Low Light Ability: The ability to take home movies both indoors and out, in all sorts of lighting, was among the most important criteria for me...and this is where the HC96 tremendously outshines others in this price range.
Ease of Use: Not much is easier than pressing the "easy" button, and the results are still great. Simple for the whole family to use without having to read a manual. Again, best in this price range.
Video Quality: Great results, with a picture that seems as good as the 3CCD camcorders out there. Competitive with best in this price range.
Size: I personally like the size, able to be held and operated comfortably with one hand, small but not too small, and buttons are in logical positions (I didn’t like the button placement on the last version of this camcorder, the HC90..again personal preference...my suggestion is to go to a store and try them out before buying).
DV Tape: I realize that this is "old camcorder technology", but it takes great quality footage...and can be edited easily on PC or Mac... which is why I stayed away from DVD camcorders.
Why you may not:
Manual Control: It has some, but most is imbedded in touchscreen menus. If you are a manual video control freak, this is not the best option compared to others I tested in this price range.
Size: The camcorder actually got a little bigger from the HC90 I tried (nothing significant). While I consider it small and portable for what it does, others may want a smaller "matchbook style" camcorder that increases portability further. I couldn’t hold the matchbook style options with any comfort.
Media type: Some people may not want to tinker with their recorded footage. If this is the case, I’d just go with a DVD camcorder in this price range with a similar 1/3 size CCD (larger is better for low light ability). As for the hard disk options I looked it.. personally, the video quality was not in the same league as Mini DV and DVD footage.
Handycam station: It’s an addition to last year’s model, and I don’t like it. To me, it’s another extra component to carry, store, and keep track of. I’d rather have the connections directly on the camcorder. Some, though, may prefer the station approach (hook it up once, then just set the camcorder into it to connect to PC or Mac...P.S. it works seemlessly with Mac OSX 10.3 and IMovie HD)
Conclusion:
This camcorder is for point and shooters who want to computer edit great quality footage. If you are willing to spend the extra for a larger CCD to get the low light and video quality, this is the camcorder of choice. Serious hobby shooters and artists may want to stay away...they should opt for something else for the controls they’ll need.
Happy reading..........................