This camera has been in my eye for roughly 3 years now and now that it is finally in my possession, I could not be more pleased. As the previous owner of a Canon Optura 300, I had been craving a more professional camera for a very long time. My Canon, while being possibly one of the best 1-chip camera I have ever used, was far too small for what I needed to accomplish with it. I craved for more manual control, an easier layout, a more stable camera, and full and in-depth control over white balance and focus. The VX2100 fulfilled all these requirements spectacularly. I use this camera primarily for filming skateboarding and snowboarding videos and short films and it is seemingly tailor made to suit the needs of those who documents these sports. Here is a short synopsis of what makes each of the features on this camera so fantastic.
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br /Layout: This camera has a great layout. From the zoom and focusing ring near the front of the camera to the record button and zoom rocker on the handle, to the dedicated Audio and White Balance buttons on the back, everything is easy to find, well labeled, and intuitive in its placement.
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br /Manual Control: This camera has some of the most indepth manual features of nearly any prosumer camera on the market today. As I stated before, this camera is mostly button instead of menu driven, it saves so much time when you're at a spot and you only have about 5 minutes to get the shot, you just hit the dedicated white balance button and !voila!, vibrant and accurate color reproduction at the touch of a button. The focus and zoom both give the right amount of resistance when turning, making it easy to get the exact focus and zoom that you want. The color shift feature is also very useful, allowing you to change the camera's settings so the CCDs pick up all the colors perfectly (the VX2100 is notorious for having a colder, more bluish picture compared to the VX1000). The integrated Neutral Density filter is quite useful on those really bright days when glare is overwhelmingly present and distracting. Overall, this camera is incredibly in depth in the sheer choices you can make to tweak the picture just right.
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br /Maneuverability: This camera is just the right size when it comes to handheld filming. Most of the weight of the camera is towards the front, but is perfectly balanced from the top handle. The camera is also not too long, allowing you to get closer to the subject when using a fisheye and allowing you to manipulate the camera in tight quarters.
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br /Overall, this prosumer camcorder is another winner for Sony and should be seriously considered by anyone who is either an aspiring filmmaker, or is looking to buy a top class camcorder. An excellent buy!
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UPDATE. 3-3-8. I used this camcorder to film myself making a house painting video. It has been selling on Amazon for over 10 months now. Check out house painting dvd's in the search bar from the DVD section and click on Weekend Painter's DVD! Or see a short clip at weekendpaintersdvd.com! This is the reason I bought this in the first place and it worked like the champ it is! Still going strong, but now I use for weekend trips to the mountains and beach, and so forth. Always pleased when I come home and plug it in to watch the footage!
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br /Original review starts here: SO MUCH PRAISE ALREADY...WHERE DO I BEGIN?
br /Well this is simply the best camcorder I've ever owned or used. At this level I've used the GL2 in the past. But I bought the VX2100.
br /I took some footage of a lake recently and thought I was looking at film when I played it back on my HDTV. The color was beautiful and natural looking! One rule. The better the lighting the better the picture!
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br / My first camcorder was a JVC in 87' VHS-C that was just about the same size as this camcorder now. But me-o-my, what a difference digital makes!!
br /I dig the iLink from my camcorder to my PC and TV and my DVD recorder. ilink can run the show!
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br /Many manual features that lets a dude take control and play around when he has to and wants too! On screen menu really simple and the manual for this is well written and straight forward. But I must admit that some of the dubbing info is over my head at present as well as using memory chip tapes. But I'll get there.
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br /12X zoom could be more but it can also be plenty! Stabilization works fine for my needs, but alot of what I shoot is tripod mounted! "Put it on the TRIPOD" {what movie was that from?} ha ha.
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br /The 2 1/2" LCD is a bit small, works fine, but I find myself gravitating to the eyepiece. It's quicker to use and saves battery life. But the LCD is great to turn 180 degrees to shoot yourself with {ha} and use the remote with!
br /You might want to buy the Sony 970 battery. Don't waste or risk on other brands, this one battery I used for 6 hrs straight doing an interview and it still had life in it!! The one that come with it is of course a small battery that lasts about 2 1/2 hrs. Thats rec. play-back, stand-by etc etc. Just these two batteries is all I need!!!!!!
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br /Also I added a wide angle lense. The Canon 58m wide anlge works fine with this unit.
br /Some lighting too; How about Smith Victor 2 umbrella 250 watts lights. Makes indoor shooting look like a TV show!
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br /Lastly a mic. Depending on your use, you might want a shotgun mic for outdoors, or a lav mic indoors. The on camera mic is for people speaking rather close.
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br /All in all I couldn't be happier that I bought "this" camcorder. I read and looked around quite awhile before I bought. I think I have more Sony products in my house than any other and this is now no exception! Lights, camera, action!
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This camera is easy to use and makes a good quality recording. Since it is an upper end product, it does have a longer learning curve than more simple models but the effort is worth it for the added features. There are, however, a few quirks which could have been fixed to make this a much more usable piece of equipment.
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br /The provided microphone jack is an 1/8" stereo. In my camera, at least, it is not mounted very securely. When I have an external mike connected, I had to be very careful to make sure that nothing touched it, otherwise, the sound would drop off. A friend with some tools and expertise fixed this problem but it should never have happened.
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br /The master switch moves from off to VCR mode (up one), record to tape mode (down one) or record to stick mode (down two). It is intuitive but very easy to overshoot the mark. This can be frustrating and I cannot help but believe there is a better design that could be used.
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br /The "VCR" controls are located on the top surface of the camera. They are intuitive and employ commonly used symbols. They are also backlit and impossible to discern in sunshine. You can see the symbols but there is no way to tell which, if any, of the functions are selected. It is still usable but it is a pain in the backside.
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br /There are a multitude of things that could be done to make the interface on this camera easier to use but it is usable as it is now.
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This camera is fierce competition for Canon's XL1S. It has the features you need, the Sony name, and flawless transfer. WARNING!: This is NOT for the amateur home videoer. The parameters are begging to be tweaked - just for fun. Settle for a Handycam if you're just filming Billy's soccer game. This one right here is made to be USED. Good for media students, career filmers/editors, and anyone who wants to REALLY have some interesting fun...Sony doesn't disappoint on this one.

