camcorder - HD or HD or SD or SD - where to start?

[Ben Forman]

Hi Guys

i'm after a hard drive recording camcorder, and the terminology seems too complex for the average joe - what with the competing acronyms in one device HD - High Definition / Hard Drive or SD Standard definition /Secure Digital

I have resisted buying a camcorder for ages as I use them all day at work, I have shot previously on XL1, XL2, XM1 and now on Sony Z1. But with a sister off to the US on holiday and a little'un on the way i (and mrs ben) feel the time is ripe for a camcorder at home.

is there anything anyone would recomend in particular, I've looked at Sony's SR1 - HD (Hi Def) and HD (Hard Drive) camcorder and am pretty impressed by it. According to one site it's pretty noisy, but it won't disturb you "unless you're George Lucas".

I've also looked at the Panasonic SDR-S150 which records standard definition on secure digital as a cheaper compromise

there doesn't seem to be much else out there, and again, another site says that the SR1 is the best available, but I am a little put off by the price, and was wondering if a standard definition models or similar are false economy due to the lower quality - is all the money in HD even for the consumer these days?

thanks for any advice

b.

[Bruce S. Yarock]

Ben,
have you looked at the Canon HV20? It's got a great image, shoots hdv oe sd, and is around $1000. i have an HV10 and use it as a 3rd cam with my XLH1 and sony FX1.
Bruce yarock
www.yarock.com

[Kevin Shaw]

Originally Posted by Ben Forman

I am a little put off by the price, and was wondering if a standard definition models or similar are false economy due to the lower quality - is all the money in HD even for the consumer these days?

That's up to you. If you capture some priceless memory in SD it will still be treasured many years from now, but by then most people will be watching their home movies on HDTVs so it makes sense to shoot in that format.

When I upgraded my business cameras to HDV I bought a Sony HC1 camera for personal use and love it. If you really want a camera which records to something other than tape I'd recommend the ones which use flash memory cards (e.g. 'SD'), since you can swap those cards out to keep shooting more video. A hard-drive based camcorder seems like an odd compromise to me, since you'd have to download the video off the drive before you could shoot more footage. That's not very convenient for consumer use.