my dvc30 was stolen so i need a new camera

[xfoo]

well opening day at mount snow (ski resort in vermont) my dvc30 along with my phone, wallet, some other misc gear were all stolen along with my backpack out of my friends trunk. my insurance is going to cover my losses but now i need to find a new camera because the dvc30 has been discontinued. i am preferablly looking to switch to HD, my computer can handle it and i have a 500gig external hd just for footage storage. my price cap is $2500 for the camera because that is what insurance will cover upto (msrp of the dvc30 was 2595). so now i am trying to decide what to go with. i have been checking out:

- jvc hd7
- panasonic hsc1u
- canon hv20
- canon hg10
- sony sr7
- sony fx7

yes i know the fx7 is in a different league from the rest but there are many things here i need to deal with...
first of all - i need something that is very easy to use, for my self that is not an issue but there will be alot of times where my friends will be useing the camera so all i want to have to do is turn it on, do what ever i need to do to get it set up, then hand it to them and have them film me as well because we all take turns filming each other while skiing.

- second, i need something with a really good image stabilization. most of the time we will be following each other off jumps and other features with the camera so i need something that we can do follow cams with and not have the footage all shakey.

- next, i need a camera that is good in low light situations because we will also be filming at night

- manual adjustments are nice to have for when i leave the camera on a tripod and point it at a jump

- i am looking at the hdd cameras because solid state would mean a quicker import time than using tapes and i wouldn't have to worry about forgetting the tapes (done that ) or tape heads having problems.. but at the same time what are my disadvantages of going with a hdd camera... i am also looking at the new panasonic camera with the external harddrive, are there any advantages to that?

can anyone please help me with this.. or try to stear me in the right path.. i liked my dvc30 and chose it by doing alot of searching on the web and because it seemed like the right camera for me at the time.. i liked the removable handle because sometimes i could get away without it, but it was nice to have at times because it was useful in some situations, do they make handles u can attach to the shoe of a camera? but any information or help will be great apreciated, thanks!!!

[Capt Quirk]

You'd have better luck bashing your head against a wall, than getting proper service from JVC. I'd have to say go with Canon. A lot of folks have said good things about the A1 and the HV20, and someone here is selling their HV20.

[xfoo]

i need to buy it from a retailer because i need to send a receipt to my insurence company to receive my check..

avchd? i have been reading alot about it.. and it seems like its the way things are going..

[Huy Vu]

HD and "good low light performance"=oxymoron, anything you get that's HD is going to be much worse in low light than the DVC30.

If you have to get it brand new I really don't see much options. The FX7 has smaller 1/4'' CMOS chip that makes it even more handicapped in low light scenario. HV20 and the likes have equally poor light light capability. If you want HD then you have to give up low light, and in that case I recommend the FX7. It's a Sony camera so the colors are nice and fairly user friendly.

AVCHD is still very much in its infancy. There's no decent cameras out there that uses it yet, only consumer models. It's also not supported by many editing programs.

[xfoo]

so, fx7 would not be comperable to dvc30 in low light? also how user friendly is the dvx? can a complete moron pick it up and use it with minimal instructions?

[Huy Vu]

so, fx7 would not be comperable to dvc30 in low light? also how user friendly is the dvx? can a complete moron pick it up and use it with minimal instructions?

FX7 would not even come close. You're basically stuffing about three times the amount of pixels on to the same surface area of the CCD. The result is HD resolution but less light sensitivity. All HD cameras with this size chip will suffer from this problem.

I don't have a DVX so I can't tell you about user friendliness. But any camera can be set to full auto so that operation is point and shoot.

[xfoo]

ok... does anyone know about avchd ? i like the idea of a hdd camcorder because at the end of the day i can go back to the hotel and upload to my mbp and not have to wait the length of the footage for it to capture... thats why the canon hg10 is on my list

[xfoo]

ok well ive narrowed it down... dvx100b, canon hv20 or hg10 if i can find a reason why a hard disk camera would be better than tape and if the 24p is not as bad as people say it is, or sony fx7... anyone care to give the good, the bad, and any other comments on those cameras for me?

[MikeGorski]

Well the only DVX100b will be equal as well as greater in quality with regard to your stolen DVC30. I've had the DVC30 before and the amount of manual control and image quality you get for the dollar is unmatched. Switching the HV20 or HG10 your taking a serious hit in the manual control department. Quite honestly I would go for the DVX100b or sacrifice some low light performance to gain HD resolution. Not sure what you will mostly be filming but if its mostly day light conditions go for HD and avoid the consumer camcorders. Spend the extra dollar at all costs, it'll be worth it in the long run.

[mikkowilson]

If you are dooing a lot of sking/boarding with the camera ... You'll probabaly get better results with a CCD camera, over a CMOS camera which would be prone to wobble issues with the vibration & movement of skiing/boarding.

Also if you are going to be bumping and bouncing aroudn a lot while recording, I'd stay away from anything with a spinning disc (Hard drive or Optical/DVD) drive. Solid state of course is your best bet, but tape works just fine while skiing too unless you really smack it.

Also, shooting to a Inter-frame codec like HDV might not be the best idea if there will be a lot of continuing movement in your shots. Plus Long-GOP Inter frame codecs will also suffer much worse if you do get the occasional dropout or tape glitch on a bump.


Overall, I'd say the "best" (budget aside) cameras for this are the HVX200 for
HD, and the DVX100/a/b for SD

- Mikko

[xfoo]

yeah.. im going dvx100b