On Sun, 11 Mar 2001 04:30:06 -0000, Joe Solbrig wrote:

>I'm looking at getting first camcorder.
>
>I want to semi-professional short pieces to ultimately show on local
>public-access show. My partner recommend Sony as the brand to go with but
>don't say which model.
>
>I was wondering if there are any really important features that I could
>get with a Sony drc-pc100 ($1.3K apox) as compared with a Sony dcr-trv120
>($450 aprox)? I can afford the PC100 if it would be better long investment
>and such. But I don't want to pay a thousand dollars for sizzle.

You would get a better picture (sharper), and possibly better sound...

>I know quality matters with camcorders - how durable and what picture
>quality you get matters. I'd appreciate if someone could ennuciate the
>quality differences between high-end consumer digital video and low-end
>consumer digital video.
>Is picture quality of the pc100 much better or what? I've read all about
>the various features. I don't have any need for still shots.

The PC100 isn't really "high-end"...
You might say the TRV-120 is near the bottom-end, the PC100
is a step up, the TRV-900 a step up from that, the VX-2000
another step up, and from there you can go to various
levels of REALLY expensive and big cameras... For a
one-chipper, the PC100 is good (as is the PC-1 I may be
selling for a lot less than a new PC-100...), and
noticeably better than the low-end D8. The TRV-900 is
not a LOT more than the PC-100, though, and it will give you
a better picture under most conditions (but the lower-end
cameras may be good enough for what you want, at least to
start...).

>I would like to be able edit the video digitally. I have a Sony Vadio with
>firewire (iLink) and premier. Does the pc-100 have better editting
>features? More effects? What's

You should be able to use any of these with your computer
for editing. Effects are best done in the computer while
editing.