JVC Everio GZ-MG330 -30GB (Blue)

Pros: Size, hard drive capacity, easy to use navigation, quick set up.

Cons: Almost too small. If you have large hands, you will have difficulty with the buttons. The software that comes with it is pretty terrible. You should/need to invest in a quality after market video editing software.

Summary: For a basic, every day user this camera is more than adequate. It's small size allows you to carry it in a backpack, purse, or even cargo pants. The 35x optical zoom is really nice, producing clear images, though the digital stabilizers are not quite adequate at maximum zoom.

The 30 gig hard drive affords plenty of capacity. The interface is very intuitive and the light "slide bar" is quite clever. The very knowledgeable sales associate at the professional camera store where I purchased it said that the optics and processor were the same as the Sony, but priced less because of the JVC label. If this is true, then the JVC is really a great deal.

I purchased this for $190, as the store was expecting the current models at the end of the month!! If you hunt around you can get this for under $250, which is a steal for everything it does.