Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

Because this is my first camcorder, I researched and compared cameras online for weeks before I made up my mind. A great place to get info is camcorderinfo (I can't write the full address because amazon blocks it out! you figure what's missing.) I picked this particular panasonic because it seemed the best balance of features and price. For a beginner like me with no previous experience, this camcorder is excellent. These are the features that I really liked:

1. The quality of the video is supposed to be very good due to its 3ccd's. At this price level, panasonic is the only one. After all, video is really what it's all about. Everything else is icing on the cake.

2. It has a mic jack. again, at this price, no other one.

3. Remote control

After a few weeks of using it, I like all the controls. Reviewers complain about the zoom being on the middle finger and at first it's a little awkward. Yes, it should have been on the index, but you only need 15 minutes to become an expert and then you don't think about it anymore.

Also, after reading the manual in 10 minutes, one can become an expert in the joystick control. I also have a Nikon coolpix digital camera, and it has a very similar mode knob, which made it easier for me to learn.

With so many nice features at this price, I was concerned that it was too good to be true, so i got extended warranty on it, and it made me feel a lot better. The 90day warranty is no too reassuring.

Some accesories are almost necessary, besides the extended warranty:

1. 4hr battery. The 1hr battery it comes with may last only 30min. or less depending on how much zoom you use, if you view the LCD, and if you play and fast forward or rewind

2. Case. I got a Lowepro Rezo 110 aw. I like compact, and this one is very small and could fit all the cables and everything in it.

Because now i am getting to like this video stuff, i also got:

3. Tripod (Opteka 60", $20, a super deal!) so i don't always have to be behind the camera. Also, even though this camera has "image stabilization", it can only do so much, and there is a BIG difference with video taken with a tripod. It looks really professional. Most people's video moves and shakes so much that you can't even watch it for 10 minutes

4. DVD-R drive with nero software to make videos

5. firewire card to import video to my pc.

This last point is the reason I gave it 4 stars. In doing my research I missed a fine point about video transfer. This camera has a USB port but it's only for the still pictres, not for video. According to the manufacturer's description, the next model up, the gs150, can transfer video through its USB port, thus it could have saved me from buying a firewire card. Therefore, I figured the net savings of going with the gs65 is only about $70. Had I known this I would have gone with the gs150, considering all I have spent in video accessories anyway.

Last, I took some still pictures and they were pretty bad compared to my Nikon coolpix. Maybe I should try again, but everywhere I read says camcorders are just not to be used for taking stills. This particular camcorder does not even have a flash. If you want a camcorder that takes nice stills, you'd have to spend thousands, thus, it's not worth it because you can spend just a few hundred for a decent digital camera. I knew this ahead of time, so this really did not affect my rating.

Overall I am very happy I went with this one because it's a great starting point for under $500. I still think this is a better choince than Cannon or Sony at this price.

UPDATE FEB 2006:

I am happier with this camcorder than when I originally wrote my review in August 2005. It turns out that most video editing software today only works with firewire, not with USB2, although this may change in the future. Thus I don't mind having gotten the fw card after all. I am sure the GS150 is a better product, but everytime I have taken video it has given me great results: sunlight, indoors, and night (with light). This camera will surely carry me through the next few years, and if I decide I need a better one, I will probably go with something better than the 150. If you can afford the price, this is excellent an entry level.

As a result, I am getting more serious about video and have looked for more accessories. I am suprised to find out that consumer camcorder technology has not fully come of age yet like digital cameras, so it's not very clear what are the best accessories. These are a few more I bought:

1. Rode Videomic: super enhances sound and picks up conversations very clearly!

2. Bescor KLK-65XT, VS 65 Video Light: great power light that works both on AC and battery (kind of bulky, but still portable)

3. Cool-lux Light & Sound Bracket, Camcorder Dual Mount Bracket for Video Lights & Microphones: This lets me use both mic and light.

My in-laws have not met our baby, and thanks to all this technology they have seen him grow. I am very happy I made this investment.

