I don't think you can do better for the money

The image quality is second to none, you can set it up anywhere from fully automated point-and-shoot to totally manual and customised to the nth degree.

It is possible to switch to auto and use this straight out of the box - you'll get stunning results - but the real fun starts when you want to take control. At this price, I don't believe it's possible to get the quality and range of control available here from any other camcorder.

There are some high-end pro features you won't find here: interchangeable lenses, genlock and some other timecode sync features; to get those, you need to pay double the price. But for everything else, look no further.

The ability to customise camera presets means you can get image quality and style for any taste.

Any downsides? Not at this price.

Once small point: when (if) you get one, and it won't do anything to record straight out of the box - set the Standby/Lock swicth to Standby. For some reason, large numbers of people (including me!!) miss this small point and then start panicking that they have a bad'un.

Easy Peasy

Ok so i'm no Stanley Kubrick, but you can't fault this for size and ease of use. Both camcorder and picture quality very good. If my dog had a thumb he could use this.

Any advice?

After much research as to the best quality camcorder to buy, I have just managed to purchase the Sony DCR HC96 from the US as it is very difficult to get hold of here in the UK at a reasonable price and from a reliable source, i.e., not from a seller who will actually purchase it from the US ands sell it here at a premium (it cost less than half the price of the cheapest option available now).

The cables are of course US voltage. Can anyone advise if it is simply a case of using an adaptor, or do I need to purchase a UK AC adapter, if so which one? I should point out that the pins are polarized so a normal US adaptor won't do.

We're sooooo in lurv

Did a lot of research before buying: looked at mini dv's, but tape seems so old-fashioned and fiddly now, and besides they're on the way out. Hard disc drives didn't convince on reliability, and reviews of earlier dvd camcorders criticised quality of recording compared to tape.

And then the DC50 came along. Canon have obviously learned lessons along the way and produced a truly fine new-generation DVD camcorder. It has an extra-large CCD sensor to let in lots of light, which was a big factor in my buying it. Also a factor were the number of excellent customer and official reviews.

Can't do a teccie's review, as I haven't got to grips with the software yet and haven't done any editing. However I've just come back from the Edinburgh Festival and really put it through its paces, both on land and sea. It feels good and solid in the hand, and the main buttons are well positioned for one-handed use. The wide screen is great, and of course for playback in-camera you just jump from scene to scene, as opposed to tedious rewinding and fast-forwarding with tape. As a point and shoot it's dead easy, but this camcorder will do so much more (like fading in and out of scenes), and I'm still getting to grips with all its functions. I'm not bothered about using it as a stills camera, but there's 5.3 megapix for you to play around with!

Battery life (BP208) is about 90 minutes for recording, longer for playback. You can recharge it in-camera using the supplied charging lead, but I would suggest a spare battery (about £30 for a proper Canon one) and battery charger (I got a good one on the internet for about £12, including an in-car charger), then you can recharge both at once prior to going out. You will get about 25 - 30 minutes of recording time on a disc, using standard play. Both disc and battery are quick and easy to change.

You can do either some editing in-camera, or just simple deleting, depending on which of 2 modes you initialise your disc in (something I'm still trying to get my head round), but it's also easy enough to download to your pc using either USB or the disc itself. And the real beauty of this system is that you can just finalise the disc and pop it straight into a dvd player for immediate viewing.

Most importantly of all, the quality of the movie is simply astonishing. The colours are vibrant and sharp, and even in low light situations (such as the Tattoo or inside pubs etc) I didn't have to change to a low-light programme. That huge CCD sensor did its job. The Tattoo looked fantastic, and even inside a dark shop was almost as light as day. Sound quality is excellent too. Replaying the disc on our lcd television, my teccie husband and I could'nt believe the quality: as good as anything on tv. Even the camera shakes of a nervous newbie operator (me) didn't matter too much, thanks to the superior image stabilisation system.

I cannot tell you how good this camcorder is: I think it's probably one of the best on the market, and answers all previous criticisms about dvd camcorders. It's worth every penny, and there's nothing to disappoint. If you're thinking of buying one, if possible don't economise with a cheaper one (with smaller CCD): this is a case where you really get what you pay for. The quality is truly outstanding, with all the advantages and ease of use of dvd. And I find Canon consistently excellent anyway (2 digital cameras and a photo printer - all brilliant).

A little disappointed!

Havent got any complaints with the actual item, but am a little disappointed that it is not compatible with Windows Vista. Have contacted Digital Blue and they cannot give me a definite date as to when the software will be available. We got a new computer for Christmas along with the digital blue, so at the moment my son is not happy. So hurry up Digital Blue. Get it sorted!!!!!

