It seems to me to be a good choice, though I am a Canon user.
It's also important to...
Use a tripod or be very steady with a hand-held).
Decent light.
Tell a story, keep people engaged.
Basically just learn a little video-shootin'.
HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

You should try SONY camcorder with B.O.S.S. stabilizer (not every model has it), it is amazing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PowerDirector 365

Hey Barry,

I noticed that you use a Canon Vixia HV30, I was just looking at some. I haven't read all the spec, but am I assuming correct that you upload from the camcorder (tape) just like you would if it was on a disk or card?

Any HDV camcorder must be attached via firewire (IEEE or 1394) to capture the tape in real time.
It is time-consuming and has several pitfalls, but it's still a great camera.
I would suggest a flash-based camera, you just attach via USB, browse and copy/cut/paste the media files.
It's a much easier method.
I just use my HV30 for AV/DV conversions now, such as analog tape (VHS, 8, Hi8, etc).
Keep in mind any Hi-Def media will put strain on an average computer. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Quote: I would suggest a flash-based camera, you just attach via USB, browse and copy/cut/paste the media files.
It's a much easier method.

I second that notion. My first camcorder was a Canon Vixia HF G10 about 2 years ago, and I couldn't be happier with it. Don't know if I'll ever upgrade. Been doing digital photography for years, my current one being a Canon 5D MK II, and it's gathering a lot of dust these days. The G10 has been replaced in the Canon inventory by the G 20, which I'm sure is also an excellent model.

I delayed getting a camcorder until they came out with flash-based models, and my G10 has 32 GB internal memory plus two SD slots, in which I have a 32 GB card in each. With a couple of spare batteries I can do a lot of shootin', about 8 hrs., before I run out of space. Dell Precision 7510 Laptop
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit | Intel(R) XEON(R) CPU E3-1505M v5 @2.80 GHz
RAM: 32 GB
Windows Experience Index 7.5

I'm also inching towards shopping mode, but I think I'd like to get a 3D camera. This is probably foolish, since I've never done any video before; but I'm a feature junky. If a doorstop isn't computerized, I keep looking.

Right now I'm wondering how much memory such a thing would require. I'd guess roughly twice what a Cyclops would require, but I really don't have any feel for it at all.

I guess I don't have a sense of how this works. I figure that if I took 20 ten-minute shots, I'd wind up with 20 files (presumably spread across my cards or what-have-you as needed). What happens if I take one 200-minute shot? Jerry Schwartz