Do you use your main camcorder on vacation

I need to purchase a new camcorder and I was looking at the Canon XHA1 or equivalent Sony but is this too much camera for a vacation camera? I was thinking of purchase Canon HV-20 for vacations, and the purchase the XH A1 for events. Also should I stay with tape or go to hard-drive type camcorder?

Save the "Big guns" for a professional gig. If you bring an expensive camera along on a trip, you're never going to use it. For me, smaller is better. I've got a canon digital SLR with interchangeable lenses, but the little pocket camera is the one that usually gets the most use on a trip.

On a consumer level, the "hard drive" type cameras may present "compatibility" problems when you try to edit in that format.

Mark

Yep...I went to Disneyworld a few weeks ago with the family and my Varicam. My 9 year old pushed me around on a Chapman dolly and my other 9 year old held the boom. My 7 year old was the PA / background control. My Wife carried the light kit & gripped. My Mother-In-Law wouldn't do Craft Services so we left her off the call sheet (she wasn't too happy about that). We had about 75 set-ups. Great crew, my family.

...just kidding, of course

I bought an Sony HDR-HC1 (single CMOS sensor HDV) a while back that is perfect for family / home stuff. It also makes for GREAT B-roll @ work...so actually, yes I use it for both.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

And I would vote against hard-drive cameras. With hard-disk camcorders, it means you'll be carrying around all your shot footage with you. Bump the camera or get your kid's ice cream on it and kiss goodbye to all your footage! Or would you rather deal with transferring footage to a laptop while you're on vacation? Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather be able to stow tapes or DVDs away after each day.

Quality-wise, I always believe good images are in the camera operator, not in the camera. Set your exposure and framing right, turn off that auto-focus, use some camera filters and you'll get great images even from cheaper cameras.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Is the Canon HV-20 a good choice or do you recomend anything else? Just looking for other options. I have not had a chance to looked at the Sony's

The Canon HV-20 is a really great little camera and it is capable of beautiful images, can be used as a pro camera in a pinch and the price has gone way down recently.

I am planning on getting one. I have brought my DVX and HVX on vacations, it's a PITA frankly. Having a pro-looking camcorder just calls attention to yourself. Forget the hard drive and card cameras, AVCHD is a bigger PITA to deal with than HDV.

Canon HV-20 all of the way.

Dan

Here ya go, man...take THIS on vacation:



When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

...what?

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

take it on vacation? this thing looks like it's going to eat somebody!