Hi, I'm looking to buy a prosumer cam for filmmaking purposes... I really like the PDX10, but it's just a little too expensive... can anyone tell me a camcorder similar to it for a few hundred dollars less?

The things I like about the PDX10 are:

- it's high pixel rate CCDs
- ability to shoot in DVCAM mode
- the fact that 16:9 and 4:3 are both the same quality with it
- 1 megapixel for shooting still pictures

thanks! :)

<<<-- Originally posted by Graham Kolbeins : The things I like about the PDX10 are: - ability to shoot in DVCAM mode -->>>

AFAIK the PDX-10 is the least expensive model in the DVCAM line. You might find that the Panasonic DV-953 can do some of these other things, although I've never seen one. I imagine Frank will chime in on this though... :-)

Yeah, I would say go for the PV-DV953, then. Cheaper, good 16:9, high resolution, great color, good audio. However, you'll need good lighting, audio should be improved with an XLR adaptor/external mic, and no DVCAM---miniDV should be good enough---they're both the same resolution.