I did a LOT of comparing before I bought this camcorder. The "lack of zoom" wasn't that big of a deal to me compared to the other features. My hands are too shaky for zooming in much beyond 10x anyway. I did use a little bit of the digital zoom (to 12x) and my video (although shaky) seemed to still be exceptional.

The low light recording on this camera is tremendous for it's price range. I also like the S-video output, which for some reason seems to be the first thing to go when camcorder companies ditch options to drive down the price. Mic input is also a nice feature usually lacking on a camcorder in this price range.

I haven't taken any stills yet, but samples I've seen on the web show that it does a pretty adequate job and unlike some other camcorders, you can take stills to the SD card while shooting video.

The lack of software might be a concern to some, but chances are if you bought a video capture card or a "Firewire" card for your PC, you have some acceptable editing software anyway.

The following minor cons aren't really enough to detract from the overall value of this camera:

1. I don't like is that you have to flip out the LCD panel to turn on manual focus. Some of the more advanced filming options are only available in manual mode.

2. The thumb "joystick" and it's associated icons isn't the most intuitive or easy thing to use, although I do think it's better than a bunch of buttons all over the place.

Basically, if you'd like to make some high quality home video and are looking for an affordable camcorder, then this is the one for you...

Buy Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Now

I just compared the GS65 and GS35 at my local electronics store. To my surprise, they were already in stock and on sale! The GS65 has significantly better color than the GS35 due to its 3CCD style. However, is the better color worth the sacrifice in the zoom range? That's a question you'll have to ask yourself. Not only do you loose some optical zoom in the telephoto range, the GS65 starts at a higher zoom than the GS35. Therefore, it also looses out in the wideangle range. By comparison, the lens on the GS65 is 2.45-24.5mm (35mm equivalent of 44.7-447mm) whereas the GS35 is 1.9-57.0mm (35mm equivalent of 35-1040mm). The extra optical tele and wider base focal length may just be enough for some users to outweight the color difference. Except for a headphone out and the features mentioned above, the two models are nearly identical. I was happily surprised at the ease of use and accuracy on the joystick thumb control. Although, the menu button was just out of reach for my thumb.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic PV-GS65 3-CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom Here

Great product from Panasonic. This is my first digital camcorder and I am very pleased with the quality. Used it to do research on fiddler crabs, and needed zoom and picture quality and it was excellent. The picture was crystal clear as I took shots from 7-8 feet away and zoomed in to max. It also picks up sound even from a whisper and that was a great feature needed. Easy to use and easy to transfer video to TV viewing.

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I bought this camorder around 3 months ago and so far I am very happy with it. First off let me say that I am a complete amateur when it comes to camcorders. I did a lot of research online though before buying this particular camcorder and saw nothing but positive reviews and for a 3 CCD camcorder I only paid $400 for it, which is the same as a good 1 CCD camcorder. I have a 20 month old baby and I use it primarily for home video footage. I was able to take it out of the box and use it very quickly. I keep the setting on 'auto' most of the time and that works just fine for me. The picture quality is excellent, the colors and vibrant and the camcorder is easy to use. I read a lot about camcorders not performing well in 'low light situations' and this camera does pretty well, even though I do notice that when I shoot video in my basement (which is not very bright) the picture is slightly grainy. However when the room is bright or when I am outside the picture is incredible. The zoom is not great but I am not shooting more than 10 feet away anyway, so that doesnt bother me. I am going to buy a video light and see how that improves my indoor video. Overall, I am extremely happy with this camcorder and highly recommend it.

Ikan Corporation 7-Inch HDMI LCD Monitor with Loop Out and Tally (VK7-P)

I am admittedly not an expert on field monitors but I can say with a fair degree of certainty that I am happy with this purchase. Pulling critical focus is still going to continue to be a challenge due to the size of this monitor and the lower resolution feed coming off my Canon 5DMKll but this unit does help and it does deliver as promised. If you can afford to spend about twice the amount you might consider the VX9 but for my purposes this will do for now.

