If I am able to vote 4.5 stars, I would.
What I like:
* great video quality and colors (near-professional quality),
* manual control (whiteness, brightness, focusness),
* easy to understand (for someone like me who doesn't want to read the manual),
* great LCD quality,
* sleek design (easy to hold and control except when you're reaching for manual focus button- can be difficult if you have the band on your hand).
What I dislike:
* nightshot feature (strobing effect if the room doesn't have enough of light),
* short battery life-span - only lasts approx. 55 minutes with LCD on and approx. 70 minutes without LCD on (I highly recommend you to buy an extended life battery),
* random black noise dots appears in some certain conditions (barely noticable),
* bad still photos (good enough for webpage and internet only),
* 700x digital zoom (totally ruins the video quality); best to use 10x optical zoom only.
Overall, I am very pleased with how well this camcorder performs, especially in focusing and stabilization. I think it is a great camcorder at this price compared to others. I highly recommend it for both home and professional use.
