This camera is easy to use and makes a good quality recording. Since it is an upper end product, it does have a longer learning curve than more simple models but the effort is worth it for the added features. There are, however, a few quirks which could have been fixed to make this a much more usable piece of equipment.

The provided microphone jack is an 1/8" stereo. In my camera, at least, it is not mounted very securely. When I have an external mike connected, I had to be very careful to make sure that nothing touched it, otherwise, the sound would drop off. A friend with some tools and expertise fixed this problem but it should never have happened.

The master switch moves from off to VCR mode (up one), record to tape mode (down one) or record to stick mode (down two). It is intuitive but very easy to overshoot the mark. This can be frustrating and I cannot help but believe there is a better design that could be used.

There are a multitude of things that could be done to make the interface on this camera easier to use but it is usable as it is now.

This camera is fierce competition for Canon's XL1S. It has the features you need, the Sony name, and flawless transfer. WARNING!: This is NOT for the amateur home videoer. The parameters are begging to be tweaked - just for fun. Settle for a Handycam if you're just filming Billy's soccer game. This one right here is made to be USED. Good for media students, career filmers/editors, and anyone who wants to REALLY have some interesting fun...Sony doesn't disappoint on this one.

This camera has been in my eye for roughly 3 years now and now that it is finally in my possession, I could not be more pleased. As the previous owner of a Canon Optura 300, I had been craving a more professional camera for a very long time. My Canon, while being possibly one of the best 1-chip camera I have ever used, was far too small for what I needed to accomplish with it. I craved for more manual control, an easier layout, a more stable camera, and full and in-depth control over white balance and focus. The VX2100 fulfilled all these requirements spectacularly. I use this camera primarily for filming skateboarding and snowboarding videos and short films and it is seemingly tailor made to suit the needs of those who documents these sports. Here is a short synopsis of what makes each of the features on this camera so fantastic.

Layout: This camera has a great layout. From the zoom and focusing ring near the front of the camera to the record button and zoom rocker on the handle, to the dedicated Audio and White Balance buttons on the back, everything is easy to find, well labeled, and intuitive in its placement.

Manual Control: This camera has some of the most indepth manual features of nearly any prosumer camera on the market today. As I stated before, this camera is mostly button instead of menu driven, it saves so much time when you're at a spot and you only have about 5 minutes to get the shot, you just hit the dedicated white balance button and !voila!, vibrant and accurate color reproduction at the touch of a button. The focus and zoom both give the right amount of resistance when turning, making it easy to get the exact focus and zoom that you want. The color shift feature is also very useful, allowing you to change the camera's settings so the CCDs pick up all the colors perfectly (the VX2100 is notorious for having a colder, more bluish picture compared to the VX1000). The integrated Neutral Density filter is quite useful on those really bright days when glare is overwhelmingly present and distracting. Overall, this camera is incredibly in depth in the sheer choices you can make to tweak the picture just right.

Maneuverability: This camera is just the right size when it comes to handheld filming. Most of the weight of the camera is towards the front, but is perfectly balanced from the top handle. The camera is also not too long, allowing you to get closer to the subject when using a fisheye and allowing you to manipulate the camera in tight quarters.

Overall, this prosumer camcorder is another winner for Sony and should be seriously considered by anyone who is either an aspiring filmmaker, or is looking to buy a top class camcorder. An excellent buy!

I love this camcorder!

It is fantastic in low light, and good lighting too. I was torn between this and the new HiDef camcorders out right now and chose this one mainly because of the low light ability. I have not been disappointed at all. There are numerous manual controls to tweak to any shooting condition. Almost all have separate buttons dedicated to perform then individual functions. It balances very well, and while it is heavier than the small cameras it really does not feel that way after a short time using it.

I would buy this again

I LOVE the camera as if it was my sister, or something loveable. I will NEVER sell this camera, not for all of the money in the world. This has a microphone that can record your breath. I would recomend this to any TV station that likes HD (high defonition). I myself joined a TV station and they have the SAME camera. It shows a good picture, and is kind of light. Please get this camera before they are extinct. BEWARE PRICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO MUCH PRAISE ALREADY...WHERE DO I BEGIN?
Well this is simply the best camcorder I've ever owned or used. At this level I've used the GL2 in the past. But I bought the VX2100.
I took some footage of a lake recently and thought I was looking at film when I played it back on my HDTV. The color was beautiful and natural looking! One rule. The better the lighting the better the picture!

