The image quality on playback in a DVD player is excellent. However their are some draw backs.

The discs cost a fortune (you cannot use standard DVD-R discs). In HQ mode the disc lasts 20mins but the quality is exceptional even on a large screen TV.
At Standard/Short Play a disc (1.47gb) will last 30mins. The quality is still excellent and this is the recommended setting.
Long Play mode gives you a full hour from a disc but the reduction in quality is noticeable and you get the kind of quality you'd expect from a Good analogue camcorder.

Battery life is another issue as the supplied battery lasts about 2 discs of normal use. If you only use the viewfinder and do not playback any of your footage and do not create lots of short clips then you could probably stretch this to 3 discs. Extended batteries and other accessories are available but most only at a Sony store and even then you may have to order it in.

Another concern is that after about 1hr of recording it gets hot. If you continue to record too much longer you could possibly loose data or corrupt the entire disc. Due to the limitations of the battery and the length of the discs this is not usually an issue.

On the plus side the device is really compact and easy to use. The features are endless and this model is slightly more than the entry-level DVD camcorder as it also features USB connectivity to transfer movies to your PC. Without this you would have to finalise your disc before your PC could read it and then use alternative software to extract the movie.

The included software won't let you make Starwars Episode VII but it is good enough to edit a family movie. Not got it to work properly myself but had a look at the features.

I've recently seen some double sided discs, which you can record on both sides, and some double length discs, which apparently store twice the amount of data. The first disc isn't as handy as it sounds as it takes a good 5mins to flip the disc due to the long eject and start up time. As to whether the 2nd disc is compatible I don't know as I have yet to try this.

Even despite the draw backs mentioned I still give this 4 stars as the image quality, good night shot mode (be careful the infra-red mode can make some clothes transparent), sound quality, compactness, available accessories (including underwater adapter). The device is also hardwearing - took it on a ski trip and it stood up to the extreme cold well and didn't mind getting a bit of rough and tumble. Also took it to the beach in the summer and no problems in the heat or sandy conditions.

Dummy. Thats exactly how I came into the world of camcorders. Having crossed the rubicon and purchased a Sony digital camera earlier in the year, I felt it was time to do the same, and treat myself to a digital camcorder. I knew I wanted a Sony, I'd always trusted the make, and friends who were more technically adept than me recommended them.

But I went into this, as the title suggests, totally and utterly naive to this medium. Didn't even know the difference between a DVD-RW and a DVD-R, so if you're coming at the topic from this perspective read on!

So. big box arrives. Full of stuff. Ignore that, go straight to the main event. Beautifully crafted, small, aesthetically pleasing camcorder. Cautiously look for manual (usually written by geeks, for geeks)-easy to understand, fitting battery-no problem, turning it on (don't laugh!) -simple. Loading the DVD-RW and viewing the display, easy, simple menu system that talks you through it. Instruction manual continues to confound with its easy approach, although it would be nice if things were laid out in the order you'd look to do them-but a minor quibble.

The CD's have to be formatted before you can use them. No idea why, seems pointless, but easy enough to do-took seconds and, again, clearly explained and accessed. So, literally 15-20 mins after opening the box, ready for a trial film, and out in the garden. SO easy to film, to zoom, to follow your subject. Using the LCD screen takes up more battery juice, but its so easy to use, forget the viewfinder! Seven minutes of outdoor film later, ready to view. You have to "formalize" the DVD first however, if you want to watch it on your DVD player or PC. But yet again, quick and easy to do.

Wonderful results. Picture very sharp, sound (including background of bird song etc) clear, images, even on a close zoom have a defined and "real life" clarity. Colours are true, no fade or "glare". Hugely impressed. Impressed that, from opening the box as a complete novice to easy and confident filming and viewing took no more than half an hour. Have barely touched the surface of what this camcorder can do, but now excited by the possibilities. Read the manual in bed last night-how sad is that? But a sure sign of satisfaction and wanting more! An excellent purchase, am delighted. If, like me, you are reading this as a camcorder virgin, then make those first fumbling steps and purchase this model. You won't regret it.

I debated whether to give this camera 1* or5*! I have 30 years experience of photography and the handycam is at the very top of the amateur range. The Ziess lens is crystal clear with no visible aberrations. Focussing is so quick as to be almost undetectable. It's small enough to carry unobtrusively, designed to fit easily into the hand and is solidly made. The 120X magnification offered is a bit optimistic, as picture quality deteriorates very rapidly on approaching maximum magnification. (Then, we are looking at terrestrial telescope magnification.) Image quality in low light is superb. Nightshot works at a limited range in very low light conditions, and supernightshot will work in total darkness but at only a few frames per second. All told, a superb camera which will deliver all the serious amateur and many professionals can ask of it, and more. I'm very impressed........BUT....why is it sold bundled with the ghastly Pixella software? On connecting to your pc you will be greeted by an interface that looks as if it was designed in the 1960's and is about as useful. Even Windows Moviemaker is better at producing movies than this. As yet, I haven't found a way around this. Pixella is OK for just producing a simple home movie, and that's fine by me. But why, oh why, put a professional quality camcorder on the market at a price that is accessible to the amateur bundled with software that Ken Barlow would use? Having whinged, I still say "BUY IT" You won't find better

I love this camcorder. It looks stylish, and it gets the job done. Easy to use, even for a beginner, it can also shoot photographs as well as high-quality movies. It also has 2 great nightshot modes (invaluable for shooting at night) and a fully rotatable LCD monitor. Also, the camera can zoom up to 120 times! However, the instruction booklet tends to go on , and the video-making software isn't very detailed, but it does get the job done. Still, this is a great little package: why would you need a different camcorder for home movies? It has everything you need to develop quality movies! Buy, buy, buy! (And if the price is putting you off, go for the 101E, it's almost as good!)

Hello every one....

i just wanted to say that this cam rocks and if ur thinking of buying a dvd cam this is what you realy need of price and value.

Alex.