Alright there is so much to say about a camera like this but I'm gonna make it short for sure.

I've had mine for a couple of months now and I still haven't learned how to use all of its functions. But, in the case of this camera, its a good thing. The camera has sooo many functions its overwhelming at some moments. But slowly I'm picking them up.

I just used this camera as one of two cameras used for a short film and it seriously came through. The footage it takes in the HD mode is insanely perfect. The zoom is smooth when using the zoom ring on the end of the camera. I'm told that its an issue that the lens' aren't fully interchangeable, but the 20x Zoom is plenty powerful for most needs.

One of the best parts is the stabilizer. The shots come out like you are using a tripod. It works amazingly well. Even better than the stabilizers on any of my Cannon Lens' I use for my still cameras. Simply amazing.

I invested in a nice tripod that has a smooth operation and the 12 hour battery. You must get this battery. I use my camera all day and its great to never worry about power running out. Its even more necessary if you're using a light source connected to camera power.

Taking that footage and transferring it over to your software (I used Studio 11 By Pinnacle) is pretty straight forward. You have plenty of methods of transfer as well. I chose to use HDMI cables and it always works out perfectly.

Would I buy it again if I had to do it all over again? I gotta say I probably would. The only really bad thing about the camera is.... what I paid for it. Wow, I definitely was feeling a little tight in the chest as I drove it home.

I work in TV production and I bought this model to have an everyday camera at hand to record not only things related to my job, but also personal stuff. It is quite easy to use, has great quality and with extremely easy connectability to my Sony VAIO, absolutely fantastic to allow me to digitize my video , edit it and end up with good to very good end products.

I purchased this camera to use with my previous church's media ministry, based on my trial use of the VX2000. That was three years ago. This camera is STILL running as well as it did when I bought it. I use it upwards of 3 times a week to create content for web and DVD production, plus, I get great digital audio recordings when I plug directly into my current church's sound system. The ability to tweak audio and video input on the fly is incredible. Now that I am creating a multimedia team for our church, I've convinced the church to buy one for themselves.

This camera is excellent! I used something very similar as a Videographer at the local TV station. This camera to me is just as nice as the $40,000 DVC Pro camera!! Great quality picture, excellent for Johnny's Soccer games! Has a built in digital stabilizer for those with shaky hands. Overall the best small camera I have EVER USED!!!

I love this camcorder!
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br /It is fantastic in low light, and good lighting too. I was torn between this and the new HiDef camcorders out right now and chose this one mainly because of the low light ability. I have not been disappointed at all. There are numerous manual controls to tweak to any shooting condition. Almost all have separate buttons dedicated to perform then individual functions. It balances very well, and while it is heavier than the small cameras it really does not feel that way after a short time using it.
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br /I would buy this again
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I bought this to replace my defunkt Canon GL2 (tape drive mechanism failure - check the web for tons of dissatisfied Canon customers). I still had a bunch of mini-DV tapes to capture into my PC and wasn't ready to step up to an HD camcorder, so this was the nearest I could come to the quality I had grown to expect from my Canon GL2.
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br /The quality of the video this camera takes is fabulous and it's very easy to use. If you had a previous edition Sony camcorder, you'd be able to use this without so much as a look at the owner's manual.
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br /The only complaint I have with the Sony is that the still pictures it is capable of taking (rapidly too I might add!), are just not in a high enough resolution to make them suitable for much beyond supplementing your video clips. Perhaps there's enough resolution there for a 4x6 print, but not much more. Too bad... It would have been nice to park my Nikon at home and have this be my work horse. Perhaps the HD camcorders improve upon this feature. In a couple of years, I'll check it out.
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br /As an aside, the GL2 wasn't the only Canon camcorder I've had that died. Given their miserable track record for longevity, I will NEVER buy another Canon product.
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br /And a caveat. Buy a Mini-DV VCR to do the post filming grunt work. The camera manufactures would have you believe that you can do fancy editing work on there units. Once a camera's drive mechanism fails, the repair costs are staggering. So shoot your video with the camera, then rewind, capture and/or edit your film with a Mini-DV deck.

