Camcorder Reviews

I've been wanting to get a new camcorder for about two years now. I've put it off until recently when I saw the TRV27. It had pretty much what I wanted in a camcorder. Digital, large LCD, usb and firewire connections and i'm partial to Sony anyway.
After about two weeks of messing around with it I can certainly recommend this camera to anyone willing to spend the money for it. There are comparable cameras out there so it comes down to personal taste and affordability.

I can only give this 4 stars though because of a few things.
1. The included PixelView DV editing software sucks. I downloaded a trial version of Ulead Videowave and it had more features and was easier to use. Sony should've included better software to compliment their equipment.

2. Filming in low light is almost useless. The film comes out near total black. I would recommend a video light.

and lastly,
3. The still shots at standard settings aren't the greatest. The still shots are at 1.0 megapixels so to get the best output you need to have those settings at the highest resolution and hightest quality. That takes up space on the included 8 meg memory stick. If you are planning to use it as a digital camera for still shots, I would recommend the 128meg mem. stick.

Other than those concerns I'm completely happy with my purchase and having a good time learning video editing.

I've used the DCR-TRV27 for almost a year and a half now. Excellent image quality, light weight, great battery life, data flows through FireWire to computer very well.

Down sides: Sony's web site doesn't even acknowledge they ever made this camera; searching on its model number will not produce any results. So if you lost the manual, the best source to get it in .pdf form is Amazon! Also, the zoom is a little over-sensitive.

These are minor quibbles though. For the money, this camera is a bargain.

Excellent camcorder!

Was looking for TRV30 which went out of production and came across this one.

Pros: 1) clear and vibrant video picture (video 690K pixels and still 1 mega pixels CCD)
2) Fast focusing when using zoom in auto mode
3) simple to use knobs and buttons
4) Value for price
5) still photo fairly good with 1 megapixel rating
6) video looks great on TV (at least in Sony Wega TV) than the LCD screen (May be I have reduce the brightness of screen)

Cons:
1) 10x optical and 120x digital zoom slightly less than the competion JVC, Panasonic, Canon
2) Battery life is short with LCD usage
3) No memory stick holder/case supplied
4) No flashlight/ video light (have to buy separately)

Will recommend for anyone who wants good decent video with high resolution and money to spend.

I basically have been torturing my kitty learning this. But it's easy to use. I have sworn I cannot get good pictures of kitty because she does not slow down. Now I came have a kitty cam!! hehehe. Seriously, the pictures were sharp. I had now trouble loading there. It's small, compact and basically great fun for a cheap price. Hard to believe Sony that reasonable.

I only give it four stars because it I am still learning, so don't know enough about to give it really high rating as compared to others.

We decided to go with the digital8 format for our upcoming first baby as the quality is similar to miniDV but the camcorders are about [$$$] less right now. Plus the Hi-8 tapes that digital8 uses are cheaper too.

I am very pleased with the results so far and it seems like an excellent camcorder. The low-light is good enough and the daylight is spectacular. I have already shot a clip of our dog, transferred via firewire to our PC, converted it to a smaller size and emailed it. The quality is great. I look forward to getting a DVD writer and archiving our baby videos.

If you like the Sony name and don't want to spend the [$$$] for a Sony miniDV camcorder, this is the one to get.

I used to own SONY TRV 340. I bought the TRV 250 for less and found that it is much better than TRV 340. TRV 340 costs around two times as the TRV 250. But it is an old model so don't buy it if I were you. You can connect to computer easily with USB port for the TRV 250. For TRV 340, you have to buy separate firewire card and software.

It is a bad idea to take still pictures into memory stick for a digital camcorder. The quality of the picture won't be good. Get a digital camera instead.

