On Sun, 20 May 2001 17:09:44 +0100, "Gavin Ramsay" wrote:

>can anyone point me to some websites to help me choose a camcorder? I need
>basic guides and the like - I know what features are/aren't important to me,
>but I'm sure there's considerations I'm unaware of!

Try: www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm

>If anyone's got advice here, this is my plan...
>
>I'll spend £600 - £1500 ($850 - $2200) in the UK for a camera with the
>following:
>
>Good image quality
>Good in low light
>Ability to fit lens accessories a bonus
>Don't need stills
>I have Firewire already, so don't need fancy editing on camera
>DV In is nice, but I could presumably get that enabled on any camera?

In this group, Sony TRV-900, maybe the budget would
stretch to the VX-2000? Some people like the Canon GL-1,
but for reasons given in the reviews, I'm not fond of it
for most purposes...

>If any camera has a line level audio input (as opposed to mic level) that
>would be a great bonus

Only the VX-2000...

>I'm reasonably unaware of other considerations, like 1 ccd vs 3 ccd and
>Digital 8 vs MiniDV, so any help appreciated.

The 3-chip picture is almost always better than the
1-chip (better sharpness, better handling of the
tone extremes, better color, less "busyness" in
the image) - and the 3-chippers usually have better
sound. There are no 3-chip D-8s.