The other two candidates were the Panasonic DV953 and the Sony TRV950.

To help me choose, I took a crash-course in MiniDV cams (by reading the reviews) and found that most of them kept harping on things that I didn't care about. Things like bottom-loading the tapes vs top-loading; Single CCD vs 3 CCD; the number of shutter speeds. Jeez, 99.9% of people aren't going to pass up a good camera because they need to remove it from the tripod to change a tape, but these folks make it sound like a show-stopper.

I bought the PC330 over the other two for simple reasons:

1) My wife wants very few buttons to have to worry abouy. With this camera, you point and shoot; most of the functions are hidden in the touch screen menus that you rarely have to use.

2) The stills are actually better than my 3.2 megapixel Fuji A303.

3) It felt comfortable to use - much smaller than the other two cameras.

I believe the cons to this camera that will affect most users are:

1) The akward placement of the still button. You really have to bend your index finger into a strange position to use it. The zoom control is placed as the natural landing spot for your index finger.

2) The microphone is located behind the hot-shoe. This is only a problem if you plug something into the shoe - the mic is essentially blocked from your subject.

3) The flash doesn't pop out far enough to clear most add-on lenses. If you attach a wide-angle or zoom lens, you will see a significant shadow of it in still pictures that use the flash. This is certainly not a critical flaw, but annoying.

4) This is probably only a problem for newbies to Sony camcorders, but the zoom control at your index finger is just about the same size as the mode/power switch at your thumb. I don't know how many times I've intended on zooming by moving my thumb -- which causes the camera to switch modes. I chalk this one up to user unfamiliarity; all of my friends with Sony's had the same problem at first.

I bought some nice accessories and found one very valuable. The HVL-IRH2 IR/Video light. This plugs into the hot shoe and provides a 3 Watt video light AND a great IR light for shooting in total darkness in a small all-in-one unit. It uses the battery power from the camera, which drains it FAST, but it also means it doesn't need its own heavy battery. We use this to record our kids sleeping; the IR produces no visible light in the room. Keep in mind, the video will look like a nighttime Baghdad bombing (green), but it's not very grainy at all.

Exterior - With the vertical orientation of the body and the smaller thickness, this camera will fit well in your palm. The main controls are positioned comfortably where your fingers will most naturally fall. The design allows for basic operation without jostling the camera. As I primarily work in filming live band performances in local clubs, this unit allows me to shoot a high-quality product and not disturb those around me, as most are never aware that I am recording. The only drawback is that the infra-red controls are a switch on the case, as opposed to an internal menu. On more than one occasion I have accidentally turned on the night mode.

Lens - The lens is very sharp and distortion-free. Its size of 37mm is a standard size, and I have been able to purchase several lenses and filters without requiring any adapters or step-up/down rings.

Lighting - As per Sony's reputation for low-light shooting, this camera does not disappoint. Besides requiring only 7 lux for standard shooting, it offers a NightShot (infra red) and a Color Slow Shutter, which preserves bright colors in super-low lighting.

Auto-Features - The auto-exposure and auto-focus are very responsive, except in cases of two rapid changes in light, like a camera flash, for instance. This is where I find the only weakness in this unit. The manual focus ring, while great in concept, does not actually operate on a wide range, so it is only for fine tuning, not necessarily artistic alterations. However, the touch-panel screen does have a Spot-Focus feature, which when used correctly can simulate camera movement.

LCD Screen - The image produced on the LCD screen is quite sharp and a very accurate representation of what is being recorded. It also has a switch for the backlight to save battery power when it is not required while viewing the LCD undera a bright sun. A characteristic that sets this camera apart from most is that the LCD Screen is also a touch-panel for access to the options menus. At first I was hesiatant about this feature, but I have found it to be a favorite part of mine. In low lighting situations, I no longer have to remember where specific buttons are, as the menus are well-illuminated. The panel requires very little pressure, so I can operate it without shaking the camera. And, to top it off, it allows custom menus, so that I set up my most-used options on the first screen. Generally I can change the settings to what I want with only two quick taps on the screen.

Accessory Shoe - The Intelligent Accessory show can connect to and electronically control, and supply power to flashes and micrphones.

Power - The supplied battery will run for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at maximum consumption, the long life will generally provide 7-8 hours.