Wow! What a nice little digital "starter" camcorder for casual, fun digital video! As far as I can tell from extensive comparison shoopping, its feature set is just about unbeatable at this price point ...The unit weighs little more than a pound, but has a quality aura about it, with all the buttons and switches feeling quite solid and substantial. I already had several Samsung multimedia devices (MP3 player and DVD player) before my wife bought me this camcorder for Father's Day (thanks, sweetheart!), so I had a certain comfort level with the brand's overall excellent quality.

Here are a few things any prospective buyer should know: Regardless of what the folks at the Samsung spare parts store may tell you, the SC-D23 absolutely DOES accept a memory stick for use as a digital still camera (640 X 480 pixels max resolution); but no stick is included with the camera AND the maximum-capacity memory stick the camera will accept is 16 megs. Also, the USB photo-download capability works only with PCs; therefore, Macintosh computer users will need to purchase a USB memory-stick reader to download their still photos.

Overall the controls are easy to use and fall readily to hand. The LCD display is bright; and the camera's "night pix" capability is lots of fun--it uses infrared light emitted by the camera itself to illuminate objects up to about 10-15 feet away; so you can shoot close-up video in total darkness. The "night pix" video function may not be very practical for the average casual user, but it's a lot of fun to play with and looks very cool green and "Desert-Stormish." The video color quality overall is good, and the sound picked up by the built-in external stereo microphone is also good; although the mic does pick up a bit of the camera's own operational sounds (whirring and such). There is also an external microphone jack.

Pros with this unit: Low price, strong feature set (including built-in light, digital still camera capability, FireWire and USB interfaces, and several video-outs including S-video), good manufacturing quality, nice picture and sound. Cons: No memory stick included, memory stick capacity limited to 16 megabytes; no USB video download capability; no FireWire or S-video cables included, no USB photo download capability for Mac users.

My wife and I plan to use this camera for taking casual video -- mostly of our grandchildren; overall, we are extremely pleased with the Samsung SC-D23.

I have to say that coming from a JVC VHS-C camera to this is a large jump. WOW. What awesome video quality and color. It's not all yellowish anymore when I record in the living room.

I bought a SanDisk 128mb Memory Stick and it works fine. Not sure what the issues are with the other people. Also the camera is recognizable in Windows XP. I plugged it into my firewire card and in about 10sec it said Found New Hardware - Samsung SCD23 Camera. Then I was able to capture the video off the tape in Vegas Video 4.0 and burn it to DVD using DVD Architect. So if you're looking for a feature rich low cost camera this is the one for you.

I just wanted to clear up some problems that some people have been having. First of all, the camera does accept more than a 16mb memory stick. I went to K-Mart and bought a 256mb Lexar memory stick and it works great. On the lowest picture quality (which is still excellent) I can hold a total of 5,052 pictures. It is really two sticks in one, and you flip a switch on the stick to go from one 128mb slot to the other. Everything else about the camera is perfect as well. I would suggest buying this camera from Best Buy, where you can get a service that allows you to bring in your camera every three months to be cleaned.

I work with camcorders since 1988 - S-VHSC, Hi8, etc. No question, no matter what kind of digital camcorder you compare with an analog one, it is superior. However, I found this camcorder particularly interesting and bought it since I left the 'semi-professional' field (and being now an electrical engineer in software development). Here are my findings:
Pro:

