HD Cam advice - research performed, wall hit!

[thesilverfox]

Hi guys.

I'm soon to be travelling to Japan with work (finance!), and attending CES in Las Vegas in January 2010 with a hardware website. In my spare time, I will be embarking on an ambitious personal project that would be documented well with a camcorder. So a mix of out and about in cities, interviews on a tripod and general use.

(p.s. I already own a Velbon DV7000 tripod for my DSLR, so interviews are covered)

I've done some of my own research, but hit a dead end with conflicting opinions. Here is what I know I want:

• HD capable in AVCHD (AVC/H.264)
• 1080p (I have a Samsung LE40A686 panel)
• Prefer manual focus ability
• Prefer mic input
• Backlight compensation or equivalent to iris/aperture control
• Good battery is a bonus, but I already concede to buying a spare or two.
• Wide angle lens attachment would be a bonus
• Optical zoom doesn't need to be mega (it's redundant by hand at certain lengths and above anyway)

Here are some points I am stuck with:

• HDD or flash memory storage - happy to buy a few cards if required, but not sure which is preferred and suggested and why.
• Is the 3-CCD feature worth the premium?
• What is the best software for editing AVCHD? I frequently hear tales of my father cursing the day Sony Vegas was conceived you see.
• What's the deal with 24p/25p on camcorders? I.e. my Blu Ray player and HDTV resolve the 24p issue - not likely on the camcorder? Surprisingly not well documented on my travels!

All and every bit of advice is very welcome. My intended budget is around £400, but I can stretch to £500 if the price justifies the end means.

Finally, thanks for your replies in advance - I appreciate that many threads crop up, but I've done some research at least!

Many thanks,
thesilverfox

[Nikosony]

You are looking for a lot of features for £500. If you could stretch to £600 you could get a Canon HF200, it has most of the features you are looking for and gives great results in terms of both picture and sound. Maybe if you look for a second hand model on ebay or similar you might find a bargain, then again you might find a turkey.

[thesilverfox]

I had a feeling I might hear that!

If the budget was around £600 instead (give or take a little), is there anything else that I should think about close to the HF200?

Thanks for the response either way.

tsf.