good camcorder?

Help me to find a good camcorder? I'm struggling with all the new models, hd non-hd, dvd based, hd based, normal tape ones

anyone got one recently which they could recommend?

i still prefer mini dv tapes tbh, i like having the option of having master tapes

problems i see and dont like with HDD and DVD

HDD - once off the hard drive you have no backup unless transferred to dvd and if the dvd fails, you have lost it forever

DVD - harder to edit, media still quite expensive, doesnt last as long as mini dv. ive found just in my experience anyway because its already converted to video format

the cameras of choice are definatley SONY, i wont buy anything else

then there is Hi Def, which ive not looked at yet, so cannot comment on

That's good to know. I'm thinking about getting one before the Christmas trip.

We recently purchased a cannon HDD. I've nothing but good things to say about it. It's small and easy to use. We haven't done anything fancy with it yet so I can't comment on all the functions. But for filming and downloading it's easy.