Am relatively new to the DV field. I expect to film mostly footage of the kids at play, family gatherings, etc -- 60% indoors and 40% outdoors. I wish to purchase a reasonably reliable, easy-to-use, yet capable camcorder in the $400 range.
Even after reading the reviews on this site, I'm undecided. Mostly, what I want is reasonably decent overall image and sound quality, out of the box; ability to adjust settings is kinda secondary (but not unwelcome). Of the two abovenamed camcorders, which would be the better bet, especially for indoor/low light applications. (If I had to describe the typical usage situation I expect to encounter, it'd be: Kids' birthday parties.)
Also, are there other makes/models in my price range that I should consider.
btw, most user reviews I see point to the poor low-light performance of the Panasonic PV-GS35--is this relative to the Sony DCR-HC32 and other similarly priced camcorders, or just a judgment about sub-$500 camcorders in general.