My first camcorder was a JVC in 87' VHS-C that was just about the same size as this camcorder now. But me-o-my, what a difference digital makes!!
I dig the iLink from my camcorder to my PC and TV and my DVD recorder. ilink can run the show!

Many manual features that lets a dude take control and play around when he has to and wants too! On screen menu really simple and the manual for this is well written and straight forward. But I must admit that some of the dubbing info is over my head at present as well as using memory chip tapes. But I'll get there.

12X zoom could be more but it can also be plenty! Stabilization works fine for my needs, but alot of what I shoot is tripod mounted! "Put it on the TRIPOD" {what movie was that from?} ha ha.

The 2 1/2" LCD is a bit small, works fine, but I find myself gravitating to the eyepiece. It's quicker to use and saves battery life. But the LCD is great to turn 180 degrees to shoot yourself with {ha} and use the remote with!
You might want to buy the Sony 970 battery. Don't waste or risk on other brands, this one battery I used for 6 hrs straight doing an interview and it still had life in it!! The one that come with it is of course a small battery that lasts about 2 1/2 hrs. Thats rec. play-back, stand-by etc etc. Just these two batteries is all I need!!!!!!

Also I added a wide angle lense. The Canon 58m wide anlge works fine with this unit.
Some lighting too; How about Smith Victor 2 umbrella 250 watts lights. Makes indoor shooting look like a TV show!

Lastly a mic. Depending on your use, you might want a shotgun mic for outdoors, or a lav mic indoors. The on camera mic is for people speaking rather close.

All in all I couldn't be happier that I bought "this" camcorder. I read and looked around quite awhile before I bought. I think I have more Sony products in my house than any other and this is now no exception! Lights, camera, action!

I had this wonderful SONY piece of technology now for four (4) days.
It took me almost 100 days to make the decission and so far, I am convinced it was the RIGHT one! I have experience with "Movie-Cameras" since 1959 !!! (I'm now over 60) As a jung man, I started with "DOUBLE-EIGHT" cameras, had several 16mm machines ("BOLEX H-16" f..), handled hughe 35mm ARRIFLEXes with "Blimp", in professional studios, in the 60's and went through several Super-8 models in the 60/70's. When the first Home-Video-Cameras appeared in the late 70's, I stubbornly and foolishly stated, that VIDEO-Tapes will "NEVER replace FILM" ...(Hmmm go figure..!) In 1984 I purchased my first "SABA" Color-Video-Camera with SEPARATE portable VCR - and STILL HAVE it!!! (for memories).
In the process of selecting the right Camcorder this time, probably the last one I'll ever buy in my life, I tested (Hands-On) The Panasonic DVC7 (Three stars), the Canon GL2 (four stars - GOOD LOOKING, but I was concerned about sooo many complaints about the "TAPE-ERRORS" !!), the Panasonic DVC60 (five stars - GOOD - I wanted a VERY professional looking camera and that it IS, but too large for personal use) and the Panasonic DVC30 (five stars - but too "small" for my "old-age-hands".. and the built-in mic and 16:9 mode is indeed not so great, as so many reported).
I will write an extensive review in two to three weeks, after I realy used/tested the VX2100.! During evaluation, I recorded 5-10 minutes, one after the other, on ONE tape, with each of the a.m. Camcorders and ran the tape in the VX2100 : CLEARLY, the recordings with the VX2100 came out the WINNER (Sound and Image quality 4:3 AND 16:9). Of course, I will get an external "Gun" Microphone for max. sound quality, but the built-in works better then on all the others. What "impressed" me right away on the Sony, was the very conveniently arranged controls, including the RECORD-on/off button!! All other great features had been praised sufficiently in previous reviews...
By the way: Mr.John A. Lee III (4/22/05) complained about the functionality of the "Master"-Switch - I think it's FINE..!! Sir: Did you notice, there is a LOCK-lever on the switch, which avoids switching accidentally past the tape mode, to "stick" mode...!? Also MY microphone jack is fine and sturdy (mabe bad luck on yours..??)
Well, enough so far - If anyone cares, look for my final report in a few weeks.
P.K.H.

I purchased this camera to use with my previous church's media ministry, based on my trial use of the VX2000. That was three years ago. This camera is STILL running as well as it did when I bought it. I use it upwards of 3 times a week to create content for web and DVD production, plus, I get great digital audio recordings when I plug directly into my current church's sound system. The ability to tweak audio and video input on the fly is incredible. Now that I am creating a multimedia team for our church, I've convinced the church to buy one for themselves.

