Good Camera for Average user

Author's Rating:

Pros: Inexpensive for a DV camcorder. Easy to use.

Cons: Grainy in indoor, low light conditions...but this is not a showstopper.

Author's Review
With our first kid on the way, I figured it was time to pony up the loot to purchase a video camera. After researching VHS-C, Hi 8, and Mini DV on howstuffworks.com I settled on Mini-DV. From here, I decided to purchase the most inexpensive unit I could find at a brick and mortar store. With the current sales and rebates the SC-D103 was a good deal at just over $300.

At first, I thought that the low-light indoor recording was a little grainy. My wife and I almost returned this camera thinking that for 300 bucks it should really "shine your shoes" for you.

I talked to a friend who worked at a major camera retailer for a few years and he told me that all of the cameras are going to get grainy like this in low light indoor conditions. So long as it has 0-lux, it should be fine. the D103 does have 0-lux.

My son is now a month old, I've shot a ton of footage with this product and everyone in the family is pleased. Overall it is a good camera for the money.