Anyone have an HD camcorder?

[ronjohn]

I have been looking at the consumer HD camcorders available. I want to record high school football next year. The two consumer models that seem to be best from what I have seen are the Sony HDR-SR1 and the Canon HV10. These both have limitations:

Sony - 1440x1080i instead of 1920, uses h264 compression - and from what I have read creates a lot of motion artifacts.

Canon - Good picture in bright light, but not so good in lower light conditions. No microphone inputs, only the built in microphone.(I like to record the radio broadcast for the football games)

I will probably wait until the summer to see if any better models come along, but wanted to ask if anyone has a current model, and how it is performing.

 

[sunelec]

I have had a SONY HDR-HC1 for about 9 months now. My wife was very upset when I brought it home because we already had a canon mini-dv camcorder. After she saw the first HD video tapes from it on our HD tv she was absolutely floored by the bright clear colors and the clarity.I almost can't get it out of hands now. She never used to like to take movies but she sure does now. FOR the price its a fantastic unit. I paid about $1300 at Best Buy. IT also takes 2 megapixel still pictures of very good quality in a 4 X 6 print. They have a second generation unit out now which has a 4 megapixel still camera.I think it is around $1400 to $1500. You can find lots of reviews on the internet. Just type in Sony HD Camcorder.

 

[ronjohn]

If I could get a new HC1 now, I might do it. The HC3 does not have mic input or headphone jacks. I can't remember what else, but it is missing some more features of the HC1.