1) Awesome workmanship: The high-grade plastic case pieces precisely fit and give the camcorder a valuable finish, the buttons have a well defined 'ignition' point and the connectors for FireWire, USB, Analog Video etc. are 'cemented' into the case.
2) Excellent cost / feature ratio: Although following the hype of marrying video with stills, this camcorder emphasizes on video (please, do buy a digital camera if you need digital stills). The outstanding optical unit with a real 22x zoom and one of the most effective image stabilizer in the market, combined with a friendly user-interface including illuminated buttons and a clean menu, this camcorder is a bargain.
The picture quality is excellent. One note here: please remember that the miniDV standard builds on 5.7 Mhz video bandwidth. In other words, no matter what the (multi) colored CCD ship is capable of a resolution, it comes down to a maximum of 370,000 effective pixels needed for NTSC video. The 460,000 pixels of this camcorder seem more than enough.
3) Accessories: Just in case you really care about the somewhat whining recorder server motors, please do buy the optional microphone - it's an awesome addition if you do semi-professional sound-recordings. Also, Canon offers wide and tele-converters specialized for the ZR series. Not a novelty in camcording in general, but a serious affordable consumer expansion if needed.
4) Internationality: Yes, there are other electrical power systems out there: the Canon switching power supply is not only very light, it also connects to almost every wall-outlet in the world with the right (optional) plug-adapter.
5) Ergonomics: Oh yes, I thought about a palm-ready camcorder, too. But think about it: the optical unit including the lenses and the CCD has to fit into half the length of a regular camcorder like the ZR 50 (Palm recorders do not have more than 10x zoom, the ZR 50 has 22x). The camcorder fits right into my hand, the zoom button can be accessed naturally without shifting the camcorder in your hand (try Sony!) and the zoom button is depth sensitive - the deeper you zoom, the less sensitive is the camcorder zoom-button. Additionally, beside so many other brands out there, the digital zoom is even useable to a certain degree. It becomes affective once the optical zoom is exhausted to a 22x. However, if you want quality video, turn it off.
6) Video Modes: Select one of the predefined video modes. One of the most impressive mode is the night-mode - if the moon strikes you, your ZR 50 will catch it. However, don't expect wonders, every serious video-grapher recommends at least 100 lux (a unit of measuring light-intensity).

Con:
I couldn't find a con so far - maybe the sound-quality the integrated microphone produces? Hm, given the size of the case, it seems reasonable...

Yeah, I am enjoying this camcorder. Canon showed once again that a camcorder design can meet almost all of a consumer-customer's needs:
Rich functionality, lightweight design, extensible through optional accessories including lenses, robust workmanship.

Recommended!

I like Sony. But 10x zoom, size and weight steered me away from them. After reading MANY reviews on this site and elsewhere, I wanted to get the ZR40. Then the ZR50 appeared in my Gold Box and I decided to order it. I'm sure glad I did!!

I ordered it together with the external mic DM-50. (You have to order some tape with it, too. Why doesn't Canon include a tape?) I also have a Mac PowerBook G4. Here are my findings:

1. The video quality outdoors is just great. When you play back on a TV, it looks like any professional TV program. Crisp, colors are great.

2. Optics are excellent. 22x zoom lets you fill the screen with an orange 15 ft away. Shake is no problem. Digital zoom only marginally beneficial.

3. The stills are nothing special. But even a megapixel (like other brands) is nothing special. (My first digi camera was a Kodak 1.3 Megapixel. Nice but only good enough for very small printouts. I have a 4 Megapixel Olympus for hi-res printouts today.) Quality is OK if you want to send 640x480 web images.

4. Sound: The built-in mics are better than expected. They are sensitive and omnidirectional. There is some hum from the motor. Not a lot. But the real kicker is the DM-50. It's not totally cheap but it's worth it (in my eyes). The mic is very sensitive and audio is CRYSTAL clear. I taped my wife singing about 25 ft away. She is an opera singer, soprano. Her voice in the high range is a challenge to any mic. It's sensitive enough that I could hear her muttering with the organist, her pageturns. And yet her singing did not distort. The quality exceeds my 2 semi-pro mics. People only 10ft off to the side definitely sounded off mic. And even people right behind me were softer on tape than people in front 20ft away.

The DM-50 has also 2 stereo settings that are more omnidirectional. I haven't explored them yet.

5. Connection to the Mac is absolutely a breeze. Just plug in the firewire and load iMovie and you have the camera image on the computer monitor. You can record/import the camera image directly to hard drive w/o hitting record on the camera. iMovie also controls the camera to load the edited movie back onto the camera tape.

