Apoligies in advance if I'm posting in the wrong topic. I'm not quite sure where to place this, as it could apply to several main topics.

I have an old Sony DCR-TRV50 that has been my trusty camcorder until the front lens ring came off (I attached a wide angle lens so tight that after removing it, the whole front lens/focus ring and surrounding part came unhinged). I asked for an estimate and repairing the thing would cost $250 flat. At that point I figured I might as well sell it off once I find myself something tiny I can travel with.

Might anyone be able to recommend a palmcorder that has quality equivalent to my old TRV50 that is affordable and smaller? I wish I could say the tech specifications I want as far as color on so on, but I'm rusty on any technical details. I'm using the TRV50 as comparison in terms of video quality only (not all the excess features that originally came with it :p)

- 16:9 native?
- compact / light
- sturdy/reliable

I would like something that I can take with me on travel, is reliable and affordable. Not heavy to lug around when traveling light.

I've been a Sony follower for awhile now, but I'm open to Canon as well. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

I'd look into a Panna GS400. I'm also a Sony user (PDX10), but Panna makes some nice consumer cams, with good manuel controls.

I agree the Panny GS400 would be a good choice. Small, very good color and resolution, native 16:9, and lots of manual control. Not exactly a "palmcorder" like the vertical DV cameras with their tiny CCDs, but still pretty darned small and light.

Hmm thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm looking to spend under $700 (something affordable :).

I'm really strapped for cash right now, as I am still looking for work :( I'll keep the GS400 in mind though as a future replacement, thanks guys.

How about the Panasonic PV-GS150? Its a few steps down from the 400. It gets good reviews for its price range. However I have no personal experience with it. Just has alot of good reviews for that price range.

The cameras look good. GS150 looks good with the manual controls and so on. The other night I noticed the Sony HC90, too. Widescreen and tiny, but no focus ring, which is sad but forgivable if I'm having general use perhaps.

I don't think the GS150 has native 16:9.

Manual focus on consumer cameras isn't particularly useful in my experience. The focus rings spin untill infinitiy, which is really annoying. The viewfinder usually isn't sharp enough to check focus on. And the cameras CCDs are small, so nearly everything is in focus anyways.

Manual focus can be useful in low light, since autofocus usually fails in those situations.