Sony Handycam DCR SR42E

Small and attractive design, 30GB hard drive, very user-friendly, 40x optical zoom

Only 0.68 megapixels, camera is too light, poor stills mode

If you are willing to forgive the sub par visuals, the DCR-SR42E is a pretty decent camera; especially for inexperienced users. However, there are plenty of similarly priced non-HDD cameras on the market that will give you a superior performance.

Powerful zoom, Touch screen eases menu navigation

Lacks white balance calibration, Low-quality still images

Though the DCR-SR42 may seem pricey, its powerful telephoto lens and simple operation make it attractive for informal videography

2.5 inch touch screen, HD recording on Hard disk.

Video quality might disappoint

Newegg Price; Easy to use, great beginner camera (even my tech-challenged wife could use it immediately); 30GB allows you to shoot way too much video and worry about editing it later; Simple and fast file transfer. I'd be hard-pressed to suggest a...

Seems nitpicky for the price, but the microphone could use a wind-sock, or at least add a jack to allow addition of an external mic. I had pretty low expectations for free editing software, and was not surprised when it didn't exceed them

easy to use..nice menu and the quailty is good for the newegg price

no good editing software,could be a little smaller

Compact and light weight. User friendly for amateurs. Easy directions to operate. Less than 2 hours to completely charge. Very easy to transfer files

Short battery life

This camcorder is great. The price is also great. The zoom function (optical - 40x) is awesome. I just took it up to our friends cabin and had a good time recording with it. I don't know what the person before was saying about the editing, but I can...

I wish it would start up faster (takes about 6 seconds). I know that sounds short, but if something would need to be recorder immediately

Ease of use, fast transfer of files

I've had a number of camcorders over the years, my last was a Sony mini dv. I do a lot of filming with a bit of editing and post a lot to youtube. I was not able to edit the Sony video files as I've always done with little to no problem with standard...

You can't record over anything. Videos are easy to find (organized by date).

The 1-2 second blurs that occur as frequently as every few seconds.

Easy to use. Very compact.

Docking station could be improved.