Tom, Ross et. al. - What's the best video camera to buy?
 

I'm not looking for anything extreme- just a good camera that will work well with my Mac.

Wait until after CES.

Pre-CES, it's the Canon HV20
 

Post-CES, who the hell knows. Canon is probably not going to release anything new because their cameras are so new. Panasonic and JVC are releasing a slew of new cameras and they are always at the top of the game. engadget.com already has the details. Bunch of 3CCD units as well, which could be interesting.

www.camcorderinfo.com is the best site on the net for camcorder information. I wouldn't buy any camera until they reviewed it.

Waiting for a CES released camera will likely mean waiting until at least April, if not the summer, until you can buy it in the US.

Ok, what's CES? I would actually prefer Panasonic as I can get a decent deal on them.
 

Did I ever send that Koni price you asked for?

Consumer Electronics Show
 

<ul><li><a href="http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/markets/imaging.asp">http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/markets/imaging.asp</a</li></ul>

There is no "best" until you can define your needs
 

...and budget. Definitely use camcorderinfo.com...

I agree that the HV20 is an awesome HD camcorder, but it may not suit your specific needs. Each camcorder represents a different solution to the competing.

I own the HV20 and I do like the camera a lot. I got a bunch of accessories (Wide Angle, Telephoto, Mic, Tripod + Fluid Head and I'm thinking about a Merlin Steadicam). I export the video from the camera to my PC and then burn the raw video to regular DVD's and play the binaries using my PS3...

It takes a lot of regular DVD's to store the HD video on. I recently went to Vegas and filmed the Bellagio fountain show...ended up with about 6 DVD's of binaries. I need to acquire a Blu-Ray burner (another $500).

Canon just unveiled a bunch of new camcorders including the HV30 and some solid state media camcorders....<ul><li><a href="http://www.camcorderinfo.com/">http://www.camcorderinfo.com/</a></li></ul>

I don't really need HD. Just a reliable, fairly easy to use camera.
 

I guess my main source of confusion is all of the formats available. Which format is the cheapest to shoot and still widely supported?

Format?
 

DVD, Blu-Ray, MiniDV, HDD, Flash, Digital8, Hi8/8mm, MicroMV, etc.

Lots of choices...

Here's a link to Camcorderinfo ratings:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php
Use their ratings page to start your research...

Highest rated Camcorder is the HV20 (~$800 or so)...

Their highest rated SD Camcorder is the JVC-MG555 (~$500 or so)...looks nice:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-GZ-MG555-Camcorder-Review-29549.htm

The conclusions comparisons page for the JVC-MG555 is probably a good place to start:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-GZ-MG555-Camcorder-Review-29549/Comparisons--Conclusion.htm

Thank you sir!

No problem...
 

If you want to meet to have a look at the HV20, peripherals and some of the videos, let me know. I live in Chuluota and if you're ever in town, you would be welcome to swing by.