6. After the first 15min of taping I got a message that the heads would be dirty?? I ignored it and kept going. No problem. Maybe there was some residue on the heads from the factory? (The handbook says to clean the heads every 20 h.) 3 h of taping later, the message still hasn't come back.

I'm so glad I got the ZR50. 22x zoom and DM-50 are worth it!

i've had my zr50 for two months now, and i love it!! when i was shopping around i considered the zr50mc and elura 40mc. i'm a mac user so, i had to make sure i bought a camcorder that supported mac os x, imovie and iphoto. after reading the consumer reviews on both camcorders from a few different sites, including the reviews on amazon.com, i opted for the zr50 and have not been disappointed.


i read a lot about the motor humming noises, but truthfully i don't know what humming noise was being referred to. the recorded movies are sharp and crisp; the colors bright.


i do agree with the "night mode" feature being a bit lacking, although the camcorder will record in low-light environment just fine.


no complaints on the battery life and required charging time.


the analog pass through feature is awesome...allows me to edit older movies recorded from an analog camcorder on my ibook!


i was also surprised by the quality of still shots taken on the zr50's photo (digital camera) feature...crisp, vivid colors, not too grainy. after reading some of the reviews, i didn't expect much from the still image feature.


bottom line -- the zr50 is a great buy, and it's affordability can't be beat. works fabulously with mac os x (and jaguar) and compatible with imovie and iphoto...

After about a year of use, ZR 40 started eating tapes. Do a google search on the topic, there are hundreds of people with the same problem. 'Remove Cassette' and 'Eject' (use those as keywords combined with 'Canon ZR' to view message boards postings) will appear on the screen, and that's the end of the toy.

I've had this camera for almost a year now. I'd say that all of the features that I would expect from a digital camcorder meet and exceed my expectations.

Things that I like the most:
1. Perfect companion for my iMac.
2. Great quality analog-to-digital conversion. A must if you want to play with analog videos in digital world.
3. Solid Canon design, made in Japan if anyone cares.
4. Price.
5. No useless features like in more popular brand.

Things I don't like as much:
1. I think indoors quality is reasonable but it's average with low light. I don't really know if any cameras in that price range do well in low light.
2. Some people complained about motor noise? It's possible, I haven't tried to make any silent movies yet. I add music to all my movies that don't already have some sound.
3. Battery life is short but recharges quickly.
4. Shuts off quickly if idle.
5. You probably wouldn't want to use low-resolution Photo feature espesially if you have a good digital camera but this is probably the only "useless feature".

If you are like me and just like to point/shoot/watch on tv/edit on your computer - it's great.

Expecting a baby, I did research for about three weeks before I ended up with this Canon ZR40. Couple of features that I wanted to have were external mic input, analog input, no still images since I already own a nice digital camera, and most of all, affordable price tag. Amazingly, ZR40 had this all! 18x zoom is nice and its compact size is pretty neat. Still, I have minor complaints after extensive tests.

1. As pointed out by many people previously, the picture is somewhat grainy specially indoors. Because this is my first digital camcorder, I don't know if this happens for other high-end models, but I suspect it may stand out somewhat more for ZR40 with only 480K CCD pixels.
2. What has also been noted was the motor noise, which is my primary concern for now. Maybe, I would not been able to tell if I had not read those reviews, but I could certainly hear the noise when recorded in a quiet environment. I tried to use an external microphone to remove the noise, in which case the noise is gone, but the external microphone does not match the internal microphone in sensitivity. (I used a low-end microphone for the test with the sensitivity of -75 dBm, though.)
3. This is a really minor point, but the camcorder automatically shuts down if I don't start recording within 5 minutes.

Overall, I think ZR40 has great features at such a price and is certainly worth owning if you are looking for one in the price range.

