck buying used equipment in the past.

May be it's time to go tapeless, and the 60p would be fun for birds in flight, or whales jumping.

That's a nice camera. Full HD and 60p.
$1,399.95 at BH Photo