Hi All

Newbie to this forum therefore be patient with me. Having watched people using modern small video camcorders has once again ignited my interest in owning such a gadget. I have a full size panasonic MS2 vido camera used it a few times in last fifteen years. Now holding such a beast on your shoulder is embarassing so my grown up kids say.

The burning question is which camcorder to go for in a huge market with so many makes and formats to choose from. Reading so many reviews I am non the wiser therefore I am confused. All of the major manufacturers say same thing that their camcoders are the best.

What I want is a simple to use camcorder with manual controls and the one that will produce good quality video's. The camcorder which I really fancy is panasonic NV-GS400 this is discontinued its replacement NV-GS500 hasn't manual features therefore an auto drive camcorder.

One thing has emerged clearly is that mini DV is much better format and is easier to edit video's. Is the new format HDD any good.

So all of guys which camcorder will fit my requirements. My buget for such a gadget is £500-£600. I look forward in receiving your feedbacks. Thanks in advance.