HD Camcorders under R3000?

[trapjaw]

Hey guys, not sure if this is the right forum to post this but hopefully I'll get some replies.

I've noticed the price of digital camcorders that can shoot HD footage has come down a bit recently and I'm keen to get one. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a decent, good-value-for-money HD camcorder for preferably under R3k. Things I'd be looking for would be obviously, high quality footage as a primary concern, as well as decent performance under low-light conditions, and an external input to capture sound rather than a built-in mic.

Any suggestions?

 

[Positively Negative]

hey bro you will have better luck in the Photography section. hopefully an admin can move the thread there

 

[bdt]

What would you say to a BenQ M1?

 

[techead]

got an HP sitting in my cupboard not getting used... Still brand new if you wanna take it off my hands

for a price

 

[Viva]

I bought a Samsung HMX-H300BN camcorder earlier this year before a trip to Italy. It was R3k at HiFi Corp.

It has great battery life and video quality @ 720p/1080i, given enough light. It also has an awesome 30x optical zoom, a 3" touchscreen, and it's really small and easy to use. The downside is that the video quality reduces drastically in low light conditions. I recorded a few songs at the Coldplay show Wednesday and while it's not unusable, it most certainly doesn't look like HD video. Under normal conditions the quality is great though, as you can see for yourself on Youtube.

As far as I know, this camera is great value for money, even with it's shortcomings. I'm therefor quite sure you won't find a HD Camcorder with an external input for sound and decent performance under low-light conditions for under 3k. You will probably be looking at around 10k if those are requirements.

 

[Kayoss]

Also looking for a hd camcorder around the 3k mark. Just thought id bump this thread and see if anyone knows of any specials.. Wanna buy one tomorrow.. Thanks