Commerce cwestion.
So, wisdom of crowds moment. I am pondering buying a flash memory based camcorder, on the grounds that I like the idea of what camcorders do, but my current one - an old JVC DR340 - is heavy to carry, slow to anger, and takes a hugely long time to convert from MIniDV tapes to gigantic files, due to a combination of which factors I never take it anywhere. The lightness, portability and ease of data transfer of an SDHC card over that seems like it would help me to get a lot more joy out of the process. I was aiming for the cost of a basic camcorder, nothing too fancy - I never have time to master these things, anyway. What do you recommend?

• Dude, take a plunge. In the greater scheme of things it's not too much more money to get a Sanyo Xacti HD1000. You've always liked the Xacti form factor, and now it appears to be attached to a decent camcorder. The low light performance, which given your shameful life of troglodytic pleasures is an important factor, is far better than the next level of camcorder down, but this is still cheaper than most HD camcorders.


• Dude, you don't even have a HD television, and if you did get an HD television you wouldn't get a 1080i one, because you are basically cheap. Also, the 1080 files are huge, and at last count iMovie was struggling to deal with them, so the biggest benefit the Xacti has to offer isn't much of an advantage at all. You should go with a nice, low-cost camcorder - a Canon FS100 or the low-end JVC Everio, say. It's more portable than the one you have, even though you still won't be carrying it around on the off-chance, and more hard-wearing, but at your level of competence it's about as much as you should be thinking about spending. As for those problems with low light and indoor shooting? Open a window or move outside. Simple.


• Dude, two words. Flip video. Or Creative Vado. Or maker brand. At your level of competence, you want something that will capture the basics, without fuss. When did you ever really feel you were missing out by not having enough pixels on the screen, really?


• Dude, you have a Sony Cybershot DSC-T9. Use the video function on that for snap video - it does notionally capture "DVD-quality" images, although lord knows what that's supposed to mean - and trot out the DR340 when you know you'll need it - weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs.</i>
  
• Dude, the compression used on recording to flash media is still too primitive to allow for anything resembling even cheap miniDV quality. Stick with what you've got.


• Dude, other.


• Dude, have you considered that this may be indicative of a deeper malaise?