What Camcorder?

[puggit]

Ostensibly to video our new child (due in August) we're looking at spending up to £400 on a camcorder.

HDD as a storage medium appeals, as we don't want to have the fiddle of changing media all the time - plus we have a shared hard drive on our home network to store on and a JVC PVR.

As a keen astronomer with a Meade ETX-90 I'd love there to be some kind of compatbility - but I guess this might be asking too much!

Really just looking for some good old fashioned PH advice

[puggit]

<bump> in the hope someone might answer

[Imperialism2024]

The last time I checked, MiniDV still gave the best (non-HD) quality for video. And I do rather like the Panasonic 3CCD camcorders... And I believe the better ones run about $600.

As for HDD, I don't believe (but I could be mistaken) the video quality will be as good, but in general home video isn't all that great anyway.

[randlemarcus]

Parallel running on a JVC MiniDV camcorder and a new Everio HDD one, and the Everio is a very good picture. Not tried a bang up to date MiniDV camera, bu tthe JVC is only a couple of years old, and the difference is like watching American TV

Trying to get insurance to shell out for an HD Corder to replace the smashed MiniDV one.

[puggit]

randlemarcus said:

Parallel running on a JVC MiniDV camcorder and a new Everio HDD one, and the Everio is a very good picture. Not tried a bang up to date MiniDV camera, bu tthe JVC is only a couple of years old, and the difference is like watching American TV

Trying to get insurance to shell out for an HD Corder to replace the smashed MiniDV one.

JVC MG21-EK arrived this morning.

First impressions are extremely favourable, except for the lack of an English instruction manual (but I have 3 Germans, and even a Catalan one!).

Very light and compact