Panasonic PV-GS150 Mini DV Camcorder

It has a wonderful picture quality for both the stills and video. I believe this may be due to the 3CCD factor. I like the fact that I can take pictures while I am recording, which is great for pictures of kids on the move.I also like the fact I can turn the light on or off or have it set at automatic. It fits perfectly in my hand and the toggle switch is placed right for easy use. I did purchase the extra long life battery since I used it often. The battery with it didn't last real long, normal time I guess. I purchased this camcoder in Jan., 2004. I used it very often as have two small children. The first one was born in Feb., 2004. I have used it to record all of their milestones and daily life. Unfortunately it quit working on me in July, 2011 - with a movie stuck in it. I decided to purchase a new camcorder. I tried to find one close to it and purchased a Panasonic SDR-S50. It is not at all the picture quality of my old camcoder, even though it takes the SD HC card. I miss my old camcoder's quality. I'm keeping my eyes on ebay, so I can purchase another PV-GS150. My only con is that I failed to copy several of my tapes to my computer. So I am now out of luck for copying them. I researched machines that would copy the movies, but their prices are  $700 to $1000, or more. I tried purchasing a PVF-GS12 to play my tapes on, but the speed is different between them so playback is off. Also the PV-GS12 is not the quality that the PV-GS150 was.