Advice on a camcorder for my needs ? ( hand held 3ccd or equivelent . .)

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Hi,

I've been making home made movies for a few years, simply editing them in windows movie maker, saving files as wmv's for uploading to website but decided it is time to up the standard of my work so i am first looking for a new camera.

For anybody that could advise me I can tell you all of the features below are important for me:

1) Needs a good - great steady shot / image stabelizer

2) Must be good in low light, example i will be shooting mainly indoors where i make to with day light from windows or simply turning on all lights in the room at nigth time.

4) Must have the best picture quality a small camera can have, i am looking for 3ccd quality or equivelent

5) It should be able to be held in one hand, cant be to big / look to proffessional as i don't want to get hassled going through airports of different country's

6) I must be able to fit a good quality wide angle lense, i guess like photography you but cheep glass over the lense it kinda goes against what i've spent on the camera already

Budget is not a major issue, i need the right tool for the job

I have been told i can get a small 3ccd camera that takes mini dv tapes which is what i was looking for though i just went to 2 big stores & couldnt find any of these..

Is it that the 3cmos in now the equivelent of 3ccd ? though these are sd or hard drive.. i read a whle back that tapes were better which is why i wanted one that takes tapes..

Any advice or opinions on this would be great..

Thanks

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I currently use a Sony DCR-HC90E, takes tapes & has nice super steady shot but the spec says it has just one 1/3 inch sensor

Would the Panasonic PV-GS250 ( small handheld 3ccd mini dv ) give me much better picture quality ?

Any feedback on this camera regarding my other important features exept i know he look and size is ok

Thanks

[minidv2dvd]

the 250 wasn't much of a cam. if you could find a new gs-500 from a couple years ago with the larger ccd sensors it might be an improvement in color detail from your cam. that's about all the 3 ccd cam had as an advantage.

a big step up would be to go HDV with a canon hv20/30/40.

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Thanks for the reply Minidv2dvd,

I just looked up the HV30 & 40

So i do have another question:

Would i be better with this cam that takes tapes & has a 1/2.7" CMOS

Or an sd / hd 3cmos camera ?

Thanks again

[minidv2dvd]

cmos is different than ccd, and the sizes don't compare directly. the cmos chip in a hv30/40 is one of the largest around and works very well. 3 ccd cam tend to more accurate color, but that's about all. tape is still a very good format, cheap decent storage.

imo, there isn't a better "prosumer" cam than the hv's. i may be prejudiced, as i now use them almost exclusively. the only down side is that you need to add an external mic to get primo sound quality. here's one of mine decked out with a canon combo shotgun/stereo mic.

[pepegot1]

You can get a Panasonic GS500 at B&H Photo-google for cheaper prices possible. I have one and it is a very good camcorder. You may find the cheaper, but not better GS 320, also. You are wise to stay away from HD which presents many problems that SD does not.

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Thanks again folks,

I looked up the Panasonic GS500but doesn't look like you can still get them & i read the low light is not great, maybe i'm wrong but thanks

Thanks again Minidv2dvd, it is a nice looking camera, is it good in low light ? and whats the image stabalizer like ? they are important factors to me,

I,m not sure i will shoot in HD seen as i will be compressing files suitable for web, i heard there is an argument wether this is worth doing but i will research this also

So if shooting non HD will the quality still be considrably better then my old sony / worth me forking out the extra money !

Thanks

[minidv2dvd]

i shoot HD in 30p. it works well for both web video and dvd. from camcorderinfo.com

30P
New for 2008 is the option to record in 30P, and a welcome addition it is. Canon indicates that the primary reason for the new feature is online video production. Most online video is downconverted to 15fps – a sad but necessary concession to the limits of bandwidth. In that conversion, the look of 60i and 24P video is often compromised more than the producer would like. Shooting in 30P, however, means that the conversion can neatly remove every other frame, thus having less of an impact on how motion is rendered.

Even if you have no intention of uploading to the web, the 30P mode offers yet another look in your bag of tricks. It’s a great compromise between the overly-crisp 60i and the blurred 24P. 30P recording is, in fact, not new to Canon, but merely returning after a long hiatus in the consumer division. It also exists on their pro-level XL H1, XL G1, and XL A1 as “24F” mode

and low light.

Low Light Performance (16.44)
We test low light in three stages. First, we shoot our trusty DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde color chart in an even 60 lux and 15 lux, then compare the results to other camcorders. At 60 lux in 1080/60i, the Canon HV30 looked very good. The large CMOS sensor definitely works in its favor and makes a strong argument against three-chip camcorders like the Panasonic HDC-SD1 (or soon-to-be tested HDC-SD9). Three small chips simply don’t let in as much light as one large chip.

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Thank you for posting that info for me minidv2dvd,

It does indeed look like a good bit of kit ! i have a little time to decide, but i am liking this one & thanks for your time & advice

[pepegot1]

Low light is OK. I have a light on top and in certain situations that helps alot. There is MagicPix function which is good for low light. However, it is subject to distortion if the cam is moved. For fix locations it is good. The GS320 is not as good. Seek and you shall find-GOOGLE.

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Thanks again pepegot1,

i think i am favoring the HV30 / 40 though, but thanks for your time & advice