I'm the original poster of this thread. I wound up buying a JVC HD100u.

Congratulations Bill! Welcome to the world of HD video production, and happy shooting.

I have two HDR-FX1 cams. The low-light has not been an issue for me. I think the FX1 provides very acceptable low-light performance. The gain is much cleaner than the GL2's I used to have, as well as the DVX100a. Last weekend was the darkest reception I had been to in a while. The first thing the photographer said to me when she walked in was "its dark in here."

I had my gain at 15dB and my shutter at 30. The picture looked alot better than I was expecting it to look when watching it back on my 57" HDTV later when I got home that night. I was impressed.

I think 16:9 adds value to my product as well. Especially as 16:9 tv's gain popularity which is happening exponentially.

UPDATE: I'm the original poster of this thread. I wound up buying a JVC HD100u. I ultimately decided it was pointless to invest more money in an SD camera when the HD100 can shoot both SD and HD, 4:3 and 16:9, etc. So far I like it a lot and find the low light to be fine -- there are a million adjustments you can make to achieve an acceptable image in poor lighting.

Hey Bill,

Congrats on the new camera. I'd love to see some weddings shot with that cam as the 720P appeals to me. Can't wait to hear your reaction when you see the footage you shot with it on an HDTV.

Chris Watson
Watson Videography

UPDATE: I'm the original poster of this thread. I wound up buying a JVC HD100u. I ultimately decided it was pointless to invest more money in an SD camera when the HD100 can shoot both SD and HD, 4:3 and 16:9, etc. So far I like it a lot and find the low light to be fine -- there are a million adjustments you can make to achieve an acceptable image in poor lighting.
THANK YOU BILL!!!!!

If only more people would bother to tweak the settings.. of EVERY camera in this range. then this stupid low light argument would die in the arse...

You kidding Peter? I've had it a month and I'm still playing with scene files, learning about knee and stretch... how to assign user buttons... and it is paying off big! Now, to find Jim Cantori's cameraman and learn the art of steady shots...