On Thu, 25 Nov 1999 10:33:12 -0800, bill parducci wrote:

>> Maybe not with the particular camcorders you are interested
>> in, but on my web site under "I babble" (nearly the last
>> entry...) is a comparison of several Mini-DV camcorders I
>> have used. (BTW, I haven't decided yet, but I may have a
>> 3-chip Panasonic EZ30U to sell - somewhat above your budget,
>> but it may be worth it, and it is very small and light.)
>> If you are looking for a tiny Mini-DV camcorder, the Sony
>> PC-1 is that, with good image and sound quality (beware
>> of the many Mini-DV camcorders that pick up whine in the
>> audio from the mechanics - it can be all too audible!).
>> David Ruether
>> d_ruether@hotmail.com
>> http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com

>any intersting read, thanks. i too am struggling with the trade off between size
>and quality. from what i have read there is no doubt that 3 chip units provide
>higher video quality, but the size of cameras like the pc-1 are so inviting!
>
>i started out looking at the trv900, but now am leaning towards the pc-1 because
>i will be more likely to carry it. picture quality/balance/etc are great IF you
>take the shot! i have noticed that my -- now dead thanks to my 2 year old son --
>tr-600 has had a lot more closet time than i had hoped it would when i bought
>it.

The color balance of both the TRV-900 and PC-1 is slightly
too blue-magenta, but pleasant. In good light, you may not
see a lot of difference in the images much of the time
(the PC-1 image is about as sharp-looking, except with
fine texture, but it shows more aliasing effects with
near-parallel lines in the subject). In bright interior
light, the gain noise of the PC-1 begins to show, and it
becomes pronounced in low light (the TRV-900 will look
better here, but if you turn off the stabilizer of the PC-1,
the shutter speed drops to 1/60th second, giving a smoother
picture more like that of the TRV-900). The image quality
of the PC-1 is noticeably better than most Hi-8 in medium
to high light levels, and not all that different from that
of the 3-chip TRV-900 under ideal conditions. Not bad for a
one-chip camcorder not much larger than the mini-cassette
it records on! ;-) (Still, the TRV-900 is "only" 25% more
expensive, and the picture is better under difficult
conditions...;-)