Thank you to all that have responded so favorably to my recent camcorder picks in all of the various categories. Today I’m focusing on the more professional level HD cameras… but please don’t take that to mean that I’m including the $75,000 VariCam setup for the next great Hollywood Cinematographer. I’m actually just focusing on those cameras between $2,000 - $8,000 that are so near-and-dear to the working professional in the commercial, corporate, educational, and wedding fields among others.

Best Pro Level HD Video Camera - Tape Based
The Canon XH-A1 is an amazing piece of engineering for a remarkable price. At just over $3,000 (with rebate) the XH-A1 camcorder has three 1/3″ 16:9 interlaced CCDs that capture images at 1080i resolution. The camcorder features selectable frame rates of 60i, 30 Frame and 24 Frame. This allows you to capture sports at 30 frames or use the 24 frame rate when you want a more film-like look. The 60i frame rate is the current resolution of choice for many Reality TV shows. I really like the great lens, optical stabilizer, and super fast focus that come standard with this camera. At this price point you’re not able to change out the lens for another, but the 20x fluorite fixed lens that the XH-A1 ships with provides excellent image fidelity. My only complaint is with the on-board mic. You can easily triple the audio quality that this camera records by buying a decent shotgun mic ($500) and attaching it to the included shotgun mount. All in all, a fantastic camera for the price!

Best Pro Level HD Video Camera - Memory Card Based
Arguably the hottest camera on the market today is the Panasonic AG-HVX200. Everybody I know either already has one or is getting one in the next few weeks! Even podcasters are scooping these up in quantity. My friends over PhotoshopUser TV already have two of these units and I wouldn’t be surprised if the picked up 2 or 3 more in 2008. The guys over at Digital Juice TV also swear by them. So what’s all the fuss about? Well, the camera is compatible with DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO25 and consumer DV recording standards. It also uses 3 wide aspect CCDs for true 16:9 recordings. It even comes with a wide angle Leica Dicomar 13x Zoom lens with advanced glass coatings. But the most significant reason it stands out from the pack is that it uses Panasonics new P2 memory cards for recording. This disk based recording medium makes the video immediately accessible to non-linear editing systems (like Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, etc) and forever leaves behind the boring task of digitizing video footage from tape. But this editing ease and technology innovation doesn’t come cheap. While you can get a camera for a little over $5,000, by the time you add a couple of extra P2 cards and an accessory or two, you’ve easily spent your $8,000 budget in one fell swoop! Ahhh, but as many happy users are eager to tell you, it’s totally worth it!