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.


Excellent quality   April 3, 2003
Jonathan Brett
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Love this little camera. Video taken outside is outstanding, inside can be a little fuzzy without bright lighting. Zoom is fabulous. The only thing I don't like is the fact that you can only charge the battery while it is mounted to the camera, which defeats the purpose of having multiple batteries if your wanting to have one battery charging while still using the camera with another battery.


Well worth the money...   March 31, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I've had this camcorder for almost half a year now, and I have no major complaints whatsoever.

After doing research for Sony, Canon, JVC, and Panasonic, I finally settled on this one and have not been disappointed.

The camcorder itself is easy to use. It took only a quick glance through the manual and I was well on my way to videoland.

The minidv tapes are pricey and this records in SP (60 min for regular tapes) and LP (90 min), so you'll want to check those out before buying.

Hooking up to TV requried several tries the first time for some reason, but now I have no problem.

No software comes in this package, but I tested this with several, including Windows Movie Maker, Ulead VideoStudio, MGI VideoWave, and the $...rebate software ArcSoft Showbiz. Depending on the program, the video takes up different amounts of space on your hard drive, but just for the record, using MGI VideoWave, a 4 min clip took up 875 MB (yes, that's right.) However, Windows Movie Maker take up only a fraction of that. I haven't explored making VCDs due to the limited memory on my computer (Win ME) but it should go smoothly.

You'll find that the zoom allows you to read the text on a newspaper up to about 30 feet away clearly, and that this product is sturdy, reliable, and has excellent value.

I think the new line of Canon camcorders has come out already, and if you are thinking about buying one, don't hestitate: it's the best deal out there!