Alright guys I have been looking for a MiniDV camcorder and now I've come down to 2 choices.

The:

Sony MiniDV Camcorder (DCRHC3
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN

AND

Canon MiniDV Camcorder ZR850
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...gon=&langid=EN#


Both have great features and such, but I can only get one.

Which one would you pick and why? Pros/cons?

I'd choose the Canon.

I think its specs are slightly better, despite conceding 5x in zoom to the Sony (but 35x is still very good).

But I admit I have a Canon bias.

Whichever you choose, my advice would be to check it has a mic input jack (and headphones for that matter) and budget for an additional mic. The camera also needs an accessory shoe in which to mount the mic, and I cannot tell from the photos and descriptions whether either camera has one. I wouldn't have a camera without one.

Budget Canons have had a bad reputation for picking up tape transport noise on the built-in mic. Not a problem if what you are shooting is quite noisy anyway, but very intrusive if filming interviews etc.

Tell me about it! Dear god...

I'm editing a yearbook DVD for a local shool a the moment and they've shot interviews with the pupils on a Canon, You can hardly hear a single word they're saying because the speak so quiet and they're drowned out by the constant ZZZZZZZZZ, I would try and filter it out for them, but they're not paying me much to do it so they can just put up with it methinks.

As far as not picking up noise from the tape Mechanism goes, I think I've had the most pleasure with a cheapy Panasonic cam, which the Tape mechanism didn't actually seem to make much noise at all in, however on my HDR-HC3 I find the noise of the tape mechanism quite loud altho the mic doesn't pic up much of it.

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It's not about what camera you use or how much it cost.

It's about what you shoot,
how you shot it,
and how you edit it :P

Nice to see the mods are doing their job....

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It's not about what camera you use or how much it cost.

It's about what you shoot,
how you shot it,
and how you edit it :P

Mods cannot be expected to check every post every day. If you spot a post that needs pruning, let us know by reporting it please. All spam now removed and members banned

For your information, since this post I have deleted two more spammy posts and banned the members. I think it's the word hardware that attracts these numptys. Having said that, I'll try and keep a closer eye on this section.

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