Hi, I have had a Canon ZR65MC for a couple of years. It got damaged in a fall and I sent it to the Canon Service center. They will fix it for $282 (estimated) including return shipping. The estimate shows no parts, only labor. The cassette door and transport mechanism are bent and jammed and won't close. This is about the price (if not more) for a new camcorder of the same model or general range, from what I have seen on the net.
My Canon served me pretty well (seemed hardy and easy to use, had a lot of nice little features that I liked), but I was always disappointed with the image quality- low color saturation and quality, mediocre to bad indoor video in normal lighting.
To me, basic image and sound are the number one and two criteria, but for what I paid ($600) in 2003 I was satisfied with the Canon (especially since I was stuck with it).
Now I want to know if I should just by a new one of the same model for under $300, or/and pay somone else to fix the old one, or buy something else for under $500.
I would really like someone's advice, especially if they have used a more than one different mini DV camera.
Thanks in advance

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