Summary: product just ok - using it is a nightmare

Comment: I bought this camera to video my new born, and catch him in all his new stages. I now have a lot of video I can only view on my computer. It records ok in full sun and very badly in poor light. But the biggest problem is that all files are MOD files and most software will not recognize MOD, so you have to convert it. Now, I am not super techno savvy but I am not a dolt either, and I had a good deal of trouble managing this. Then if you want to add music or anything the software bundle that they include is truly pathetic. And then it is nearly impossible to take what you have made and play it on anything else. Do not buy this camera unless you know exactly what and how to do things. Look for a more layman-friendly product.

Summary: Small, Portable, Great If You Accept The Limitations

Comment: It does have excellent video quality - without the hassles transfering video that I've seen on my older dvdcam (card reader = video download)

It doesn't shoot the quality of photos that my old Lumix will. Great for snapshots when you just need a portable camera and camcorder and just don't feel like packing two.

Low light conditions have limitations, but similar to regular camcorders in darkness of video.

No mount for external camcorder light.

Very small, fits the hand better than the MC100 by JVC.

Similar in size to JVCs hard drive only camcorders, but you can access video and photos without connecting to this camcorder (by removing the CF and SD cards).

Summary: to small

Comment: it's just to small. good video and small camera do not go hand in hand.

Summary: Please be accurate with you information on the GZ-MC200

Comment: This is a great camcorder. Ray Price is incorrect on the 4 gig limit as I am running a high speed 8 gig cf card and it works fine. I get 2 hours 9 minutes out of the card on ultra fine and about 30% less battery drain than the micro drive. I really like this camcorder.

Summary: Excellent! More than pleased... and still just as good as the newer, more expensive larger-capacity JVC models.

Comment: Of course you've already read the con's about low light performance, but you can fix this by setting the "M" mode (manual) to "Cloudy" and selecting 1/30-1/60th shutter speed. I use 1/30th - and it's works like a charm.

Honestly, anyone who complains about low-light problems must be referring to shooting in near total darkness because with 1 20 watt bulb in the room, the lighting is sufficient.

It's true it gets warm... but so does my PocketPC when it's writing to its media card or when it's processing a large application continuously. That's to be expected. If you're going to be shooting something long (like a wedding) then it might be a problem -- but for the average 10-30 minute shooting, it's not a problem at all.

The video quality is EXCEPTIONAL, DVD-quality video. You'll be amazed that, despite the size of this camcorder (it literally does fit in the palm of your hand... 3 1/2 inches in length... tiny), it really produces exceptionally clear footage that you wouldn't expect from such a tiny camera! All in all, an excellent unit eventhough JVC has come out with 40 GB camcorders now for $300 more. Why bother? Just get this cheaper camera and a few extra microdrives or SD cards (they're not THAT expensive like people are saying... prices have really dropped on media). You'll have the peace of mind of knowing that you're not keeping all of your video footage in "one basket" -- and you can spread out your footage. A superb camcorder (and an excellent 2 megapixel camera, too!)