Sony DCR-DVD610 DVD Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

I hate this camera. When I use it in direct sunlight I cannot see anything in the viewfinder because of the glare. Is this a fluke or are they all like this? Would love to hear if others have this same problem. Best Buy will not take it back (thank you, customer no service), so I'd love to know if this is something Sony needs to fix.

This is a great camcorder. It's affordable, produces good video quality, NEAT nightshot mode, and zooms in very far.

There are no cons, it's just a great camcorder.

With every Sony product that I buy my satisfaction of their quality gets better and better. Their quality is really unbeatable. Their products are usually slightly more expensive than other brands, but trust me it's worth it. (my Sony tv is almost 10 years old and works like it's brand new, it's held up fantastically)

Gave this camera as a wedding gift to a couple and the said that they love it.

I am enjoying this camcorder. I am still learning how to use some of the many features. I got this just a few days before I took a trip. I bought an extra battery and charger to always be ready for what I want to do.
I am very pleased. This is the first time I have had a camcorder.

I've never owned my own camcorder before, but THIS great device was TERRIFIC to start off with! My boyfriend kept saying, "I know you want a hard-drive camcorder, but this dvd one will be great for just recording small moments at the parties we go to -- It will help you get the hang of using video cameras before you move on to the higher-priced stuff."

I agree!

The camcorder comes with a "Tutorial Video Shooting" DVD that walks you through how to get the most out of your camera. It's pretty cheesey (especially the English version, wow), but whatever. :P I'm guessing it's translated from a different language? Haha.

Anyway, the zoom on this is AMAZING. It's like I can get MACRO shots while standing across the room!! Wow, right?! That was some high quality chin stubble (from the test shots I took, lol!).

It's always good to get a few starter mini-dvd's, just so you have more room to play around. That way, when you mess one up, you won't feel bad!

The camera is super-light, by the way. I only way 95lbs, and I'm definitely NOT athletic. But this was incredibly easy to operate! I wanted to get something small and portable, so this is definitely a great option for me.

Oh, and the "night-shot plus" mode is awesome! It takes good low-light shots with the normal settings, but you can set your camera to brighten up the shot with the touch of a button, or switch the "night shot plus" mode on! It takes video in ABSOLUTE DARKNESS. It's like NIGHT mode. It's intense. I turned off all of my lights and tested it out (complete darkness), and it lit everything up like magic! It doesn't use an actual LIGHT, so you can definitely creep around in the dark and test it out. LOL.

You can film your FRIENDS in the dark. Haha.
I definitely wanna' use this at parties!

Right now, I'm looking into getting the starter kit on Amazon (it comes with a battery, a carrying case, a DVD+RW and DVD-R disc-set. The battery alone costs over $50, so the prices you can get through Amazon are amazing! I'll need a tripod too (which I'm also working on getting!).

I suggest picking up these items as well as a wall-charger for your battery (just in case you plan to go out and need to charge your extras!). :D

Thanks Sony for making such great products!