This camera is excellent! I used something very similar as a Videographer at the local TV station. This camera to me is just as nice as the $40,000 DVC Pro camera!! Great quality picture, excellent for Johnny's Soccer games! Has a built in digital stabilizer for those with shaky hands. Overall the best small camera I have EVER USED!!!

I don't know how this hasn't been reviewed yet - this is simply the "prosumer" camcorder to have. After reading up on this camera, the Canons (GL2, XL1s), and the "Panny" (aka, the DVX100a), it seems this manages to, put simply:

- Beat the GL2
- Tie with the XL1s
- Beat the DVX100a

To go more in depth, let's start with the GL2. While this is one heck of an affordable, broadcast-quality machine, it mainly loses to the VX2100 in terms of low-light conditions. This is really where the Sony shines - low-light shooting. A popular breakdown of the VX2100 vs. the GL2 is that the VX2100 works better in low light, and the GL2 has a more powerful zoom. That pretty much is what it comes down to. The GL2 has a "frame mode," in which you get 30 frames/second non-interlaced video. The idea behind this is to equate to the popular, on-demand 24p, to get that "film look." Such a look is only important if you plan on doing actual movies, and unfortunately, the GL2's frame mode simply isn't that great. Aside from that, when you later edit your shots, there's tons of programs and plug-ins which will do the same thing - but better.

Now, the XL1s. I know I've used the word "simply" a lot in this review, and that's primarily because I want to make the comparisons simple. When one goes to taste a Coke and a Pepsi, it would be useless to make a pro and con list to decide which tastes better... to you. Instead, you just pick the one you like, and continue drinking - and you probably wouldn't mind the other brand next time (ok, maybe not all of you). Anyways, the point being all of these cameras will give you an excellent picture, and they'll all do a bunch of extra things. If you're a serious, professional videographer, then it is recommended you compare long specifications lists to see which better meet your needs. On the other hand, if you're like me and just want something that will shoot family and non-planned out footage, these will all do great. And when you go to shoot a movie, wedding, documentary or whatever it is you're doing professionally, these cameras will continue to impress you.

Ok, about that XL1s. This camera has been used in movies - 28 Days Later, TV shows - pretty much the entire MTV line-up, commercials - that Jerry Seinfeld American Express one, etc. Needless to say, this is a very impressive camera. Not only is it significantly larger than the others, but its most sought after feature is the fact that the lenses are interchangeable. What's not frequently mentioned is the fact that these lenses cost upwards of $600/pop. Of course, the XL1s has some more professional features to justify the price jump from the GL2 - those of which you can read about on those spec sheets I mentioned earlier.

And finally, onto the "Panny," or the Panasonic DVX100a. This camera has a whole several-thousand member online discussion forum for it. That should tell you how much people love this camcorder. I think it's nice, myself. Don't know how much I love it. I know what everyone loves about it is the fact that it does 24p perfectly - that's the aforementioned "film effect" feature. The problem is, when you compare its other features to the VX2100, the Sony is the better camcorder. And don't forget you can still get a "film effect" when you go to edit your video.

So, all in all, these are the camcorders which are all in somewhat of a similar price range. I know I've considered all four of these, which is why I wanted to share what I found for that other guy who wants to know the same thing. You probably still want to check out some other places for reviews, which is highly recommended. Like I said, I spent 4 weeks doing what you're doing now, and I ended up with the VX2100. Take that for what it's worth.

See ya in the funny pages!

I had a really hard time deciding between this camera and the Panasonic DVX-100. The panasonic was more expensive, but this had great low-light performance. All in all, this is a great camera. It has AMAZING low-light performance, I use it mainly for recording onstage performances in dark theaters. I have never had a problem with it as of yet.

A few complaints are that it does not include XLR inputs. Some of the controls and functions are very consumer oriented as well. The focus/zoom rings on the lense are not as accurate as I'd hoped, as I believe they are not 'manually' linked to the focus/zoom, they are a digital translation...(Could be wrong on this).

Picture quality is great for a standard-def camera. At the time, I could't afford to go hi-def. I think my next camera is going to be high-def, and I'm going to get a panasonic. For this price range, it is a top contender, but if you don't need regular low-light performance, then go with the panasonics.

Cheers.

I work in TV production and I bought this model to have an everyday camera at hand to record not only things related to my job, but also personal stuff. It is quite easy to use, has great quality and with extremely easy connectability to my Sony VAIO, absolutely fantastic to allow me to digitize my video , edit it and end up with good to very good end products.

