Pros
Quality is excellent in lighted areas
Quantity is excellent with 8GB memory card
Sound is excellent too - Recorded sound sometimes buzzes, but possibly highly sensitive
Easy to switch from - video to photo to play to sound recorder (Mode) - probably never use sound recorder by itself
Easy to remove media through automatic computer recognition (Vista) without having to remove memory card
Lightweight, with carrying bag
Lots of Menu options, including capability of changing picture sizes (5 options) and video sizes (3 options)
Cons
Extremely poor videos/pictures in low light areas even with flash
No eye viewer, except screen
Uses akaline AA batteries (don't last), but purchased rechargeable batteries
Prefer case, instead of carrying bag (my preference)
Battery plate cover appears slightly fragile
No software/only decoder (HD-DV Decoder/renders OK) - not sure if this is standard
Definitely lacks some type of editing/burning software
Video in MP4 (MPEG-4), which is not shareable with others unless burned on DVD or converted - not sure if this is standard
Overall: I plan on experimenting further as this is my very first camcorder and I am very satisfied with purchase price