It is built so well that everything is placed perfectly in order to keep it compact without losing any features. Part of this is due to the fact that everything is recorded directly to the 30GB hard drive. There's also a SD slot to record seamlessly if for some reason the hard drive fills before you are done filming.

I don’t claim to be any kind of expert on camcorders, but I do know what I like and what works for me. I also know that some of the problems with my videos are my own. I have always produced videos with some shake. This camcorder has 'optical' image stabilization that pretty much eliminates any of my own shakiness. Also, all of the controls are right within reach with an easy to use joystick and unlike other camcorders, the buttons are not easily confused. There is no need to constantly look at the camera in order to switch modes or zoom.

The picture quality is one of the best I have seen. I think a lot of this has to do with the optical image stabilization reducing the shake and blur that naturally occurs during the video recording. The colors are excellent even in low light setting.

It makes me feel like I know what I am doing and is very forgiving. I can now easily take high quality video and thanks to the included software, I have been able to edit my videos and make DVD’s that my family can keep forever. They all think I'm the next Steven Spielberg ;-)