help choosing a camera

[fluidedge]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a video camera. I've already got a Sony V1 that i use for work, but I'm leaving work soon and going back to uni to do VFX and wan't to get something i can use there.

I was thinking about the camera Steve Jobs used in a keynote last year I think it was the latest Panasonic. I seem to remember it had 3CCDs and recorded to SD card/Hard drive. And apparently it was cheap.

This would be perfect for a student like me wanted to capture footage i can composite VFX shots into.

Can someone suggest similar models to the one SJ used as i suspect they've been updated by now and perhaps replaced. I've always been a Sony fan but would be willing to go for panasonic/canon/JVC as they're probably a good deal cheaper.

i'd like it to be quite small too as I don't want to be lugging round a huge camera bag like i do currently for the V1

any suggestions gratefully received!

[fluidedge]

looking around amazon currently have the Panasonic HDR-SD5 for £349.99 ($700) this seems like a good price to me. This is the camera Jobs used at the keynote wasn't it?

[nutmac]

Panasonic's flash memory AVCHD camcorders (HDC-SD9 and HDC-SD5) are crummy bunch, with video quality worse than single CCD counterparts from Canon (e.g., HF100) and Sony (e.g., HDR-SR11).

[fluidedge]

but....but...steve wouldn't lie to us? Would he??
:(:(:(












:D

[nutmac]

Using a subpar AVCHD camcorder isn't lying really.

In any case, although 3 CCD and/or larger image sensor are supposed to yield superior video quality, in Panasonic's case, their AVCHD offerings just aren't as good as 3rd generation AVCHD camcorders from Canon and Sony.