I am looking to buy a 3-chip CCD camcorder for doc/micro-features. What is the quality of one camera over the other? Advise me, please.

-- Michael Carroll (mcarroll@dgweb.com), May 30, 1999

Answers

i think the 900 which i have has 530 lines of res. and the ez-30 has 460 lines. the 900 has a bigger lcd screen and has more professional features, plus it has a glass lens unlike the ez-30 which has a plastic one. i would pick the 900 if i was you, you won't be sorry. josh

-- josh jernigan (meluvoliverstone@hotmail.com), May 31, 1999.

DV, MiniDV, DVCAM, DVCpro & Sony's DV8 all have the same lines of resolution. It is a protocal format. Check out the site www.adamwilt.com. It explains the differences. So the question becomes how good an image will the charged, coupled device, (CCD) give you. Answer: any camera that will shoot in Progressive Scan Mode is superior to one shooting in fields. I believe the new sony TRV-700 3CCD will if you like Sony. Canon makes three cameras that will, the Elura; $1400, the Optura; $1240 from B&H, and the XL-1 @ $3700. However the only camera of that bunch with 3 CCD's is the XL-1. The image difference is only nominally better on 3 CCD's. Use AfterEffects of CineLook to do color corection and rendering and you'll look like a million bucks. Litterally. Brian Meade

-- Brian Meade (brianmeade@yahoo.com), June 03, 1999.

I've shot with both, the Sony certainly wins out in the features department, the image-stabilisation dept (Panasonic's is dreadful) as well as the 'specular highlight' or lights 'hits', which show up as a long streak on the Panasonic, while the Sony displays a mils star-pattern. On the other hand, the Panasonic AG-EZ30 has a very "sweet" picture quality (haven't found the technical term for that yet), a very pleasant look that flatters whatever you're taping. Also, the Panasonic is very compact. Tough choice...

-- HPhillips (hvap@rcn.com), July 23, 2000.

Honestly I really like the picture quality from the panasonic. Although its features are definetly less than the new Panasonic MX- 300, the picture quality is very close-the term sweet would be better defined as an almost soft quality that usually does not come with good vieo (notice the almost painful sharpness of the TRV9000?) both camcorders, however, are excellent. If you want the least expensive one (the panasonic can be had for 1300 used) that is the lightest I would go with the AGEZ30, if you're looking for features go with the sony. Either way you'llb e happy.

-- Ben KAtz (ttc10399@taconic.net), June 22, 2001.