I am a technology consultant for a private K-8 school. The school has been using a Panasonic PV-GS300 digital camcorder as part of a program where a group of kids produce a daily “morning news” segment, and record various events at the school. A few days ago the tripod holding the camcorder was knocked over, and the camcorder’s side LCD panel stopped working. Unfortunately, the camcorder is no longer under warranty, and repairing the LCD display could cost over $260.
I have been asked to recommend a replacement camcorder. The problem begins where the school PTO would like to spend less then $500 for a replacement. The teachers involved in the program also prefer to avoid camcorders that record to mini-DVDs. And, the big stickler is, we need support for an external microphone, something a lot of the inexpensive camcorders seem to be lacking (including the newer PV-GS320). The few models I’ve come across so far also lack the 3CCD the Panasonic PV-GS300 had, leading to concern that the image quality on a replacement model might not be as good as they had before.
Any suggestions on a replacement camcorder?
.
