We are happy with our new Panasonic camcorder. We only used it a couple of times over Christmas but were happy with the image quality. After looking at various models in the store, we realized we needed a joystick that apparently only Panasonic uses. Nothing is easier than navigating and selecting options and functions. Image stabilization works well and the image looks good even at 10x zoom. As many reviews say, you lose image quality in very low light, but we've found that to be the case with many of our friends' cameras. We need to upgrade our computer's drive to read the mini DVD-R, so I can't comment on the software yet. But we love the menu function on playback, no fast forward or rewind, just record, finalize, pop in the DVD player and choose which scene you want to watch, it's very easy. For us, the simplicity and the need not to convert from tape every time justifies the price of the mini-DVD and the short recording time (about 20 minutes per disc). So far we are very happy with the camera.