im going to but a camcorder for around 4-500 quid sp i was looking at this mv850! i currently have a mv 600 which is generally quite comfy with me but i get problems with blue screen on playback ( oh thanks to all for the campaign to get it sorted by canon, great help) i ften get horizontal lines between takes on playback and i am clueless as to how to stop it. anyway i am doing a filom for some mates, mainly semi unscripted news style reports and interviews etc, please please someone help me buy the right cam, i am looking at the canon mv850i at mo but have become stuck in the headlights with making a decision. someone make it for me!

i've got the 800i, it does work really well, and for the price in almost impossible to beat.

the 830 doesn't have many extra features, and is hard to justify the extra cost.

the 850, well that one does justify the cost, i think. in Aus. it comes with an extra lens, a 1.7mm (?) wide angle, so that's a fairly major plus (assuming it'd be useful). it also has an extra 2x zoom (making it 22x optical zoom), it comes with some capture software (the 800i doesn't), has 18 effects (depending on what that includes, this is a few more than the lower models), and it'll take crappy still pics too. it's also got more connections and slightly more buttons, and obviously if it has more buttons it must be better! :P

it doesn't have a higher quality CCD though, it's still just the 800,000 pixel job, so if all you are interested in is picture quality then save your money for a better mic or software and het the 800i.

my 2c

I was looking for a second camera last autumn and really liked Canon's MV series from what I had read on the internet and the advice of other people in the business. So I went to some stores and looked at the features and pricing of as many MV's as I could, from the 690 to the 850. I said I would stay in the middle zone, with the 790 or the 800. Nothing can beat hands-on experience, though. I tested them both and I couldn't believe the low quality video they produced. They did well outdoors but when I got indoors they just didn't perform accurately, not even under studio-like lightning. Washed out colors, auto-focus constantly failing etc.
Sure, they're entry level camcorders, designed for home users so you can't expect too much, but I really had better expectations from Canon.

that's a good point.

the indoor quality is pretty shabby, the colours are quite a way off.

i use mine for sporting flicks, so i have no issue with this. you might though.

worth keeping in mind...

thanks for the advice guys, i want to use the cam indoors and outdoors for docu style stuff. anything around with better picture quality i should i go 3ccd, or even wait for this single chip thingy that i believe have are are bringing out?

If you can't afford a 3-CCD camera and must go for a single-CCD, at least get a Sony. They perform the best indoors.

ok im thinking about the 3ccd from jvc which is around 450.00. wot do u think?

What model do you have in mind?