What is your actual budget? Yes, stick with Mini DV and yes I know it's difficult to get a large optical zoom on them, especially the 3CCD models. A picture taken using a camcorder will never be as good as one taken using a digital camera, from my experience. And also if cars are moving, it will be very difficult to get a sharp still picture as you won't be able to fire off enough frames in quick succession. The Canon would certainly have better optics, but I'll let the Canon owners on the forum give you the lowdown on that particular model.

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