Help me find a good pro/prosumer camcorder

[mmntech]

I'm thinking of investing in a decent prosumer camcorder. So I've been floating around eBay and Kijiji looking for some good used ones. I can't afford new, so I'd be buying used. Absolute maximum budget is $1000.

My big requirement is something that's fully manual. Decent vid quality is a must. Not to bent out of shape about HD vs SD. I'm just not sure what's out there right now.

Been looking at the Canon GL1 and GL2. Both are standard def miniDV. Both can be had for about $600-$800 if you hunt around.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I would go with a SD card cam. I bought 2 Canon HFS-100 cams. Very nice cams. hated going through tape and recording stuff to my pc, with an SD card you just copy over the files.

 

[Franz316]

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 is a great prosumer camera, the newer TM900 offers 3D recording but doesn't improve performance at all. Take a look here http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM700-Camcorder-Review-37681.htm

 

[Kaido]

The Panasonic HDC-TM700 is a great prosumer camera, the newer TM900 offers 3D recording but doesn't improve performance at all. Take a look here http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM700-Camcorder-Review-37681.htm

Just an FYI - unless you're buying used, the TM700 is going for $1000+ because it's the "older" model, while the TM900 is on sale for $759 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-HDC-.../dp/B004I43MJU

Like you said, not really any differences though:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panason...m-900-anyone-compare-these-side-side-yet.html

I too would recommend the Panasonic. It's a beast.

 

[mmntech]

Just an FYI - unless you're buying used, the TM700 is going for $1000+ because it's the "older" model, while the TM900 is on sale for $759 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-HDC-.../dp/B004I43MJU

Like you said, not really any differences though:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panason...m-900-anyone-compare-these-side-side-yet.html

I too would recommend the Panasonic. It's a beast.

A few places have them on sale for under $900. It's a serious piece of equipment. I'll have to pop up to Henry's of Vistek on my weekend to check it out.

 

[Kaido]

A few places have them on sale for under $900. It's a serious piece of equipment. I'll have to pop up to Henry's of Vistek on my weekend to check it out.

Some video sample links & info in this post:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=32288270&postcount=3

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What say the reviews with it vs the HFS 100 ?

 

[Kaido]

What say the reviews with it vs the HFS 100 ?

The HFS-100 is an amazing camera, but I would take a Panasonic TM700/TM900 over it for a couple reasons:

1. 3CMOS sensor

2. 60p 1080p

Sample footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXfjfE0a0Vo

 

[theblackbox]

i'm still not a big fan of small size sensor 3ccd in a consumer camera.

1080 60p is neat if you plan on doing slow motion and converting it to 30p. otherwise, since most tv's will convert it to 30p, you don't gain a noticeable difference.

i don't know if blu ray specs have been changed to support it, i don't keep up.

i don't even use 60p on my nex5n.

 

[Kaido]

edit: nvm

 

[mmntech]

i'm still not a big fan of small size sensor 3ccd in a consumer camera.

True dat. The bigger sensor will be better for overall image quality. But at these sensor sizes, I can't really tell the difference between the Canon and the Panasonic. Both look fantastic.

The thing I don't like about Canon is the joystick and menus for adjusting manual functions. My FS200 has manual controls but you can't really do them easily on the fly. The Panasonic has a traditional ring controller for that.

Both are great cameras though. I'm going to have a look at them today.