With false color exposure assistance, DSLR scaling and monochrome peaking this beats the heck out of trying to get good video using the 3" camera monitor, even with Magic Lantern installed.

Swann SW242-DU2 DVR4-1000 - 4 Channel DVR with 160GB Hard Drive Digital Video Recorder

If you shop around you will not find a simular product that has the hard drive included for the money. I found other 4 chanel DVR around the same cost but they did not incude the hard drive. The instruction book is badly written, however with a little playing around I was able to hook it up and use all of the features fairly easily. The motion censor works great, it has 10 settings, 1 being less sensitve & 10 being more sensitve. I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and I am happy with the product. The only suggestion I would have for SWAN would be to get somebody else to write the instruction book, it is VERY hard to understand. After about 15 minutes of trying to figure it out from the book I just sat it down and decided I was much better off trying to figure it out for myself.

Cuddeback Attack IR 5MP Game Camera

This review is for anyone getting ready to purchase a Cuddeback camera. . I purchased a Cuddeback IR in December of 2010 and immediately registered it to get the 18month warranty. Cuddebacks web site... Free Extended Warranty of 18 months if the user registers on-line and the Activation Date is within 2 weeks of the on-line registration date. I used it for a little over a month in January 2011, removed the batteries and stored it away. I am a retired teacher and I am very meticulous with my equipment. In July I saw a nice buck by my workshop and wanted to get some pics. Put some batteries in my Cuddeback IR and it would not turn on. Here is what the Trouble Shooting section and a Cuddeback representative had me do... a. The camera will display 4 digits for a few seconds, such as "02 06." These numbers represent

Stage 1 Software.i. If numbers do not appear on LCD repeat this test with new batteries. If the problem Persists the camera requires service, Fault Code FCO1. I sent my 7 month old, $220, Cuddeback IR into Cuddeback to receive warranty service as they requested.

They sent it back to me and said there was a battery issue and it was not covered under the warranty. I knew there was not an issue with the batteries (Die Hard) I was using but I could do nothing. I had a new camera that would not turn on. Determined to try something I sprayed contact cleaner on the rotary dial, turned the dial around a couple of times, put fresh batteries in and the unit turned on. I thought it was fixed. It would not take pictures but all of the other display functions worked. I thought I would contact Cuddeback again and here are the steps I went thru with Cuddeback to diagnose the problem ...

a. The camera will display 4 digits for a few seconds, such as "02 06." These numbers represent Stage 1 Software.i. If numbers do not appear on LCD repeat this test with new batteries. If the problem Persists the camera requires service, Fault Code FCO1.

b. After a few seconds "--" will be displayed.Tech Note

i. If the data on LCD remains "--" for more than 5 minutes repeat this test with new batteries. If the problem persists the camera requires service, FCO2

I did the stage 1 test and code "0205" was displayed and it did not go on to display "--". The Trouble Shooter said to send it in for warranty work (FC01). The representative said she would check and see if my Cuddeback was covered under warranty. She called me back in a half an hour and told me it was not covered under warranty and tried to get me to buy a reconditioned Cuddeback IR for $75.00 plus shipping and handling or upgrade to their next camera up for $150.00 plus shipping and handling. I just wanted to let everyone know Cuddeback does not honor their warranty. Be careful if you buy from Cuddeback

I have had the camera for one day. I have two different owner's manuals, one that came with the camera and one that I downloaded. I went into town and bought different SD cards, as I thought perhaps the ones I had were the source of the problem. bottom line I can't get the thing to take any pictures. I tried it by using the SD card and I tried it using the internal memory and then transfer the images to an SD card. Nothing. bupkis. Well, maybe I am doing something wrong. So I called Cuddeback's so-called customer service. First off, the voice mail told me that I was number 8 in line. Okay, I can put up with that. Then, when a live person answers the phone, she wants my name and phone number . Okay, fine. It takes her three times before i got the spelling of my name correct. It took four, count 'em, FOUR attempts before she got my phone number right. then, the kicker. She says, "A tech rep will call you at this number sometime in the next four to five days to give you some assistance". Four or five days??? I am supposed to carry my cell phone around for four or five days, along with the camera and the accessories, maybe in a back pack, on the chance some clown is going to call me?? Have you ever had such a pathetic excuse for "customer service" or "tech support"??? I am returning the whole package for a refund.

