Looking to purchase a new camcorder-thoughts?

[Mark Farnik]

Hi everyone
Well after reviewing the footage I shot last Wednesday with my ancient Panasonic Palmcorder PV-L651 VHS-C, I realized it's time and past time that I bought a new camcorder. It's been a good camera and it hasn't seen much use, but after 7 years it's just time for a new camera.
I'm looking for a MiniDV camera with 3CCD and a pricetag under $650.
One camera that I'm looking closely at is the Panasonic PV-GS320.
It has a three CCD image sensor, 10x optical/700x digital zoom, 16:9 wide-screen capture capability, optical image stabilization and a SD/HC card slot. It also features a 3.1 megapixel still camera mode, as well as a 2.7-Inch LCD, AV in/out, Firewire and USB 2.0 ports. I've found several good kit deals from electronics powersellers on Ebay for around $500-$550 with shipping. The reviews are great and it fits right in my budget. Does anyone have any experience with this camera? Or know of any comparable alternatives that I should consider? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Esa Tuunanen]

Here's some information about it:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-PV-GS320-First-Impressions-Review/Performance.htm

700x digital zoom

ROTFLMAO
I wonder does that mean there's one huge screen sized "pixel" which can be used only for determining brightness of scene...

16:9 wide-screen capture capability

If sensor has 4:3 aspect ratio you'll want to use that for getting maximum field of view, camcorders have generally lousy wide angle.