Review on Sony HDR-CX100 HD Camcorder, AVCHD Format, 10x Optical Zoom, Smile Shutter, Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer) by Black Miller

I have nothing to add to what other reviews have said except that the image quality degrades rapidly as the light level decreases. In good light, the picture is stunning (played back on a 50-inch Sony HDTV), but in low-light conditions it can be just as shockingly awful. My best advice is to turn on all the lights in the room and surrounding rooms. If this does not help, increase the power of the lamps. My reference point for low light performance is Sony's 2002 Mini DV camera, which was pretty good in low light - even better than the CX100. Battery life with the included battery is pretty poor. Got a larger capacity Lenmar from Revain and it works great. Get a 16G MS Pro Duo while you're at it. I gave one star for ease of use because even after 4 months of heavy use I still find this camera's menus awful. I've only had Sony cameras so far, so I'm not a beginner. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time, but if you have a PS3 there's one great thing: just burn a data disc with .MTS video files from your camcorder and load it into your PS3 to play them. Just great. Overall, this is a great camcorder, and the low-light performance is the only issue that sometimes makes me wonder if I should have spent the extra money on the CX500. Now that the CX500's price has dropped well below its suggested retail price, I'd probably go ahead and spend the money on an upgrade. Buying a 16G MS brings the price much closer to the CX500, as it has 32GB of onboard storage and an illuminated Exmor-R sensor that greatly improves low-light performance.