This camera is good at what it does. This isn't a $400 camcorder that shoots flawless movies. This is a great little camcorder, small enough to take with you and use. I had other video cameras and they were often left at home. This is with me everywhere. The sound is very good. I use it at music events and am very happy with it. The 10x optical zoom is more than adequate for most situations. The only drawback is the included software. I don't like it very much. Just change the file from .mod to .mpg and you can use Movie Maker. Or you can explore the included software. If you don't know how to change the file from mod to mpg, ask your kid what I did.