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We (my dad and myself) use:

Sony HD42 Videocamera 30GB (40x optical which is a problem to stablize without tripod....)
Panasonic DMC ZF18 (18x optical) + a 2Gb and 4 Gb card
HP 715 Camera
Tripod & window stand

We NEVER use digital zoom..

I acquired a Canon HG10 last year and I think it's a pretty good camera.
It has a 40GB HDD, so no tapes changing anymore, and it's full HD.
The image stabeliser is pretty good, but for the longer shots you really need a bean bag or a tripod.

I have a new ( yes spoilt brat that I am !!!! ) Panasonic HDC-SD 700 video camera..
Is there anybody out there that has this video camera ...any hints and tips will be greatly appreciated. All this new HD jargon is greek to me............

That is a great camera Caracal. Congrats.

Just be sure, with the long shots, that you use a stabiliser of some sorts. That works magic on your pictures and be sure to protect it from dust. The buttons are really sensitive for dust and will malfunction otherwise.
For the rest. Practise, practise, practise. Enjoy.

Thank you for the advice michel367...I will indeed protect my camera from the dust !!!!
I will be trying it out this weekend....hope I get some action to practise on !!!

Not much of a "kit" but it does a pretty good job:

Sony Handycam HDV-C110
window mount fluid head.
16gb SD memory (lasts 90 min)
extended battery (half the size of the camera!) for 5h battery life

Shoots full HD sterio sound, and it's very small, light, portable. Lives in my pocket! Haha.

Quality is surprisingly good for such a tiny camera. Uses a backlit CMOS sensor for great low light performance.

20x optical zoom, but I rarely zoom more than 10x.

All round i'm very impressed, and recommend it for anyone looking to buy a video camera for game viewing.

Very nice camera Caracal. DB has a very similar model. HDC TM300. Looks identical and very similar specs, but an earlier model.

It has 32gb internal memory and also takes SD cards.
Uses AVCHD codec which seems to becoming the standard, but requires quite a good PC for editing.
12 times optical Zoom.
Has an eye level view finder which the Canons in the same range don't have. I did think the Canon has slightly better colour though, but that maybe just lack of familiarity with settings.

Hasnt been used much yet, so I think DB has a long way to go to master it.

I replaced my trusty Canon XM2 last year with a Panasonic HPX170. It has 12 times optical zoom, but with a range that starts at a very wide angle, so I have had to use a 1.4 times extender. It makes an already big cam a bit bulky.

Its a great cam and shoots variable frame rates up to 50 fps, which is great for slow motion.

I'm using Adobe Premiere Pro for editing.

I think I have a long way to go as well....at the moment I am converting to mpeg and then cutting to DVD. Not ideal but that is what I will do until I buy new software...new TV....new DVD player......

Your new camera sounds awesome Hawk !!!!

We have a Panasoic NV-GS60.

I have never tried to download the clips to the computer.

Can somebody please tell me how to do it as if I am clueless, which I am.

What software must I download and from where.

Thanks.

Hi BB..there are many ways of downloading video but first of all you need a firewire cable. Do you have such a thing...
Then if you can use the standard Windows Movie Maker software to make a clip or two to upload.
I had a similar camera.....NV-GS150.
But to copy video to DVD etc I used Studio Pinnacle software.
My camera came with a basic version of this software..did you not get any software with the camera ????

Hi Not sure whether this is the right place to ask but am trying in any case.
We, Shirleymargate- my wife, and I are spending 9 months in New Zealand and loving every moment - sea birds feeding etc etc.
I have a Canon 40D with the 100-400L lens and have been thinking about adding a Canon EF1.4 x 111 Extender
Has anyone used this and if so is it worth the dollars.
Thank you Frans

Me again. SORRY - wrong place, Please ignore

Frans

Does anyone here use Linux for video editing? I've been following the development of Linux video editing software for years hoping to find something that can compete with the Windows stuff. I tried various Linux based programs over the years, as I use Linux Ubuntu almost exclusively for everything else so I'm eager to edit in Linux as well. Hopefully I can then ditch Windows completely.

I've just come across "Openshot" and am trying it out at the moment. I will post my first attempt on the forum to show what can be done with free software. (Just a few basic shots and a menu)

If anyone has experience in this area please share it here.

I concentrate mainly on my still photos, but I have:

Sony HD SR12E

Takes the most amazing full HD videos, and fantastic 7.2MP stills as well! Host of manual features, and best of all, 120GB HDD, so no need for tapes or memory cards (even though it accepts Memory sticks). And it has a night mode (looks like the military TV programs, with the green night vision:))

I just use my camera window mount. Don't have any extenders, lenses etc. It has plenty of reach with its optical and digital zoom.