Customer Rating: 
Summary: Gorgeous Video, Shammy Service
Comment: Initially, I loved this camera.
Pros:
EXCELLENT video quality. Absolutely stunning imagery.
Great zoom-in for extreme close-ups.
Long-lasting battery that charges quickly.
LCD screen is good quality.
BUT it died within a year of purchase, inconveniently AFTER the manufacturer's warranty expired. After the first ninety days, the camera stopped recording on DVD-RW (even the more expensive ones made specifically by Sony), bringing up an error message that said the disc was dirty or corrupted, even if the disc was brand-new out of package. A few months after that, it would not record on ANY type of disc and refused to even play back the ones that had already been recorded.
Worst of all, because I did not purchase any extended warranty, Sony has a flat-rate repair policy that would be 211.00 specifically for this model, REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. It doesn't matter if they just had to blow air in around the lens, I would still have to pay nearly two-thirds of the purchase price to fix it.
My advice:
If you're adamant about buying a camcorder that records onto DVDs, regardless of which brand you decide on, purchase an extended warranty plan.
If you don't really care what your camcorder stores your memories on, go for something that doesn't rely on laser capability which is more pricey to repair (or they'll pretend it is and jag up prices for it).
