We have not used this camcorder for video recordings, hence 4 instead of 5 stars. However, we used it to transfer videos from old cassettes to DVD. We used to have the same video camera, but it didn't work anymore. Paying someone to transfer our old tapes to DVDs was very expensive, so buying another Handycam to do the transfer yourself was the more economical option. It's perfect for that purpose so we're very glad we bought it.