Can you please help. I want to get either a Canon GL1 or a PANASONIC PVDV951K. The GL1 is more money, but not by that much. Just wondering if it is worth it? Both are 3CCD. And have Manual everything.
Thanks all
Double UP
P.S.
If neither of these what do you recommend

Howdy from Texas,

A lot of folks aroundf here will think I'm sounding like a broken record, but there's a very important feature the Canon camera has and the Panasonic doesn't, and that's a LANC jack. This makes it possible to plug in a tripod pan-handle mounted lens controller for proper zoom and focus control. See my reviews of various VariZoom controllers on www.dvinfo.net and www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm in the Articles section for more info and for why this is very important. Hope this helps,

That is an interesting option I didn't know it had. Does the GL1 picture quality come close to the XL1? So I take it that getting the GL1 is the better option than the panasonic because of its features or Quality?
Thanks
Double UP

The GL1's footage has the same general "feel" as that of the XL1. That is, with some care you can actually mix footage from each without noticeable difference. (Note, however, that the XL1s features more image adjustment than either the XL1 or the GL1. You can actually make it look like a completely different camera with some practice.)

I heartily recommend the GL1 if you're looking for a relatively small high-quality camera. In addition to having the LANC port (that Chris mentioned) it is relatively light, quite durable, has outstanding optics (Canon's strong suit), outstanding optical image stabilization (another Canon strong suit), excellent power options, both a flip-out lcd and viewfinder, etc.

Personally, rather than the Panasonic, I would be inclined to compare the GL1 to the Sony VX2000 if I were making such a purchase today. Both are excellent choices that won't let you down.

If you would like to see what you can do with a GL1, go checkout www.findingelectra.com. It is an excellent site and shows just how impressive the GL-1 is.

Nathan Gifford