HD camcorders: Compare features & prices Canon Legria HF G10 review http://www.which.co.uk/technology/camcorders/reviews/hd-camcorders/canon-legria-hf-g10/review/

I needed a camcorder that would handle the recording of live music performed in public venues, where I have little control over sound, space and lighting conditions.The large sensor and manual exposure controls cope well with dingy pub lighting and bright, flashing discos that would fool an auto-iris. Professional features like zebra help to get the settings right first time - there's no opportunity for second takes.Auto focus, face detection and edge peaking give various options for getting the focus right depending on how dynamic the scenes are and, with powered image stabilization, even hand-held shots at maximum zoom are acceptable.Full HD is faultless as there is no upscaling or downscaling of images from the sensor's native resolution and, as Which? have pointed out, stills or video snaps are good enough for web pages and business cards. The ability to take a sound feed straight off the PA system was also a key requirement, although the built-in mic copes well when this is not possible. The manual audio-level is effective at preventing background noise becoming more intrusive during quiet passages. And there is one feature that really sets this camcorder apart from its Canon siblings that Which? have simply failed to mention: the very wide angle lens (30mm equivalent) enables shooting in cramped conditions.In summary, this is an expensive camcorder if you don't need all its features, but it is about as close as you will get to professsional kit at an affordable price and in a portable format. I'm not sure how a 2-year old Sony HDR-XR520 at a similar price could beat that.