Sony Handycam HDR-HC7 (camcorder - Mini DV, HDV)

Pros: light (for what it is), exclt video quality, included component / firewire / AV / Remote, auto lens cover, 25mpbs on DV Tape (vs 13ish on HDD or AVCHD), metal enclosure!, built in mic is GREAT!

Cons: Memory Stick card, "smaller than it should be" LCD, disappointing manual adjustments controler

Summary: i originally had my sights set on the HC5 or Panasonic's new 3CCD 5.1 audio hotness. Panny dropped the ball with the well below average of 13mbps HD encoding for AVCHD and it doesn't help that there is not 1 digital video editor (mac or PC) that can edit AVCHD...so i had to pass. if i didn't want to edit my recorded footage...i would have bought the Panny, but who the heck doesn't want to edit out wasted recordings?

next up was the HC5. i'm a huge sony point & shoot camera fan so i read a few reviews of the HC3 from last year and patiently waited for some reviews on the new HC5 & 7. the specs are very similar between the 5 & 7, but i wanted manual features and the 7 was my only choice. it stinks because the manual adjustment control is clunky, clumsy and dissappointing at best. on a positive note, the video i've recorded thus far is "excellent" to "amazing" compared to SD. don't expect Dicovery Channel HD or anything like that. those are $30,000+ cams. coming from a Panasonic 3CCD SD cam, i was extremely please with the results of HC7.

the retail on this ranges from $1200-$1400. i found mine for $1049 + shipping which is the retail of the HC5. i wouldn't have bought it if i had to pay more, but that said...i'm extremely happy with my purchase.