Technical comparison of DV Camcorders... Which seems better?

Hello all,
It's been a while since I last posted anything here, so long in fact that I forgot my old account and created this one

Anyhow, I'm looking to purchase a decent camcorder without going broke in the process. I'm not sure what is all out there, because I'm not all that familiar with DV camcorders. Below are two that are the "best" of those readily available to me:

(Technical stuff copied from shopping.com product descriptions)

Canon ZR200 Mini DV Digital Camcorder -- ~$390
4 Star rating
"Canon announces the ZR100, the ZR200, and the ZR300, which use 680,000-pixel sensors to record their moving pictures; and the ZR200 and ZR300 are capable of snapping still photos at XGA resolutions. Optical zoom ranges vary from 20X in the ZR100 and ZR200 to 22X in the ZR300. Only the ZR200 and ZR300 support Canon's Super NightShot mode."


Key Features
Type - Digital
Recording Format - Mini DV
Recording System - NTSC
CCD Quantity - 1
Memory Still Resolution - 0.79 Megapixels
Optical Zoom - 20x

CCD
CCD Quantity - 1
CCD Size - 1/6"
CCD Pixels - 680K pixels

LCD / Viewfinder
LCD Display - With LCD Display
LCD Panel Size - 2.4 in.
Color Viewfinder - With Color Viewfinder

Lens
Optical Zoom - 20x
Digital Zoom - 360x
Lens Focal Length - 2.8 - 56 mm
Filter Diameter - 28 mm

Video Modes
Image Stabilizer - With Image Stabilizer
Recommended Illumination - 100 Lux
Low Lux - 2 Lux
Recording Speed - LP ? SP

Audio
Audio Format - 12/16 Bit PCM Digital Stereo Audio

Memory Photography
Memory Card Type - Multimedia Card (MMC) ? SD Card
Digital Still Shot Mode - With Still Shot Capability
Memory Still Resolution - 0.79 Megapixels
Max Still Image Size - 1024 x 768
MPEG Movie Mode - Without MPEG Movie Mode

Interfaces
Output Interfaces - Composite (Video) ? Audio (RCA) ? FireWire / DV / i.Link ? USB
Input Interfaces - Audio (RCA)
Microphone Type - Internal

Power Supply
Battery Type - Proprietary Lithium

Dimensions
Width 2 in.
Depth 5.1 in.
Weight .95 lb.

Miscellaneous
Included Accessories USB Cable ? A/V Cable ? Lithium Propriety Battery ? AC Power Adapter ? Remote Control



OR



Panasonic PV-DV401 Mini DV Digital Camcorder -- ~$580
4.5 star rating
"Endowed with a 680,000-pixel CCD, the Panasonic PV-DV401 comes with the kinds of features and performance most people would want in a consumer DV camera. With its surprisingly good image quality, light weight, and palmcorder feel, it's a good--but not great--camera that's easy to use and affordably priced. Its poor performance in low light is saved by its MagicVu infrared capability. And it captures plenty of low- to medium-resolution still images on standard MultiMedia Cards (MMC)."


Key Features
Type - Digital
Recording Format - Mini DV
CCD Quantity - 1
Optical Zoom - 20x

CCD
CCD Quantity - 1
CCD Pixels - 680K pixels

LCD / Viewfinder
LCD Display - With LCD Display
LCD Panel Size - 3 in.
Color Viewfinder - With Color Viewfinder

Lens
Optical Zoom - 20x
Digital Zoom - 300x
Lens Focal Length - 3.6 - 72 mm

Video Modes
Image Stabilizer - With Image Stabilizer
Low Lux - 5 Lux
Night Shot - With Night Shot
Recording Speed - LP ? SP

Audio
Audio Format - 12/16 Bit PCM Digital Stereo/Audio Dub

Memory Photography
Digital Still Shot Mode - With Still Shot Capability

Power Supply
Battery Type - Proprietary Lithium
Battery Life - 1.25 hrs.

Dimensions
Width - 3.33 in.
Depth - 6.5 in.
Weight - 1.46 lb.


Any thoughts, suggestions? I'm hoping to keep the camcorder expense under $600 for a project I'm working on in case these aren't recommended...