Buy Cuddeback Attack IR 5MP Game Camera Now

Do not waste your time on this camera. Cuddieback sent out a batch of bad cameras. The IR sensor fail due to tempreture changes and the camera will not take dusk, dawn, and night time photos. I sent mine back to Cuddieback on my dime with them admitting there are issues with this camera. Two weeks later I get the camera back with updated firmware and the camera is now dead and will not power up. Changed batteries and still no luck. Now I have been trying to call this company and having no luck with getting a live person on the phone. Good news is the local shop I purchased it from will exchange it for a different brand maybe a Stealth Cam.

Read Best Reviews of Cuddeback Attack IR 5MP Game Camera Here

The Attack IR gives you great pics and plenty of them. I own another earlier version from Cuddeback and the batteries always run down sooner than they say. I have over 700 pics from the Attack IR and the batteries are still at 99%. I don't know if this will hold true when the temp drops, but so far so good. The infrared pics are really high quality as are the daytime pics. The USB download is a nice way to transfer the pics but it does take a little time ( 5 mins. for 500 pics ). The menu ( a dial and 2 push buttons ) is easy to use once you get the sequence down.

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Camera failed from a manufacturers defect but because it was in use for more then 180 days (so much for a year warrantee) it is not covered. Customer service made no attempt to satisfy me, wanted a min of $75 to fix, maybe more. I have since bought 3 moultrie m-80's and all three have been working fine at $100 less apiece and have ordered a reconix (almost $500 but if it works it is worth it). Avoid all Cuddeback products unless quality and customer service are not your priorities, but you are not buying Cuddeback because it is the least expensive so I can't think of why I would buy one at all.

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Canon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom, Standard definition

O.K. I have been taking a beating from camera rental houses this past year, so when I needed to finish a project that was dragging on and forcing me too shoot on many different days, I said "what the heck", and put down the money for the XL2. I was a reluctant buyer not excited at all about buying a DV camera. I was ready to be disappointed by another crappy and expensive DV camera.

Two months later, I'm glad I bought it, and I'd say that it is the best prosumer DV camera out there, period.

Here are some of the positives and negatives about the camera based on experience.

Positives:

1) Clean signal: While not as good as something like the Sony DSR 500 its a cleaner signal than the VX2000, PD150, and the Panasonic DVX100a. Of all the DV cameras I've shot on I like the XL2's signal the best.

2) Interlacing: I've shot a great deal on Sony cameras. Especially the DSR 500, and The Sony image is always funky, the interlacing is always visible specifically in details like hair and what not. Even with all the menus set properly by a great DP the Sony cameras always have a very hard and interlaced look. Even When shooting in 60i mode The XL2 does not have this and it handles fine details better than the Sony cameras I am used to.

3) Buttons and menus: The design of the button lay out and menus is very good. If you have shot on the Panasonic DVX100a you will really enjoy how the canon is laid out, you don't have to go deep into the menus for every shot on the XL2. The one really bad decision was putting the film grain and color bars on the same button. THAT was a mistake. Why they hell does this camera have a film grain button anyway?

4) BNC output: A small but really helpful addition to the XL2 is that it has a BNC out. For anyone who knows how those BNC to RCA adopters tend to fall off or get lost its about time that a pro-sumer camera included this simple thing for people who use an external monitor.

5) The custom menus:

For professionals: If you have shot on pro cameras you will naturally look at the custom menus as a joke, a pro-sumer "toy". I won't try to tell you that they aren't a "toy" But they do actually work! Which is a great surprise. I have used the camera on sets and on outdoor documentary sports shoots. I find than things like the black stretch and the knee work and are helpful, they are not like what you find on a Beta camera for example but they are a lot better than what else you can find for the money.

