DVcam is the same as mini DV.

Huh?

Yep, the quality of DVCam, DVCPro25 and Mini DV are all the same, the only difference is that the tape travels faster and the "tracks" are a bit wider to lessen the chance of drop-out. Quality-wise all the sytems are identical. (DVCPro50 is an improvement on mini-dv)

The PD170 is now quite old-fashioned and the current trend is to get HDV camcorders. Apparently the Z1 in SD mode is still better than the PD170.

I'm not a fan of the 250 at all. It is a shoulder-cam but the lens is the same as that on the PD150 but with a bit of flash plastic around it. If you want a shoulder-camcorder I would suggest that you look at the "pro" JVC GY-DV range before splashing out on a Sony 250.

http://www.planetdv.net/Content/By_M...Camcorders.asp

They are coming up on ebay now that a lot of wedding videographers are moving to HDV.

Personally, I wouldn't go for the Sony PD lot. I would either go for the HDV or (If you're only going to need SD and would like an impressive looking shoulder-cam) the JVC GY-DV range. Having use the PD170 a lot, I'm not at all a fan and think it's quite over-rated. In the same way, I find the Sony "pro" DVcam shoulder-cams are overpriced compared to the JVC and Panasonic competition.