Congratulations Floris on your HC-1 purchase. I think you made an excellent choice. I purchased the GS-400 1 year ago and I love the camera. At the time the only good HDV camera was the Sony FX/Z-1. I decided on the GS400 because of the expense of the fx-1 and the large size and weight. Then Sony came out with the HC-1, which I purchased in December. The Gs400 had an excellent image for SD, but the HC-1 image is MAGNIFICENT. Despite the complaints about manual control on the HC-1, I find the exp. toggle on the left side of the camera to be very convinent. both cameras "handle" very well, and you couldn't really go wrong with either, but I think having the HDV image is a definte plus - especially in the future. I'm amazed that Panasonic came out with the GS500. They NEED a consumer/prosumer HD capable camera to compete with the HC-1.