Progressive Recording - This feature is designed for those who wish to extract still images from video. It records at half the frame rate, but produces a clearer image, without the herring-bone effect of motion in the normal digital frames.

I have had this camera for four months now, and have found only a couple of minor imperfections which do not amount to much when compared to the rest of the DCR-PC330. I highly recommend this unit to anyone and everyone who can afford it. You will not be disappointed.

pros:
- all those megapixels are put to good use - this camcorder produces excellent video.
- a whopping 3MP still capability.
- best still pics from a camcorder to date.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- carl zeiss lens.
- steady shot (sony's image stabilization system - and it works!) and night shot.
- built in pop-up flash for taking photos.
- hologram AF system, which allows you to focus in pitch darkness (still pictures only).
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.
- progressive shutter system.
- supports Memory Stick Pro cards, which have a maximum capacity of 1GB.
- supports add-on lenses.
- accessory hot shoe is compatible with sony's external flashes and other accessories.
- very low motor noise.
- compact for the features: 2.4 x 4.8 x 4.5" weighing 1.3lbs.

cons:
- disappointing low-light performance.
- 2.5" LCD - it would have been nice to get a bigger 3.5" LCD.
- no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- viewfinder extends but does not tilt.
- mic placement is on top of camcorder (same as most vertical camcorders) which means it picks up the videographer's voice more readily.
- higher capacity batteries are bigger than what was supplied and WILL protrude sideways from this camcorder's body, making holding this unit a bit awkward.
- bottom-loading cassette mechanism - you will have to remove the camcorder from the tripod when it's time to load a new tape.
- very easy to cover the IR emitter on the front of the camera so watch those fingers.
- as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
- the included 16MB memory stick is a throwaway. be prepared to shell out more money for more memory.

this camcorder's target are those of us who want one device for both video and still pics, and have the money to spend. the video part is covered very well by the pc-330 but still pics will still fall short of a decent 2MP-3MP dedicated digital camera. although bundling the camcorder and still camera together means you only have to carry one piece of equipment, it also means that if one breaks, you have to replace both.

if bundling a camcorder and a still camera in one device is critical for you, the pc-330 certainly fits the bill. i would also recommend checking out the panasonic dv-953 (3CCDs and less expensive than the pc-330).

as an alternate to this bundling strategy, you can get a lesser camcorder (say a panasonic gs70 or sony trv33 or sony pc-105) and a canon a70 still camera and actually spend less than if you bought the pc-330.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

(1) You will almost certainly need an additional, higher capacity battery right off the bat; the battery provided is almost totally inadequate. For most users this means the NP-QM71D (which will set you back an additional $100) , and the companion charger (the AC-SQ950, for an additional $150); the latter is essential unless you can afford to wait almost 2.5 hours for a recharge (the AC-SQ950 manages in under an hour). Moreover, all of the batteries with decent capacity will protrude sideways from the camera body (on the LCD side). This has little effect in use (aside from looking quite silly with some of the larger batteries) bit does make the camera considerably harder to carry around and "bag".

(2) Don't be fooled by the talk about MPEG and the ability to capture to a potentially very long movies to high-capacity Memory Stick cards. The maximum MPEG resolution supported by this camera is 320x240, which is worse than you get with decent still cameras (like Sony's own DSC-V1), and certainly not what you should expect from a camera with this price tag. So if you are shooting video, you are shooting to tape, period!

(3) 3 Megapixel still capability is great and adds a real convenience: you can get by with one camera on days when you want to shoot some video without completely giving up the option of taking a few stills. But beware: the quality of the images is not up to that from far less expensive digital still cameras and nowhere near what less expensive and very compact still cameras can provide. Moreover, you will need to throw away the low-capacity Memory Stick and replace it with something bigger.

(4) As always, the provided software us useless. This camera works fine with Windows Movie Maker 2 and Adobe Premier Pro. Stick with those. The former is free (with Windows XP) and does 90% of what most users will need; the latter costs a fortune, but does everything. Images are just JPEGs and can be handled with whatever you currently use.

Bottom line: if you are looking for an excellent compact high-quality easy to use DV camera that gives the limited option of shooting a few decent-quality still images as well this is camera is for you -- provided you are prepared to shell out almost $2,000 for the full kit (camera, extra batteries, and larger Memory Stick).