November 5th, 2009 
pkinvest I received a Sony miniDVD camcorder and I am looking to do quite a bit of editing. Is it worth exchanging the camera for a mini DV such as a Panasonic 3CCD so I don’t have to loose quality compressing and having to go through Handbrake? You’re probably going to say it’s worth the exchange but, you know, I’ll be thankful for the best answer 
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You’ll want MiniDV for the best quality (vs. DVD that is).
DVD uses MPEG-2 compression, which is pretty good, but sometimes lossy. Overall, however, you will likely not notice the quality difference.
The BIGGER difference will be between the 1 CCD and 3 CCD cameras, especially in low light. A 3 CCD DVD is probably better than a 1 CCD MiniDV (although I personally don’t like the DVDs because they’re harder to find, harder to edit, not reusable, and more expensive).
Short and sweet: MiniDV is better, but not really worth the exchange unless you’re making movies or something. 3 CCD is ALWAYS worth the exchange if you have the cash.
—
Edit:
If you’re making films, it’s a bit pricier, but check out the Canon VIXIA HV30.
It’s high-definition, and it records in 24 frame per second film mode–TRUST ME, it makes a difference.
$600 on http://www.newegg.com last time I checked. It’s MiniDV; you need a slightly more powerful computer to edit it, but it’s a great tool for making movies. Me and my friends have a lot of fun with the older version of it (HV20–basically the same thing with a couple less random little features, and it’s silver instead of black–so if you can get that cheaper, go for it!).
Also check out external mics and things, you’re going to want to expand someday. An inexpensive but cool-looking microphone has gotten me into a few places I never thought I’d be allowed to film in.
Good luck and have fun making movies!
you will be ahead by making the swap. if you look at data rate, DVD records at about 6 mbps and miniDV is 25 mbps. the audio on miniDV is also superior quality, 16 bit sampled at 48k, uncompressed! For music video where everything has to be frame accurate, miniDV is the way to go.