Good value Camcorder but lacks functions if used with a Mac

You can transfer your video to a mac using firewire or i.link (as sony calls it) no problem, but if you want to use this as a webcam or an external camera with you mac your out of luck, it doesn't work, I bought this camera as it was good value and sony always represents great product but in hindsight I wish I'd looked into this camcorder more before I bought it.

Extremely Disappointed

I have spent hours trying to get this camera to register on my PC. I purchased a firewire card and TWO cables to no avail. The picture is grainy. I lost a whole day of footage in Barcelona. I am extremely disappointed in this camcorder.

With Sony, you're on your own

This camcorder is certainly easy to use, but it's hard to judge the quality because the product support is so poor. The only software provided is a 30-day trial version of Nero6, which has no functions that are relevant to this product. I have tried a few video-editing suites, but so far none of them support the sound files produced by the camera.
Want to edit your videos? You're on your own. Want to view them on your computer? Again, you're on your own, though Sony's customer service people did advise me to buy an expensive cable that later proved unnecessary.
Oh, and don't try to contact those customer service people. They are a difficult bunch to get hold of, because Sony's website is designed not as a doorway but a wall.
And what about the goodies promised when you register on the website? They don't exist. You can register your product, but that's all. It's not what I call"Fun Stuff". So I'm hunting - carefully - for software I can use. The lesson is, once you've bought the camera, you certainly haven't finished paying, so I wouldn't recommend it as a present.
Maybe it is a great camcorder. I'll let you know when I get to see my films, but don't hold your breath. It could be a while.

A truly amazing camera

Rarely have I been so impressed with any product so immediately. From the moment that you open the box the quality is apparent. Bearing in mind the fact that this is a fairly complex piece of equipment, it is incredibly easy to use.

I have used mine in conjunction with Apple's imovie HD, and editing and importing clips is an absolute cinch. All I would suggest is that any Mac users make sure their equipment meets the minimum requirements, otherwise performance may be a little slow manipulating HD clips.

All in all this is a fantacstic camera, and is clearly the future of video.

Its a great camcorder

It is a very compact and easy to use camcorder with a 30gb of HD capacity.Its really impressive and i am 100% satisfied with the quality.
I also strongly recommend this against buying DCR-SR32, because you will get an impressive 1 megapixel quality and a remote control,very useful for capture personal moments(SR-32 doesn,t have remote).If you are planning to buy a standard definition camcorder,this will be the best for you.

Worth Buying...

Vll, I just bought it last week, Its really amazing and worth buying, I' also a Sony geek and always got interest in sony products, but this camcorder really shaked me up when I saw it, Its compact and lightest in camcorders avaiable in market and most esp. smaller & lighter then Sony ones, I seen both i.e. Sony SR35e, SR55e and this one, But this one offers almost the same features of sony in more user friendly, smaller in size and less weighted device. And unlike Sony products, Its much lesser thats what I really wanted.

fantastic

bought one of this,mostly because of it's size and also the connectivity to the pc.arrived on time,very easy to operate.

This camcorder will drive you crazy

Nothing but problems trying to transfer to my computer. Had many problems with the discs and lost data. Picture quality is good but transfering is a real pain.

Buy a hard disc camcorder.

Good but would have been better.

Ive had the camera for about 3 days now and i have been playing with it since. my first impression is physically its not very striking when you see it. it doesn't have the wow factor. its very plain and simple not very stylish but very compact and light weight.

now lets talk about the video and picture quality and performance, ill give it a thumbs up for having 60gb capacity, the video quality its just a standard definition but good enough to watch on a 42 inch TV without pixelating to much, the 35X zoom lens is good but a bit slow in zooming. shooting in low conditions is average, it has a built in automatic illuminating light but not very helpful, they could have consider a night vision like the sony sr36 hdd. its very user friendly you dont have be a nerd to operate this machine. the laser touch sensitive control panel on the view finder is pretty good as well.


now for the not so good bits. the battery pack that comes with the kit is rediculous, fully charge it will only last 10mins of recording time. i mean come on 10 mins for a camcorder that can record for atleast 14 hours. hmmm? the grip of everio is not as ergonomic as the sony's, your hand should be dead straight 90 degrees unlike sony's elevated zoom controls. and last but not the least, the picture quality on camera mode is not as sharp and you can not take a snap shot whilst you are in video mode you have to switch back to camera mode to to take pictures.

I would rate this camcorder 7 out of 10 for having a large 60gb storage, good quality videos and being very compact and light weight. its cheaper and have more storage than sony's equivalent (only 40gb). for its tag price this camcorder is good value for your money but but you are willing to give a little bit more go for sony.