This is my first DV as I always hesitate if I need a DV or not. I know many people who own a DV but told me that they only use it twice a year after spending a few hundred bucks and then it is out of date. I decided to try one just for the reason that it is inexpensive, under $200 and found the video quality is so good.
Now Ive used it for couple of months and I would give 4 star review for it. It is a perfect beginners HD DV, as what it is supposed to be.
First, the video quality is so good in 720P, I put some screen capture online and one can hardly tell the difference with those still images captured with a digital camera. Even in low light conditions like indoor or at night, the noise is still very low. Im surprised how they could do that with a CMOS sensor. I know some DC can capture videos in 640X480 or even 1024X768, but they use the sensor in fast exposure mode and use motion-jpeg compression, the video noise is very high.
It is an idiot proof consumer product, theres not much you need to set or control, just turn it on, start and stop recording, zoom in and out, review, turn on light.
It is so compact that you can put it into your purse or pocket.
It uses SD card, which is inexpensive now, buy a 4GB sdhc and you are all set(almost two hours recording time). Take the SD card out and put it into your computer, then you can play it with many software like quicktime. I never tried the software comes with the package but I recommend Kmplayer, which is free and you can download anywhere. Its decoder is the only one that plays the video clips on my 1.3G laptop smoothly.
The battery life is short, like 30-45 mins, but I found most of the clips I shot are no longer than 5 mins. and I do know this is common for most if not all HD consumer DVs. Try searching reviews for those sony and canon one. Fortunately it comes with two batteries in the package.
The biggest problem is it does not have anti-shake or image stabilization function, so you have to hold it very steady to get good shot. Unfortunately, for consumer DV, I found it is always a problem, even those who have IS function, they still have the problem. The CMOS camcorders use rolling shutter, which causes weird effect like smear. even for those expensive one. so my suggestion is: using a tripod, or dont move while shooting.
And audio, the most clear sound it can capture is the voice from the guy who is shooting. Outdoors, the wind will make a noise. But again, do some research you will find it is again a common problem for consumer DV. Fortunately this does not bother me, I only enjoy the image but not the sound most of the time. when I edit the clips, I simply replace the audio with music as background. If audio is important for you, try find one which can use external directional mic.
A minor issue is its plastic feeling and smell, which makes it felt cheap, very bad marketing in US. but dont be fooled by the outlook, it is worth every penny.
so I would highly recommend this one if you are planning buying a DV and dont want to spend a lot money. Canon HF100 is another option, which will drop below $[...] soon. or Samsung at $[...]. you can review HD clips at www.vimeo.com before making your decision.

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