For Consumers: This camera comes with a lot of features that you won't use if you are a point and shoot, "Let the camera do it for me" kind of person. However, if you are willing to learn or interested in videography, you will find these features interesting and with a little practice down right useful.

6) Color features:

To the professionals: These work too, you don't get very deep control of the color gain and the RGB settings but you get some and they work pretty well, which is saying a lot for a camera under $5,000! I am developing a preference for shooting with the color gain and RGB settings set pretty high and then pulling them down in color correction, if necessary. Desaturating in post using after effects gives great results, but it has not been necessary all that often, and I'd rather take the color out rather than trying to put it back in.

For the consumers: The color controls are better than on any other camera you are thinking about, most of which will have none. The XL2 gives you noticable control over the saturation of the colors as well as how much red, green and blue you see in the image.

7) Sound: I don't know what it is, if its the mic or the signal processing but the XL2 has better quality sound than you would expect from a DV camera out of the box. Use a real mic and the results are great.

Negatives:

too many rip off artists trying to sell this camera. Purchase the camera only from a trusted and well known retailer, no exceptions, you will get ripped off.

1) The lens:

For Pros: You don't want this lens since it has no witness marks etc. Buy the body without the lens and put on the 16X manual servo zoom. It will cost a bit more but it will be worth it if you need any percision in your shooting.

For consumers: The standard lens is better than any other lens out there, I think you'll find shooting with it a good experience .

2) The eyepiece:

For consumers: If you are a consumer don't worry about it, its fine. Its only an issue in specific cases that pros encounter because of they way they shoot.

For pros: Its REALLY hard to make focusing decisions with the eyepiece that comes in the box. Its not so bad for run and gun doc work but if you are doing dramatic work or pulling focus you'll want to Upgrade or always use a monitor.

3) Its still DV: This is a really great camera for what it is, but you are still shooting DV, and you can run but you can't hide from all the inherent problems of the format.

4) Using the FIRE WIRE: WARNING!!!!! if you use Lacie external firewire drives, among others, the XL2 does not place nice with other devices in the fire wire chain. To log footage from the camera onto your computer you may have to turn off your external drives to do it. This is a for sure with Lacie drives. For many users this will mean either buying larger internal drives or capturing footage to an internal drive with the externals turned off and then transferring the footage later.

The professional should keep in mind:

1) The 24 and 30p frame rates: Naturally the XL2 does not output a true 24 or 30 frame rate. The camera gives you the choice of pull-down you want and then you can remove it in post. If you are going to true 24p output you have the option of 2:3:3:2 pull down, which seems to work without problems with Cinema Tools.

2) All the weight of the camera is at the front so its having a shoulder pad is not that helpful, since most of the weight is on your hand anyway.

3) It may be user error but on the last shoot I directed that used the XL2 there were some strange time code things happening. The DP (who I trust completely) was pre-setting the TC as is usually done but on some tapes the TC changed from the pre-set hour back to hour 0 at some point in the tape. Was this due to battery changes or something else? Who knows? The TC should never do this so I have no Idea why it happened but it obviously effects postproduction and makes generating an EDL impossible.

4) Assuming that you don't have the cash for an Anton Bauer upgrade, The BP-945 batteries are good, they last a long time. So with two of them, the battery that comes with the camera, and the 910 charge you are in great shape and will be able to shoot continuously no problem. If you are shooting in the field you will get 10+ hours of camera time out of these three batteries before you need to recharge.

5) The Pelican 1600 case is a little small if you want to break the camera down all the way. A bigger case is not a bad idea.

Let me just say straight up that this would be a five star camera if the price was $1,000 less.

I do not claim to be an expert on high quality digital camcorders. I've just dome some reasearch and thought some whould be interested in my opinion.

This is the best picture quality semi-pro (between $6000 and $1500) camcorder availiable. Many think that this also will be the last of the semi-pro cameras to come out before the whole format switches to High Definition. The reason why the XL2 has been getting bad reviews on some websites is not because of the camera's quality but because just about all of the press and many professional videographers were expecting the XL2 to have high definition instead of progressive scan.

