Upgrading to HD camcorder

[Jonathon]

I'm upgrading to HD in the near future for some upcoming projects. Does anyone have any recommendations? Preferably HDD storage in an editing friendly format (Final Cut/Premiere Pro).

Killer features I'm looking for are some kind of focus ring and good macro HD!

[Jonathon]

Well I've been looking around I think I'm going to purchase the tiny underwater HD camera from sanyo. While I'd like to have more control over the image/mechanics of the camera, being able to film even a few inches under water will produce some amazing results in the upcoming videos.

http://sanyo.com/xacti/english/products/vpc_wh1/index.html

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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJr7c_Qsvos" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJr7c_Qsvos</a>

I was also looking at a nice panasonic with a focus ring (dont recall the model number) for 999.99, and a pro canon for 2000+ (obviously out of my price range, heh).

[Jonathon]

So far I love the Sanyo WH1!! Here is the first video I took with it, with more to come!!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3unm4iGQhmA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3unm4iGQhmA</a>

[Clive]

I'm liking it too, its not the greatest, but its a solid little camera for the price!

[Jonathon]

For costing not much more than I paid for my JVC Everio that shoots standard and doesn't go underwater I think the camera is a great deal for the price. You have to remember it's still a consumer level product and not a professional one.

[Clive]

Yeah for sure. Its definitely a bargain for the price!