Indoor Sports Arenas and HD

by tkd-dad - 9/30/09 5:24 PM

I have been using a SD camcorder for many years, and I'd like to dip my toes in the sea of HD. The trick shot for me is to make sure I purchase something that will not look jerky when filming motion, nor too noisy in indoor settings.

The scoop is that several of my children are active Tae Kwon Do competitors and I'd like to make HD video of their matches. These are fought in venues that range from high school gymnasiums to larger sports arenas. I would be ring-side or nearly so when filming.

Right now, I'm torn between the Canon HFS-100, the Sony HDR-500V, or the Panasonic HDC-TM300. The canon seems to be the best all-around machine and I've read reviews that suggest it's passable in low light. The Sony was rated best in low light by Consumer Reports, but did not fare so well in the camcorders.com review (and I'm not sure it's video is as good as the Canon's). Camcorders.com raves about the HDC-TM300 in low light, but that seems an outlier.

I would love a store that actually stocked all three cameras, and I'd actually pay a premium over online stores for the privilege of trying before buying, but I can't find such a place.

Any suggestions or recommendations?