Strengths: * Great HD picture quality * Flexible HDV Format* Nicely shaped, great looks, auto lens cover* Terrific still shots* Still shots while video recording* Plenty of connection options

Weaknesses: * Taking still pictures while video recording often result in stuttering in the video* Low light picture quality is pretty bad* There is no light to help with the low-light conditions

Summary: I've been using this camcorder almost everyday for just over a month now. I have to say that I am impressed with almost everything about it. Most of all, I am thrilled with the ease with which I can import and view the videos on my Vista PC for no additional software! I am also ecstatic that I cam stream this from my PC over to my Xbox 360, where the videos appear in stunning hi-def on my large-screen plasma. That's exactly what I was looking for.OK, so having gotten the set up out of the way, here's more about the camcorder itself: I would say that everything about it is pretty good, and is a pleasant surprise. The touch and feel of the camcorder, which is really your first interaction with it, is impressive. It's sturdily built and looks great. It's roughly half the size of my erstwhile favorite -- the venerable Sony DCR-TRV480. I'm surprised that people are complaining about its size. I guess if you compare it with the hard drive camcorders, you are really comparing apples to oranges. To finally get the auto lens cover feature on a Sony is awesome (it's something Hitachi had more than 9 years ago).The zoom is a meager 10x, but it should suffice for most applications. The biggest thing I miss is on close-ups, I can't get the whole face of the baby from closer than a foot. Fortunately, it's not something I need very often. Still pictures are great. I like the way the flash pops out automatically when the camera senses that there isn't sufficient light. So far, I've only used the default setting, which has outperformed my stodgy and horrible Kodak 710 by miles. Having said that, you can tell that this wasn't meant to be a still camera, judging by how difficult and annoying it is to get a timed shot each time. Also, the exposure settings are buried so deep into the horrendous menu system, that I haven't been motivated to explore. The only downside to using this over anything else I use is that you have to get into Sony's proprietary memory stick flash card as opposed to SD or CF that every other camera uses. I got a 2-GB card for under $20, so it wasn't so bad. It's probably the only memory stick I'll ever buy.If you feel tempted to use the still shot feature while recording, remember that it could cause stutters in your recording. Apparently the processor isn't fast enough to keep up with that. It's recommended to take snaps while editing or viewing the video in MovieMaker (or any other software you would use for this), which works just as well (or better), and doesn't destroy the video. This review would be incomplete without a word or two about the HDV format over the AVCHD format. I did a lot of research before finally buying into the clunky MiniDV format. But I have been more than satisfied. I can easily download the tape onto my Vista PC in an hour and can start editing it! There's not enough firepower (or software) out there to be able to do this with AVCHD. Moreover, the HDV picture quality just blows your mind. HDV is downloaded on the PC as a dvr-ms file and can be converted to a compressed WMV-HD format, which is roughly a tenth the size. Both, the native dvr-ms, and WMV-HD format play on the PC as well as stream to the Xbox 360. Although it's hard to tell the difference between dvr-ms and WMV-HD, I like keeping everything as dvr-ms, which has a slight edge in terms of the quality. As you sit before whatever your Xbox is hooked on to in the living room, you will know what I mean. I'm sorry to see that HDV is not available on any other media, such as hard drive, or flash.As for the video quality, it's simply outstanding in broad daylight. But it's best to ensure that you have sufficient lighting before burning the motor on this puppy. If you aren't going to have enough lighting, it's best to stick with your old SD camcorder and save yourself the trouble of downloading HDV videos. So far, I've only tried the standard digital MiniDV tapes with stellar results. I also bought tapes that Fuji claimed were specifically made for HD cammcorders, but they were three times the price of standard MiniDV. After I saw what this camcorder can do with the regular MiniDV, I quickly returned the HD MiniDV tapes to Circuit City. Safe to say I won't be buying the "special" tapes in the foreseeable future.The battery life is barely so-so with just the recording, and becomes pretty intolerable if you use the still camera feature. I would recommend buying a larger battery for it.The LCD screen is large enough. Displays are crisp and clear. The view finder can't be pulled up, which is a minor annoyance. The camcorder is equipped with all kinds of connections galore. It has a USB connection for the pictures, IEEE1394 for downloading videos, HDMI for viewing on an HD screen, component, composite/RCA, you name it. Sony is also pretty generous about the cables you get in the package, which is everything except for HDMI.Overall, a great buy.