 

I would suggest the Canon. It's a lot cheaper than the Panasonic with approximately the same specs. All of my cameras have been Canon and I have been happy with them. I have worked with all of the brands, and Panasonic comes in a very close second. But as far as the difference between the two you are looking at, the Canon seems like a better choice, not only for the money, but because Canon also specializes in imaging. The Canon lenses, have always seemed superior to the lens used in the other brands. Also, the optical stabilization on Canon camcorders is very good. Way back when I had my Canon ZR10, which was bottom of the line Canon, you had to shake the camera quite a bit to see much movement. So, after my rant on Canons, I still say go with the Canon, if for no other reason than price. You'll get a good camera that costs less than the equivilant from Panasonic.

 

Not to make things confusing or anything but here's another camera with extremely close specs:

Also I recommend www.camcorderinfo.com for reviews instead of trusting consumers.

JVC GR-D270 Mini DV Digital Camcorder Price range: $295.00 - $358.00

The GR-D270EX puts you in the director's chair. Its powerful 25x optical zoom lens gets tight close-ups of your subject and the 2.5 inch Clear LCD monitor, reduces glare and reflections so you'll always see your subject, even outdoors. The GR-D270EX has an SD/MMC card slot for recording high quality digital still images.In addition, the trim high capacity 700 mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable battery delivers up to 1.5 hours recording.

Key Features
Type: Digital
Recording Format: Mini DV
Recording System: NTSC
CCD Quantity: 1
Memory Still Resolution: 0.79 Megapixels
Optical Zoom: 25x

CCD
CCD Quantity: 1
CCD Size: 1/6"
CCD Pixels: 680K pixels

LCD / Viewfinder
LCD Display: With LCD Display
LCD Panel Size: 2.5 in.
Color Viewfinder: With Color Viewfinder

Lens
Optical Zoom: 25x
Digital Zoom: 800x
Lens Focal Length: 2.2 - 55 mm
Filter Diameter: 27 mm

Video Modes
Recording Speed: LP ? SP

Audio
Audio Format: 12/16 Bit PCM Digital Stereo Audio

Memory Photography
Digital Still Shot Mode: With Still Shot Capability
Memory Still Resolution: 0.79 Megapixels
Max Still Image Size: 1024 x 768
MPEG Movie Mode: Without MPEG Movie Mode

Interfaces
Output Interfaces: FireWire / DV / i.Link
Input Interfaces: FireWire / DV / iLink
Microphone Type: Internal

Power Supply
Battery Type: Proprietary Lithium
Battery Life: 1.42 hrs.

Dimensions
Width: 2.25 in.
Depth: 4.41 in.
Weight: .95 lb.

Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Software ? USB Cable ? A/V Cable ? Shoulder Strap ? Lithium Propriety Battery ? AC Power Adapter ? Lens Cap


Also here is a comparison of a close Canon camera and this camera from www.camcorderinfo.com:

Canon ZR300
The Canon ZR300 is available for a suggested price of $499, though probably cheaper from selected vendors. It features a similar CCD to that on the GR-D270, and has similar performance. It has similar zoom, still options, and manual controls to the GR-D270. I do like Canon?s jog dial navigational method, which may make manual control adjustment easier, but these camcorders are very similar. Also, the method of zooming, Canon's excellent low-end zoom toggle is included on this model. As far as performance goes, the ZR200 performs very well compared to the JVC offer slightly better performance in low and bright lighting.

Here are the www.camcorderinfo.com links:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-ZR200-Camcorder-Review-.htm

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/panasonic_pvdv401_camcorder_review.htm

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-GR-D270-Camcorder-Review.htm

I'd like to point out that the Panasonic review is old and lacks the depth of the other reviews unforetunately.

I hope I made your choice easier and I hope you enjoy your new camera, whichever one you choose.

 

Thanks darth and shadow, on the above comments.

While looking at camcorderinfo.com I came across several other possible choices inside my budget and I wonder if anyone out there might be able to add comments on them.

Specifically the Canon ZR300 Camcorder. Slightly higher rating and only a few $$ more than the Canon ZR200 that I was looking at.

Canon-ZR300-Camcorder-Review

Thoughts, suggestions, etc? Maybe anyone out there have one of these things?

 

If you don't mind getting a refurbished camera, you can get a Canon Optura 20 on E-Bay for $300-$400. I have one and it's a great little camera.

E-Bay search.

Specs on Canon's site

 

Panasonic has a 3CCD camera for $600. This would be worth looking into, as this means greater color quality. The only problem is that the CCD's themselves may be of a smaller size. The camera is called the PV-GS65. I'm not sure about the link, but you can find it at panasonic.com.

 

Check out the Panasonic GS-120, it's really good. Its about $500-600, 3 CCD's, external mic input...I'm impressed with mine. It was replaced with the GS-150, which may be just a little more money..