Good camcorder, not great. Worth the money.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Mini DV, light-ish weight, inexpensive. Good outdoor quality.

Cons: Must stay back from subject, low light/indoor can be poor, lacks accessories NIB.

The Bottom Line: 
Good camcorder for the money. If you can afford a better camcorder, get it.

Author's Review
We traded in a Sony TRV9 to get his camera and I'm not displeased with the move but there are things that I miss about the Sony. I've found myself on more than one occasion having to back away from a subject to keep them in the field of view. I'm not sure what to call this exactly but it is very easy to get too close to items or people. I've also had issues with focus under low light conditions. Almost any indoor shot is difficult unless you have plenty of light. Besides that, this has been a decent camera. Outdoor shots are colorful and crisp. It is MUCH lighter than what I was used to with the Sony. We haven't had any problems with batteries not lasting long enough but we got an extra battery right away to make up for any out of the box shortcomings. We've never had any problems with noise being recorded during zooming.

This is not the best camera made but it was important to us to have a lighter camera so my wife would/could use it. It used our Mini DV tapes and that was good. For our specific purpose, we couldn't find a cheaper camera. We could have added money and moved up to the Panasonic in the same price range but we felt comfortable with the Canon. If you can afford more, get more.