The progressive scan quality of the XL22 is more than many will ever need, including myself. Unless one can afford a top quality TV that plays high definition you'll never see the difference between XL2's picture and a HD picture. Not to mention that all of the a computer editing programs whith a reasonable price do not support high definition yet.

Currently the only camera that can compete with the XL2 is the PanasonicDVX100A it has slightly poorer picture quality (almost unnoticable) and it shares the nearly magical 24f and 30f progressive scan modes. It make what you shoot look like a movie. When you watch these modes for the firt time you won't be able to decribe the difference it makes but you will see it and fall in love.

The reason why I chose the CanonXL2 over the DVX100a is because no camera currently on the market comes close to having the XL2's number of manual features and selection of lenses. This camera is for people wanting to experiment with the visual style of filmmaking, trying to acheive art on the screen.

For those who are looking for a high quality camera that is less hands on and more automatic (something you can pull out and instantly get great picture) and are not intrested in digital film as an artform but one of those who just wants to get the best picture for family events and weddings the PanasonicDVX100A would be a better choice as it is an easier camcorder to learn and has picture quality that nearly matches the XL2, not to mention it is $1500 cheaper depending on where you look.

I'll stick with my CanonXL2, though, as I hope to join the film buisness one day and I need the freedom of manual features this camera offers.

I welcome an oposing opinion.

Buy Canon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom, Standard definition Now

This is an excellent camera definately worth the $5000. However, if you see a seller selling it brand new for less than $3000 beware. Watch out for anyone asking to be emailed before hand or anyone wanting western union or any kind of Escrow service. Be absoultely positive before sending any payment.

Read Best Reviews of Canon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom, Standard definition Here

The XL2 is truly a beautiful and desirable piece of machinery. It won't turn any aspiring filmmaker into a new Scorsese, and some of its onboard editing features seem superfluous in the age of advanced desktop editing, but for any filmmaker with a fair budget this should be a target.

Unfortunately, as many other reviewers have pointed out, there are many scam artists and scoundrels populating the Marketplace section of Amazon.com. Some match the exact profile mentioned by honest reviewers here on Amazon.com, like cumatru_urs (props to past reviewers for the heads-up). Most deals truly are too good to be true, especially the ridiculous ones, like those priced under $400. Some sellers use Amazon.com Marketplace to lure buyers, then hitting them with an email later saying they will have to pay a much higher sum and outside of the Amazon guidelines if they want to get their product.

Mbjstucki is one seller who uses this practice, and extremely rudely.

Basicallly, buying these cheap items is just an expression of interest to these sellers, not a real purchase as intended on Amazon.

BUYER BEWARE! Amazon will cover a substantial amount of your purchase, more than you'd ever buy, if you go through the official channels of Amazon. But if you conclude your purchase anywhere else, Amazon will only cover $250 of your purchase, which is understandable.

Don't be fooled by some sellers who have high feedback ratings. They can just as easily be fraudulent. Since you can only leave feedback to sellers once they've shipped your item, you have no recourse against these frauds except this review service. Your purchase will remain in limbo and these sellers will not receive negative feedback, an unfortunate flaw in the Amazon system. So ask a lot of questions, and don't allow a hint of doubt into your final purchase, as your own gut is the best radar for detecting frauds. BE AWARE

Want Canon XL2 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom, Standard definition Discount?

Now, some individuals will try to convince you the XL2 is a poor Prosumer camcorder and will give seemingly good arguments. Don't buy into it.

For instance, a reviewer lower down this page complains the camera arrived broken and thus reviews it as a horrible machine. Unfortunately, this said reviewer doesn't talk about the actual functionality of an actual undamaged product, rather his own broken camera. Needless to say, his opinion is vastly slanted.

Another compares the XL2 to the DVX100 series from Panasonic and prefers the latter. He states the XL2 is too heavy and doesn't achieve the same calibre results as the cheaper Panasonic camcorder.

