Sharp VL-Z5U

The camera speaks for it self. Competitively priced with its sleek design makes for a worthy opponent for the higher priced units. Great camera for recording under poor lighting conditions (gain-up feature). I originally purchased the Canon ZR65MC Mini DV convinced that the more you pay the better the camera. Shortly after performing test recording under low lighting conditions, shots of my wife cooking and my children playing I honestly concluded the cannon sucked. I have purchased several camcorders and experimented with them all. I love this Sharp for its performance under low lighting conditions and the sound quality is truly superior.

Sexy sleek design, great recordings under low lighting conditions, superior sound recordings, Inexpensive.

Canon ZR65MC Mini DV, Sony DCR-TRV250 Handycam

Lacks features. Menu learning curve of about 45min.