Hi - I'm a newbe to the purchase of a video camcorder. I want to use it for personal use, but also to record events for clients for broadcast on the web. I am looking to get either a high-end consumer camcorder like the Sony DCR-DVD50, or light-duty professional camcorder like the Panasonic AG-DVC7 (minidv).

Could anyone offer any advice regarding this range of camera, and in particular the benefits of recording to minidv tape vs. recording to a dvd?

Can anyone tell me how long it takes to copy a minidv via firewire to a PC for editing and what file format does the minidv use? Does this require a capture process, as opposed to a copy process?

As you can tell, I'm just beginning to understand this stuff. Be kind

TIA
--Kevin