Hi there guys and gals! I am in the market for a camcorder. I used to work in post prod. as a colorist, so image quality is a vital concern. I have been looking at three different cams(3 big diffs in price). First is a used Canon xl1s at about $2500 to $3000. Second is a Sony Hc1X at $1800. Third is a Panasonic GS400 at $1100. What is best value? I can swing the$3k (but it is tight). Does the Sony blow the other 2 away as far as video quality? What about the compression artifacts? Does the Panasonic hold up against the other two?Lastly I have some Canon Ef lenses, which will work with an adapter, but with a 7.2 mag. factor it would seem to be not so useful for a everyday solution. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks again, Mike

Michael

i would say it is important that you add some more information. For example what type of shooting are you going to be doing. Do you need low light, 24P, focal length range, ...

As far as the EF lenses on the XL they are not at all useful for everyday type shooting. They are useful for things such as nature videography. A 100-400 L IS is a really nice zoom image stabilized for that.

Oh, sorry I did not want to scare everybody off with too long a post. Mostly I will be shooting daytime footage. As far as 24 frame goes would be nice(xl1s does not, right), not essential. 16x9 , again would be nice(xl1s not great here, correct?) not essential. I guess I do like the adjustability of the XL1s compared to others.That and changing lenses,adding an lcd etc.Would you suggest one that has already been modfied(ext LCD, zoom controller,MA100)? Any other comments or suggestions are appreciated, thanks again, Mike

I suppose you would have to nail down your wants vs. needs. "Daytime" shooting is quite a broad description for your requirement. Keep in mind that the feature set included with the xl2 answers to most every situation with regard to frame rate and operator customization.

If the end justifies the means and you have work in the queue for 24p 16x9 dv25 creation, then your search is down to about 3 cameras. The older Canon product shouldn't be in the running.

You also mentioned modified. An MA 100 is no longer required. The other accessories you mentioned are nice to have. but the monitor is no longer essential given the new multi-function viewfinder.

A controller is always required no matter which brand you settle upon.

Your choices seem a bit silly to me. Why a gs400 instead of a DVX100a? AT least give yourself the chance of comparing three roughly equivalent cameras in terms of cost. You can buy a new DVX100a for under $3k. Likewise, you should include the Sony FX1 (along with the HC1-x). And if you still want to include the gs400, you should also include the DVC-60, which has the smaller form factor but many of teh advantages of the DVX (without 24p).

Did I help? :)

Thanks for replies guys. I may consider the xl2. More money than I wanted to spend, but I guess if I want 24f and true16:9 it may be my best choice.I have not looked at the FX1, may do a little research on it. Thanks again,Mike

The right camera for you is the one which *feels best* in your hands. If at all possible, to get some "touch and try" time with each one of them. If there isn't a large retailer in your area, then a trip to a trade show will provide you with a learning experience worth every penny of the cost of attending.

The right camera for you is the one which *feels best* in your hands. If at all possible, to get some "touch and try" time with each one of them. If there isn't a large retailer in your area, then a trip to a trade show will provide you with a learning experience worth every penny of the cost of attending.
Echo that.
That said, Chris do you know of the next dv event to occur in Toronto?

It's not a major tradeshow, but all of the popular, newest HD camcorders such as the XL H1 and HVX200 will be at ResFest in Toronto on Oct. 27-30.

http://www.resfest.com/index.php?page=city-schedule&name=Toronto