I have a VX2000 and an older D8. Recently I decided that it would be nice to have a good quality camcorder that was smaller than my VX2000 to take on holidays etc and to use as a second camera for the occasional wedding that I do.

I thought a good used TRV900 would be a nice match as it has a good reputation, uses the same batteries as the VX2000 and is ok in low light. However, after reading many of the posts here I am wondering if I should spend a little more and get a HDR-HC1. Good used 900's are going for $850 to $1200 US (seems like an awful lot to me). For a few hundred dollars more one could begin thinking about the HC1.

Here's my question: assuming that I only use the HC1 for SD, would the resulting picture quality be better than any consumer camcorders? How does the low light ability compare to the 900 and 950?

It strikes me that it would be better to buy for the future. I have a HD tv so I could enjoy good quality home movies while waiting for blu-ray or whatever to come around.

Any thoughts or experiences that you can share would be appreciated.

Curt

Curt,

I had exactly the same concerns as you when I bought my hc1: I can watch the HD on my TV at home, but how will it look when I put it on dvd? I can say that I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the down-converted hd footage. Mind you, I still film everything in hd, why wouldn't you. But down-converted, it still looks better than any consumer camcorder....ever.
The low-light performance is wonderful for a consumer camcorder. Just spend a little time getting to know her and you can get some great results. If you're going to compare this camera to professional rigs then, yes, you're going to be disappointed. But for the price, you cannot beat it in my opinion.

do NOT downconvert. Download the HD stream, edit it ( see for instance the cheap Womble MPEG2 Video Wizard, excellent stuff..) and encode it into SD. If you get a good MPEG2 encoder, it is MUCH better than the downconversion done by the cam. And you will also keep that footage in HD for the next years xhen HD screens will be common..