The New Camcorder Search, Part 2

There are only a few companies that make camcorders these days. I’ve used Canon and Panasonic, and I have only passing use of JVC or Sony camcorders.
A near clone of the HV30 is Sony’s HDR-HC9. Sony has been competing head-to-head with Canon for this HD prosumer market for a couple of years—the HC9 is the successor to the HC7 just as the HV30 is to the HV20. The Sony and Canon camcorders look so similar you need to see the manufacturer’s logo to figure out which one is which--both Sony and Canon made this year’s camcorder in black after making both predecessors in grey last year. I smell corporate espionage….
The first place I went to for research for all the camcorders was http://www.camcorderinfo.com/. This page offers thorough reviews of all major features, and it tests the important stuff—how well the camcorder processes image, colour, etc. In the HC9 review, it compares the HC9 to the HV30, giving the Sony the edge for durability and ease of operation, but gives the Canon the thumbs up for performance and features. I’m prepared to sacrifice ease of operation for performance and features, particularly 30p, so at this point, I was leaning towards the HV30.
Camcorderinfo.com pointed me towards the current JVC and Panasonic models, so I scanned through them to pick out the prosumer products in their lines. JVC doesn’t produce prosumer or even high-end consumer mini-DV camcorders anymore, so they’re out of the running.
The Panasonic model is the PV-GS500, successor to the popular GS400. Physically, it resembles the Sony and Canon models closely—the industry seems to have settled on a specific form factor for palmcorders after 30 years of development. The GS500 is a 3-chip CCD camera, as opposed to a CMOS like the other two, and it has a real live focus ring instead of a sliding switch of some sort (the GS500 has a sliding switch for the zoom, though), although the ring is not marked to indicate settings. In terms of performance, the GS500 does well in various lighting conditions, and the full range of manual settings makes it a compelling option.
I’ve decided to seek out the HV30, the HC9, and the GS500 in retail showrooms to play with them as well as searching the web for more reviews (and prices!).
Next week, the decision-making process.