Excellent for capturing memories

Author's Rating:

Pros: compact, easy to use, good price

Cons: small buttons

The Bottom Line: 
Highly recommended for recreational filming.

Author's Review
I purchased this camera for my father after doing a good amount of research on user experience. My father has always wanted a camcorder - since the days of the very heavy and clunky VHS camcorders. I finally decided to get him a miniDV camcorder.

My prior experience with Canon products led me to researching their line of miniDV camcorders. I selected this version mostly because of the reasonable cost, its compactness, and ease of use. I will mention that the compactness and small buttons have proven to be a little cumbersome for my father - who is a bit less technologically experienced, but still very competent with modern devices.

There are many features that he may never even mess with, but you can record great movies just by powering up, aiming at your subject, and pressing record. It's that simple.

Some reviewers did mention some dissatisfaction with recording quality in low light situations. I have not found this to be a huge problem. Of course, it's somewhat difficult to know exactly what level of light was available in those particular situations.

Overall, if you are looking for a camcorder for recording recreational, tourist-type, and other family-type events, this camera should suit your needs.

We did need to purchase a firewire cable to transfer the videos most efficiently to PC.