Alright there is so much to say about a camera like this but I'm gonna make it short for sure.

I've had mine for a couple of months now and I still haven't learned how to use all of its functions. But, in the case of this camera, its a good thing. The camera has sooo many functions its overwhelming at some moments. But slowly I'm picking them up.

I just used this camera as one of two cameras used for a short film and it seriously came through. The footage it takes in the HD mode is insanely perfect. The zoom is smooth when using the zoom ring on the end of the camera. I'm told that its an issue that the lens' aren't fully interchangeable, but the 20x Zoom is plenty powerful for most needs.

One of the best parts is the stabilizer. The shots come out like you are using a tripod. It works amazingly well. Even better than the stabilizers on any of my Cannon Lens' I use for my still cameras. Simply amazing.

I invested in a nice tripod that has a smooth operation and the 12 hour battery. You must get this battery. I use my camera all day and its great to never worry about power running out. Its even more necessary if you're using a light source connected to camera power.

Taking that footage and transferring it over to your software (I used Studio 11 By Pinnacle) is pretty straight forward. You have plenty of methods of transfer as well. I chose to use HDMI cables and it always works out perfectly.

Would I buy it again if I had to do it all over again? I gotta say I probably would. The only really bad thing about the camera is.... what I paid for it. Wow, I definitely was feeling a little tight in the chest as I drove it home.

I bought this to replace my defunkt Canon GL2 (tape drive mechanism failure - check the web for tons of dissatisfied Canon customers). I still had a bunch of mini-DV tapes to capture into my PC and wasn't ready to step up to an HD camcorder, so this was the nearest I could come to the quality I had grown to expect from my Canon GL2.

The quality of the video this camera takes is fabulous and it's very easy to use. If you had a previous edition Sony camcorder, you'd be able to use this without so much as a look at the owner's manual.

The only complaint I have with the Sony is that the still pictures it is capable of taking (rapidly too I might add!), are just not in a high enough resolution to make them suitable for much beyond supplementing your video clips. Perhaps there's enough resolution there for a 4x6 print, but not much more. Too bad... It would have been nice to park my Nikon at home and have this be my work horse. Perhaps the HD camcorders improve upon this feature. In a couple of years, I'll check it out.

As an aside, the GL2 wasn't the only Canon camcorder I've had that died. Given their miserable track record for longevity, I will NEVER buy another Canon product.


And a caveat. Buy a Mini-DV VCR to do the post filming grunt work. The camera manufactures would have you believe that you can do fancy editing work on there units. Once a camera's drive mechanism fails, the repair costs are staggering. So shoot your video with the camera, then rewind, capture and/or edit your film with a Mini-DV deck.

This is my first 3 chip camera and probably my top choice for years to come. Great quality in video and audio.

I recently opened my own professional wedding videography business, and after doing a lot of research decided on buying a pair of these cameras. I have never been so happy with an investment as I have with these cameras. They have all the features you could want in a camera: auto or manual controls for things like zoom, focus, exposure, shutter speed, etc, GREAT low-light sensitivity, high-quality mic, ports to plug in an additional mic, smart accessory shoe for additional lights or mics, LCD or viewfinder display, light filters, lens hood - it's great. Some of my favorite features are the light filters and the manual focus ring. The light filter will tell you if there's too much light coming in the lens (washing your picture out) and will tell you which filter to turn on. The manual focus ring is located right beside the manual zoom ring, and allows you to change your field of focus on the fly - great for getting some artistic shots.

Bottom line - it's worth the price. Get this camera!

I've had one of these for 4 years. It's received fairly heavy use over that time with NO problems. Great in low or limited light-use situations. With a little practice, the manual controls are easy to reach and work very well. I've checked out the HD upgrades to this camera, and they really don't compare - yet. I love how good the footage looks in low- or poorly lit situations. (Sometimes you can't set up in your lights, especially when the CEO of a corporation only has 5 minutes to spare for a shoot, and it HAS to be in his/her office. If you don't need an HD camera, this little guy will serve you well. Why only 4 stars? The mic input is an 1/8' plug (which isn't a horrible work-around is you use high-quality mics) The placement of this jack isn't too good, and I've pulled the mic cord out by accident a time or two. Keep your heads clean and always monitor your audio with headphones. I also recommend a hard-shell case. I hope Sony will make a HD camera as good as this one soon.