I can't decide between 2 camcorders...

[Mjmar]

The two are the Sony DCR-45 and the Panasonic SDR-H40... They're both SD hard drive camcorders. My biggest concern is quality, and I'm not sure which brand is better for camcorders. My dad has the DVD version of the Panasonic and the low light is terrible. I've heard that Sony camcorders have the best low light performance. However the Panasonic has optical image stabilization and the Sony doesn't. Does anyone know what is a better choice?

 

[BlueRevolution]

Based on your description, I'd go for the Sony. A bit of shake (within reason) can be tolerated or sometimes smoothed out, but blurry or dark video is unrecoverable.

 

[kastenbrust]

Based on your description, I'd go for the Sony. A bit of shake (within reason) can be tolerated or sometimes smoothed out, but blurry or dark video is unrecoverable.

With the new iMovie 09 shake is a thing of the past

http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/#stabilization