Earlier this year, I purchased this camera for a Win98 machine, and was very pleased. I had it up and running in five minutes, and for the price, the clarity and performance under less-than-optimal lighting conditions were remarkable. The bundled software was a good value, too. So then (the plot thickens) I bought it for a Win2K machine, not realizing the camera, in August of 2001, wasn't Win2K-ready. The website provided Win2K drivers which allowed the camera to work (I tested it with Netmeeting and a demo version of Webcam32), but the performance was greatly disappointing. The camera flickered like a dying monitor, and the focus was muddy. I reluctantly returned the camera (feeling at loose ends due to the negative reviews on Amazon of nearly every other webcam except the discontinued 3Com!).

The Intel website notes that the software package for Win2k will be available on Sept 17. I liked this camera so much on the Win98 machine that if the software really does become available, I might buy it again from a company with a respectable return policy (like Amazon), and hope that the flickering was truly a mechanical problem and not a permanent Win2K conflict. I may also look for an updated video-card driver, just in case an old driver compounded the performance issue.

Conclusion? If you have Windows 98, go for it. Excellent quality for the price, and a no-brainer to set up. If you have Windows 2000 and you're interested in this camera, wait til Intel delivers on producing its software bundle for the Win2k platform, then buy it from a place that has a consumer-friendly return policy.

I just purchased the Intel Delux PC Cam from this site and I was very excited about it. I have a boyfriend and a best friend who live out of state, so I thought this camera would be a good thing while talking to them on the computer. At first I was a little distraught to find out that the CD did not come Windows2000 compatiable. Since the CD didn't work on my computer, all I had to do was go to the Intel site and download the program for free... no big deal. The only complaint I had was that it took FOREVER for me to be able to connect to the site to download it, and it took about an hour to download. But once it did, it was relatively easy with the step-by-step installation process. It was easy to understand how to work the programs when I got it started. Talking on netmeeting is only as good as the price you pay for it, but I must say the pictures in the snapshot section come out crystal clear! They are very amazing snapshots along with clear videos. I definitely reccomend this product to someone who doens't want to pay too much for a camera, but doens't want to get anything too cheaply made.

I bought this camera in 2001 when it was $70 and it has not failed me yet. It's very small (fits in your palm) and has a detachable stand which you can stick to a table or on top of your computer. You can record short movies with sound. The software is awesome and I have yet to try out the post card feature among other things (no image editing).

The only down side is it is not portable and once in a while, the color is "off" depending on the lighting.

Definitely worth the price!!

This camera may look ultra cool, but believe me, it's not. Unless you don't care much for how your picture quality is, then this camera may be ok, but if you do or eventually will, you are better off getting a better quality camera.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!

This camera may look ultra cool, but believe me, it's not. Unless you don't care much for how your picture quality is, then this camera may be ok, but if you do or eventually will, you are better off getting a better quality camera.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!

This camera may look ultra cool, but believe me, it's not. Unless you don't care much for how your picture quality is, then this camera may be ok, but if you do or eventually will, you are better off getting a better quality camera.

There aren't many options for your pictures that you're taking meaning you can't change the lighting effect (inside, outside, cloudy, snow, night, etc), size, picture type (black & white, etc) or many of the other things that you can on other cameras. I found that when pictures were loaded onto the computer, they looked grainy and dull, and if you used the flash, that also seemed to ruin the effect of the picture. There is also no zoom which is one thing I forgot to check out when purchasing this camera. I was not happy with this camera at all after a couple months when I needed better quality photos.

The video recorder of the camera was also a disappointment to me. The recording was very choppy and colors again were poor. On the bright side, it recorded the sound well.

I had no problem with the MP3 player or audio recorder, they both worked fine and were the quality that one would expect.

I now own a Sony Cyber-Shot camera which I am VERY pleased with. Basically you really need to think about what type of pictures you will be taking with your camera and if you want them to be the best quality possible, or if it simply doesn't matter to you to decide if you will be happy with this camera.

