You get what you pay for-and a whole lot more!

I purchased the Sony CCD-TRV37 to make skate videos and other interesting things. The market for "cheap" (under $500) Camcorders is HUGE. Start looking, like I did, and you will be overwhelmed by thousands of models from many different manufactures. The two competitors for my money were a JVC VHS-C model and a Sony 8mm 'cam. I liked the JCV for it's ability to play the tapes in the VCR, but that was the only outstanding feature; the price was identical to the Sony. So the Sony went home with me.

Right out of the box the Sony is great. It's fairly small, looks cool and has great features. The lens cap slides into the casing, so you cant lose it, and there are many features usually reserved for more expensive cameras. It has "Nighshot" which enables you to film in darkness or low light. You can add titles and fade effects right from the camera.

One thing I always look for is comfort and ease of use. Even if you are a uber-nerd, you still don't want to fumble for a button or dial. Everything is easily accesible, though a bit tight.

Quality is good and the transfer to a VHS tape wasn't the ordeal I thought it wwould be, especially with the included RCA cables.

I take this camera everywhere and would recommend it to anyone looking for an entry level camcorder. The only thing that would be nice is image stablization, but for the price, I guess that's asking alot.