subevo

where the cheapest place to buy one of the latest micro camcorders such as sony 1p7 im going to las vegas in 8 weeks should i wait till then or are there any problems buying abroad?

MarkO

Don't buy the IP7. I had a look at one of these recently, and the compromises in picture quality, proprietrary tape format, short battery life, etc., simply aren't justified. Whilst it's touted as the smallest DVCam in the world, it's hardly any smaller than the DCR-PC101 that I ended up buying, when you put them alongside each other. I also looked at JVC's GR7 model too, but again, the difference in size was insignificant, but the difference in features and quality was huge.

As for buying abroad (in the US), bear in mind you'll end up with an NTSC camera, which will present problems if you want to play the movies back on a PAL-only TV, or transfer them to a PAL-VHS tape. You can buy converters, but they're not cheap.

Given that you can pick up a UK PAL Sony DCR-PC101 from Cameras Direct for £880 (£1200 at Dixons!!!), I'd go that route personally, unless you're confident you won't be bothered by the issues of having an NTSC camera. I bought my Sony from there 4 weeks ago, and was delighted with the service.

[Edited by MarkO - 8/14/2002 2:26:18 PM]