Panasonic PV-DC252

This is my 4th Camcorder over the past 17 years. I started with a Sony 8mm in 1986, then a Canon 8mm, then 4 years ago I got a Sony Digital 8 (love it - still works well) and was looking for a smaller, more flexible MiniDV unit. I had seriously considered the Sony TRV22 and 33 - they seem pretty capable - but ended up going with the Panasonic because: - It's smaller - noticibly - than the Sony, which is no slouch either. The Pana GS50 is even a little smaller but I got a great deal on the 252 because it is the previous model! - Although the Sony has Zeiss lenses, Panasonic uses Leica - also good. - This unit uses SD chips for digital stills - Sony is proprietary (when will they stop doing that!) - Some features I REALLY like are the ability to switch to 16:9 widescreen in the camera, zoom sound, color viewfinder, size, 700x zoom (they all seem to have 10x optical) I do all my video editing in a computer (Sony Vaio Desktop) so I don't care about the in camera editing but the Pana has lots if you want. I am keeping my Digital 8 as a second camera and for legacy work - still editing 1 1/2 decades of video - phew! Did I mention it is a great size? If you can get one of these at a discount like I did ($799 CDN) it is a GREAT deal.

Size!!! 16:9 option zoom sound has a progressive scan still feature that makes a reasonable still shot - apparently emulates a megapixel, even though it has only 680,000 CCD - works well! uses SD Ram 700x zoom, 10x optical Controls are on a separate "wheel and button" set-up - vs Sony's touch screen. This means I can administrate settings through the viewfinder rather than the flip-out LCD screen. This is REALLY important on bright, sunny days!!! Separate battery charger vs Sony requires you to charge on the camera

My video editing system (Sony) needed a little work to get it to recognize the Panasonic. Some of the controls are a little obscure i.e., non-intuitive - like the volume on playback! Lens cap - but no worse than others, I guess Low light - although there is a button to enhance this function. All digital cameras are weak in this area.

Sony 8mm standard format Canon 8mm standard format Sony Digital8

Not used yet, although I bought at Henry's in Mississauga. These guys really know their stuff! I bought my Digital8 from them too and have been very happy. They do deals and are really helpful.