Which HD camera is better??

Question

Sony HDR-SR1 AVC HD 30GB Handycam Camcorder

or

Sony Handycam HDR-CX7

Answer 1

If those are the only two high definition cams I can choose from, then I'll take the HDR-CX7. When I fill a memory card, I pop it out and put in a new one. Just like MiniDV tape. When I fill a hard drive, I am stuck.

When I drop the hard drive camcorder and break it, I need to send the camera to a data recovery service to get the video that has not yet transferred. With removable flash memory, I take the card out and put it in a card reader to transfer the data files. With miniDV tape, I take the tape out and use another miniDV camcorder.

BUT, both the SR1 and the CX7 save to highly compressed AVCHD files which results in reduced video quality when compared to miniDV tape (which saves video files in less compressed DV or HDV.)

Because not all video editors can handle AVCHD from all manufacturers and

Because AVCHD in its current implementation is hobbled and

Because miniDV continues to provide the best available video quality at a less expensive price point and

Because the pros continue to use miniDV tape for these and other reasons, I would suggest staying in the miniDV tape environment... at the point that the manufacturers take full advantage of AVCHD capabilities (and make it as good as DV/HDV), it might be worth taking another look... in the meantime, I will continue to watch what the big dogs use:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/arti...

http://www.panasonic.com/business/provid...

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contro...

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/categ...

And it is, for the most part, miniDV tape - or if hard drive or flash memory based, the files are DV or HDV format - not AVCHD. I'm no pro, but that does not mean I can't use the tools they use.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/arti...