I noticed recently that the prices of Full HD camcorders had come down quite a lot and as my wife had agreed to buying one because it would be needed during the summer, I set to explore the wonderful world of HD camcorders. Armed with my knowledge of still cameras, I was sure it would be easy to pick the camera with the best value for the money. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

From what little knowledge and experience I had of camcorders, I knew I wanted the following features:

• Full HD / Good image quality
• Good manual controls (focusing, exposure)
• Good connectivity (external mic, 3rd party batteries, etc.)
• Good handling
• Image stabilization
• For HDV camcorders, DV-in
• Preferably not a (purely) hard disk camera
• As large sensor as possible

Hard disks break so often in computers I wouldn’t want to rely on one in my camera. In addition, I learned that hard disk cameras cannot operate in heights of over 3000 meters. Now admittedly, it’s not often that I need to use a camera in heights of over 3000m, but I felt like I didn’t want to rule out the possibility of shooting in an airplane or in the Alps.

As luck would have it, soon after having determined this, a hard disk model become my #1 choice.

I ended up considering the following models, each of which was price-wise within about a 100€ of each other:

• Canon HG10 (hard disk model, 499€)
• Panasonic HDC-SD100 (SDHC, 599€)
• Canon HF100 (SDHC, 629€)

Almost as an after though I  included a camera I found in a UK online store:

• Canon HV30 (HDV, approx. 630€)

Despite being a hard disk model, the HG10 was my number choice because it seemed to be available locally (so I could instantly get my hands on one) and it was the cheapest. After thoroughly reviewing and re-reviewing the reviews of the above-listed (and many other) cameras, I decided I liked the 1/2.7″ sensor, the view finder and (manual) handling capabilities of HG10. So I phoned the local store to make sure I do not have to return empty handed. I was pissed when I learned they did not have the camera in stock, but even more pissed when they later ran ads for the same camera for two consecutive weeks. 

Not being able to get the camera locally, I went back to drawing board, and again perused a great deal of camera lore to determine, which of the HDC-SD100, HF100 (or possibly, HV30) I would  buy. 

I immediately liked the look of the Panasonic HDC-SD100. With 3MOS and manual handling features far beyond the competition, I have to wonder what on earth Panasonic was thinking putting the sorry excuse of a sensor in the camera. Even with three CMOS sensors, the total area of the sensor is only 3×4.4mm² = 13.3mm². Compare this to the 1/2.7″ sensor in HG10 and HV20 and HV30, which is about 23mm². When you keep in mind that the Depth of Field (DOF) is relative to the sensor size, I just had to rule out the HDC-SD100. I could not, in good conscience, support a company doing something like that.

Now, when comparing the cameras and sensor sizes, I found a very unlikely candidate indeed: the Samsung SC-HMX20. The camcorder has a 1/1.8″ sensor, which equals about 38mm² and was in similiar price range as the models listed above. Previous to reading the specs and reviews of SC-HMX20, I had always absolutely ruled out the possibility of getting a Samsung camcorder. Now, If only I would have been looking for a sleek full-auto camcorder, the Samsung would’ve been my first pick. Amazing!

But as I already mentioned, manual handling was very important for me, so the choice came down to either HF100 or the HV30. I kinda liked the thought of a HDV camcorder: I would not have to store backups of all the RAW video material on hard disk, but could keep a tape and always have a physical, long lasting backup to turn to in case of catastrophe. It was certainly no small factor that HV30 was ranked the #1 camcorder in camcorderinfo.com, either. So learning that the HF100 had a smaller sensor than the HV30 (why, Canon, why?!?!) and a proprietary accessory shoe and poorer manual handling and to top it all: NO viewfinder.

Considering those factors, the choice was, in the end, clear: I ordered the HV30 from Warehouse Express. They promised to send the camera out shortly and I was very excited. When it did not arrive the next week, I was a little disappointed. The next week I tried to contact the store by email and their web site but got no answer. I started to get a little miffed and phoned them at the end of the week. They said the camera had been shipped. So I again started waiting, becoming more and more impatient at the store each passing day.

Finally, full two weeks after ordering the camera, it arrived. Apparently, as a way of apologizing for the delay, they had slipped a small camera bag into the shipment that is perfect for the camera, charger and ten cassettes. Very good service indeed! So I recommend Warehouse Express as an excellent store to do business with.

I will later post an update with initial impressions of the camera. I already posted a video to see how easy it would be to integrate video posts with my blog. Disclaimer: The footage was shot very very quickly and it shows: you can’t repair bad shooting in editing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 11.02 pm and is filed under Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.