Sony Handycam DCR-HC36

Pros: good color, small, interesting features, touch screen, casette is inserted from top, 20x optical, night mode

Cons: usb quality isn't very good, the still images are pretty much not worth the extra money, touch screen, no focus knob on the case

Summary: I got this camera for free from Circuit City in exchange for my roasted old one. So far this camera is a good replacement except for one thing... no focus ability on the case. the point focus is a pretty sweet feature in my oppinion. The touch screen makes the menu fun to navigate but I worry about dead screens after a year or so. Size: tiny for minidv. I must say that using the IR is extremely fun because now I don't have to hook up my night vision to it to be able to get video at night. I would rank this a 9 if it had an external way to do manual focusing and also be able to attach an external mic along with recording in from composite. This is a great camera for people who don't know cameras very well and don't need advanced functions.