I bought this gadget for it's many functions although I mostly used it to take video and pictures, sometimes record audio. I really did like it, but after a while I couldn't justify the cost versus the quality... The video quality was ok, about what you get with a medium resolution avi file, but nowhere close to divx quality. Picture resolution at 640x480 was decent, but you'd definitely want better if you want quality pictures. Sound recording was good, but I could only playback on the unit. With SD cards you don't have to worry about memory. My main gripe about this gadget though is the absence of a zoom. I was using it one time when a friend asked me if it had a zoom feature. I told him "this is the zoom" and ran up closer to the subject. If Panasonic added a zoom feature I would definitely recommend it, but overall it doesn't excel in any area. You're probably better off picking up a megapixel digital camera that also takes video.

Ok, it may not take pictures/movies like professional digital cameras can, but it's still a good camera if you looking for something to do for fun. It's small enough to carry in your pocket, you can operate it on the fly when you need to, so its pretty reliable there. You have to mess around with the software a bit, and experiment with the camera a bit too but once you get the gist of how it works, you wont regret buying it. However, this camera is NOT worth paying full price for($200-$400). I bought a used one at Circuit City for only $125, I've had it for about a year and it still works great!

We purchased this camcorder in October of 2003, and by June 2004 the pause button has already quit working. We have only had light to moderate use of this camcorder since purchasing it. It is still covered under the one year warranty, but we have to ship it all the way to California from Arkansas (and yes we have to pay for the shipping and handling), and it will not be back before our vacation. They will not cover it unless it is shipped to them. I would think twice before purchasing this product.

I've had my camera for a few days now and spent the weekend really putting it to the test. First thing is you need to change the default settings to accommodate for the low light problem. Here are the settings you should use (I read this on digital camcorder forum):

* Program AE: Auto
* AE Shift: <= -1.0
* Shutter: 1/60
* White Balance: Indoor.

With these settings indoor filming is quite good, still not perfect, but according to everything I read, these type of cameras (mini-DV) are never going to be great low light performers. When I filmed outside or in my workshop (which has ALOT of light) the quality was amazing.

I love the 18x zoom on this camera. There are many different fading options as well as other effects (Black&White is cool). It also comes with a remote control that comes in handy. The LCD screen is a good size as well as very functional. Manual is good as well.

I have not downloaded it to my computer yet, but from what I read it comes with good software which makes it easy.

Bottom line, I do not feel you can get a better camera in this price range with all of the options as long as you do not use the default settings for indoor filming. Supposedly the Sony's are better indoor performers but they only come with 10x zoom (I really like the 18x) and they do not have any manual control buttons and the LCD screens are suppose to be pretty bad, plus they are more. Also, the battery that comes with this one only last approximately one hour.

I bought this camcorder when my daughter was born after I saw a short video my brother made. I had been thinking about getting one, but wasn't sure what I would be able to do with it. Six months after getting it, and recording hours of tape, I sat down to author my first DVD. After two days of working in the basement, I came up and showed my wife 5 short (3 - 5 min) videos (complete with transitions and music). She was crying. It was worth it. I burned several copies and sent them to family members who were equally impressed. All that was made possible by using this camcorder.

O.K. Now to the camcorder review.

This is a great camcorder. It is small (palm sized) and light. The controls are all easy to use/understand. I opted for this model instead of the ZR65 and up because of price, and I didn't need the ability to take stills (I have a Canon G2).

The picture quality is fine. I have used it primarily indoors and in low light. Admittedly there is some grain, but it is totally acceptable when you look at the benefits of going digital. In better lighting conditions, the grain is not noticeable.

I have opted for the next size up battery (Canon BP512) because the one supplied only last about 30 minutes. For $45 I can get close to 1 1/2 hours of recording time. Plus I have the original as a backup.

The fully functional remote is also a nice feature. It does everything for the camera.

This camcorder feels like it is a quality piece of equipment. It never feels flimsy, or weak. It has a solid feel to it.

Canon makes great digital optical equipment. I have the G2 digital camera, and a flat-bed scanner, and I have no problems with quality (image quality or build quality). I highly recommend this.