I did type out a lengthy review, and it was a very encompassing one, but somehow it disappeared because of a button on my mouse. Needless to say I am just going to sum up what it said, and know I did have a long review for you, but alas it was not meant to be.
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br /One of the better prosumer cameras out there, and one of the better documented low light performing cameras. It beats the XL-2 and DVX100b in that regard. If you are looking for a professional quality camcorder than look no further, this is a fantastic 3CCD camera for all your shooting needs. The only drawback is that it doesn't have 24p capabilities or HD, but since there are a plethora of HD cameras out there now, well then for that you could go look elsewhere. If 24p and HD is not on your list of wants, this is one of the better MiniDV camcorders on the market, that will last and keep lasting while giving you a superior shooting quality day in and day out.
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br /This and an editing program will get to places you've always wanted to go to in the world of shooting, be it high quality family videos, weddings, short films, and feature length amateur films. It's paucity of functions make it easy for anyone to pick this up and learn how to use. It is actually a very easy camera to learn to function and use for the beginner and as such anyone could pick this up and start with their prosumer shooting right away.

I've had one of these for 4 years. It's received fairly heavy use over that time with NO problems. Great in low or limited light-use situations. With a little practice, the manual controls are easy to reach and work very well. I've checked out the HD upgrades to this camera, and they really don't compare - yet. I love how good the footage looks in low- or poorly lit situations. (Sometimes you can't set up in your lights, especially when the CEO of a corporation only has 5 minutes to spare for a shoot, and it HAS to be in his/her office. If you don't need an HD camera, this little guy will serve you well. Why only 4 stars? The mic input is an 1/8' plug (which isn't a horrible work-around is you use high-quality mics) The placement of this jack isn't too good, and I've pulled the mic cord out by accident a time or two. Keep your heads clean and always monitor your audio with headphones. I also recommend a hard-shell case. I hope Sony will make a HD camera as good as this one soon.

I had a really hard time deciding between this camera and the Panasonic DVX-100. The panasonic was more expensive, but this had great low-light performance. All in all, this is a great camera. It has AMAZING low-light performance, I use it mainly for recording onstage performances in dark theaters. I have never had a problem with it as of yet.
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br /A few complaints are that it does not include XLR inputs. Some of the controls and functions are very consumer oriented as well. The focus/zoom rings on the lense are not as accurate as I'd hoped, as I believe they are not 'manually' linked to the focus/zoom, they are a digital translation...(Could be wrong on this).
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br /Picture quality is great for a standard-def camera. At the time, I could't afford to go hi-def. I think my next camera is going to be high-def, and I'm going to get a panasonic. For this price range, it is a top contender, but if you don't need regular low-light performance, then go with the panasonics.
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br /Cheers.

I recently opened my own professional wedding videography business, and after doing a lot of research decided on buying a pair of these cameras. I have never been so happy with an investment as I have with these cameras. They have all the features you could want in a camera: auto or manual controls for things like zoom, focus, exposure, shutter speed, etc, GREAT low-light sensitivity, high-quality mic, ports to plug in an additional mic, smart accessory shoe for additional lights or mics, LCD or viewfinder display, light filters, lens hood - it's great. Some of my favorite features are the light filters and the manual focus ring. The light filter will tell you if there's too much light coming in the lens (washing your picture out) and will tell you which filter to turn on. The manual focus ring is located right beside the manual zoom ring, and allows you to change your field of focus on the fly - great for getting some artistic shots.
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br /Bottom line - it's worth the price. Get this camera!

This is my first 3 chip camera and probably my top choice for years to come. Great quality in video and audio.

Purchase new VX-2100 in September 2008 did so based on the fact I have had a Sony VX-2000 for 5 years. The VX-2000 has a clear eye viewer and the VX-2100 reminds me of looking through a plastic toy microscope. Still has all the good quality of VX-2000 but, a very cheap eye piece.