First of all, Canon has continued to revolutionize the photography industry for decades. They have proven themselves in both film and digital formats, for both still camera and camcorder. True, the XL2 lacks some features other more expensive cameras have (compare the JVC GU1000) but that's okay. And, yes, the camera has a very large body and is definately heavier than the Panasonic DVX100, but this is for specific reasons.

You have to first consider why you want a prosumer camcorder. If you just want to shoot hobby short films and want a professional look, I suggest you stick with either the higher-end Canon or JVC or Panasonic or even Sony (god forbid) consumer camcorders which run around $900. On the other hand, if you're considering becoming a serious hobbyist and don't intend to turn it into some sort of profession then Panasonic's DVX series is a good buy. The DVX 100's are cheaper, smaller, and somewhat easier to use. They are far more "point-and-shoot" than the other prosumer camcorders on the market. And they do a fairly good job.

Yet, the XL2 manages to not only hold its own, but also triumph over all other camcorders in the industry. First and foremost, the XL2 has the option to change lenses. This is a great boon for any serious shooter because attaching an actual lens to a camera gives far better results than slapping on some sort of adapter, which distort the image. Canon offers two lens types for the XL2: the included 20X zoom lens and a 3X wide angle lens; both are very expensive by themselves. But, with an optional Canon ring adapter running for $300, you could take your normal Canon SLR still camera lenses and attach them to the body and have them function perfectly. This allows the user a plethora of imaging options when shooting. Now, the normal user won't ever use anything other than the 20X zoom lens (a remarkable piece of machinery in itself), but that's just fine. You're buying the camera for its options and potentials as well as the physical benefits. Think of it like buying a BMW: you buy the car for its physical features you're likely to use (the radio, heated seats, leather, sunroof, etc.) but you also buy it for its safety and cumstomer service, things you'll hardly ever need. It just makes you feel good you have those options available.

Furthermore, the XL2 is a wonderful camera. It shoots beautifully without problems of any sort. Yes, it takes some getting used to, but that's because it has a lot of fuctions and options. The physical body design is simple enough that all the necessary shooting options (i.e., 24P, 30i, 60i, mic adjustments, white balance controls, presents, etc.) are easily accessible. The end product of a regular shoot is stunning. The Canon lens captures colors almost perfectly and the image stabilization built into the camera is a great help. The large body design (though awkward for some) is actually a benefit. The camera can be placed on the shoulder, giving greater stability to the shoot. You can't do that with a Panasonic or Sony.

No, the camera doesn't have a LCD screen on the side, but do you really need one? An LCD screen is not only distracting but also a battery hog, and takes precious room for control options or accessories that could other wise be placed where the LCD is built in. An LCD is great for consumer cameras because they're small and nobody wants to look through those one-inch viewfinders. But the XL2 has a very nice, large color viewfinder, and can be comfortably used with the camera on your shoulder. For those running hand-held shots you can flip part of the viewfinder open and can see a 1.5" LCD display. It's not dazzling or great, but it gets the job done. You're out in the field to get footage, not admire the LCD screen.

Finally, the XL2 offers XLR microphone inputs, a big bonus for people who want good sound in their video. You won't find this feature in either Panasonic or Sony prosumer camcorders.

In the end, Canon's XL2 is a beautiful camcorder. It offers you a lot more than you know at first glance, and delivers near-perfect results. The closest competitor would be the far more expensive (by at least $1000) Panasonic GU1000, which is very similar to the XL2. If you're still not sure about the camera, I suggest you take a ride down over to your nearest Fry's to experiment. Or, you can visit the local TV station and ask them to tell you a little bit about why they're all using XL2's over the other camcorders on the market. No...seriously...they are.

Go figure.

Nikon COOLPIX L25 Silver

I've used a Nikon Coolpix for years now. When they get old, I get the same, only a newer model. This one seems to be just as good, or better. I really like the zoom feature, much easier to use, for me. Shipping was great, the whole transactions was!

Sorry, my mistake. I purchased the XP50, which is waterproof, not the L25. I havent figured out how to get the original (wrong) review off..

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