I have been using Digital-8, and I wanted a new mini-DV, but this year (2004) Sony decreased the chip (imaging sensor) size to 1/6" in the mini dv tape models. First reviews from camcorderinfo.com are not enthusiastic (smaller chip, higher noise in the image, degraded low light performance and some color saturation issues) this packing more pixels into a smaller die size problems are true in digital cameras (the smaller more dense sony 8mp digital camera sensor), as well as in "new, improved, more pixels" camcorders.

So after reading of this "improvement" and browsing the other reviews I discovered:
1) the sony DCRDVD100 has the largest chip (1/4") size (vice 1/4.7" for the 200 and 300, and 1/6" chip (same as the 2004 mini dv tape model) for the 2004 dcrdvd101 dvd camcorder)
2) the test reviews from last year (100 vs 200) said the 200 "drops from the abilities of the DVD100" in video performance. (you dont EVEN want to read how poorly the new even smaller 1/6" chip in the 101 does compared to those two!)
3) there were still some 100s available as of mid-may this year.
4) all professional (broadcast quality) camcorders are on the verge of going tapeless this year or next, eg the trend will only make dvd camcorders more common.

So here was the cheapest dvd camcorder sony made last year, outperforming its more expensive brethren and even the

"degraded" model for this year! Yep, wasnt planning on its purchase, but sure didnt want lose video performance by waiting for one!

Gripe 1, the 100 takes lousy still photos. Ok, so you can take a megapixel still pic with the 200 and 300. 1mp is still lousy in the 8mp era of digtal still cameras. And any camera phone can do a better photo easier. So I am not willing to trade the superior low light, low noise capabilities on video in the DVD100 to gain (still) mediocre still picture performance in the 200 or 300, which I will never use.

Next gripe, there are no mini-DVDs available, and the price is too high! Standard complaint with the introduction of every new technology. I paid $8ea. for the first Maxell 120 VCR tapes back in the mid-eighties, now that buys 10 of them! Froogle mini dvd-r and you may find a bundle of 25 mini dvd-rs for $1 ea. (on sale) like I did in mid-may. Next year at this time they may be 50 cents each, regular price. NOW compare that to the price of mini-dv tape!

Shows it look? I cant see any difference on playback between the DCRDVD100 and my 3 year old TRV-730 digital eight camcorder, but the convenience is a thousand times better. The mini-dvds play on my tv dvd, they play on my pc dvd, they play on the camcorder dvd. try that with mini-dv or 8mm dv! I can make mini-dvd duplicates using the camcorder and PC and send these mini-dvs to any relative to share our videos with. I never had the patience to transfer 8mm to VCR, not to mention the bulking up factor of VCR duplicates.

ok, so the time is down to 20 mins per disk. About the same amount of relevant footage I get off a 1 hour 8mm tape, in which I just stick the 8mm camcorder in a corner and let run at parties, too bulky to carry. savings too, since the 8mm tape is still $4ea and Ive got that full coverage using 3 mini dvd-rs at $1 ea.

And bless sony for keeping the same battery, charger and flash accessories as in my 8mm dv! Now I have the same batteries to run my cd-r digital camera, the 8mm camcorder and this dvd-r video camcorder. a real dollar savings!

Sony has always won the low-light full color indoor camcorder shoot-out contests, but with the new reduced-size imaging chips for the 2004 models , they apparently have slipped a notch backwards. So if absolute all-round video performance is the most important thing for you, I encourage you to run, not walk to locate the DVD100, before they are all gone. Or wait until the model 102 for 2005 is introduced!

other pros: storage size of completed videos
instant useability/exchangeability with other machines besides the camcorder, no tape drive mechanisms to wear out and eat your prized videos years down the road. dramatic decline in cost of mini dvd-r media compared to micro-dv, mini-dv and 8mm dv tape.

cons: no firewire connection to allow direct digital duping, Id love to use the sony mini-dvd-rs to download my digital SLR cameras images into a permanent file while I am traveling, but guess that will have to wait until 2005?

I like it, recommended.

It takes six minutues or more to finalize a dvd, Its faster to download using USB2 to finalize, Unfortunatly the Sony Software does not reconize the dvd it not finalize.

I cant belive how hard it is to find, Sony minDVD media. I tried other brand names, but I lost some of the DVD because it did not finalize correctly.

(...).

Pros..
1) The clarity and resolution are really good.
2) It is very easy to play back on TV

Cons..
1) Mic picks up noise from spinning disc
2) 1M digital camera is simpy useless (only if you never saw a dig camera, then you may appreciate this)
3) DVD R/W media (DMW30)is not available in market, even at sony.com

The reason we went with the DVD100 is that my hubby,who is electronics illiterate, loved the idea of instant playback on our DVD players. My inlaws are from out of state; so this has been a great way to share videos of the children with them. Even my husband can do it. LOL

The still images are poor; even a little worse than i expected which is a bit disappointing. Like most people, i have a separate 4MP digi-cam for stills so this wasnt a huge set back; although it would have been handy to be able to snap a few stills without missing a beat.

The ease of use is very good. It took about 5 minutes to learn basic recording. I do recommend that you use the manual...there are a few things to learn for optimized use.

Im not sure where the folks are who cannot find media. I have had no problem with this at all. Of course,i purchased a few 3 packs of the DVD-Rs with the cam. I was at a large chain electronics store just yesterday 3-4-04 and saw plenty of media on the shelves.

In true Sony Style if you use non Sony media the cam will prompt you to use genuine Sony DVDs. Mildly annoying.

Video quality is good; i am waiting to test it this summer at a few horse shows to see how it handles in high action settings.

I dont have anything to compare the battery life to; since my last camcorder was ancient. I like the fact that it constantly estimates remaining battery life so you can manage shots accordingly. Purchase an extra battery just to be safe.

I like the size of the DVD100. Not to big not to small. I also liked the "button" style of the 100 over the touch screen on the 300. Thats just personal preference.

I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants the convenience of the DVD format. We have been happy with it. Good Luck!

Like alot of other reviewers, we wont be using this recorder to take stills, so I wasnt concerned about the quality - we have a regular digital camera that we like to use.
Anyways....I would definitely recommend this product!

Our first recording event was a Christmas program in dim lit auditorium several rows away shooting many zoom shots on a lit stage. To my surprise, the white balance was good (not yellow), exellent sound of chorus, and very little camera shake considering it was hand held during the program, and pleasing picture quality on the DVD player. It only took about 3 minutes to finalize the DVD in the camcorder once we got home, but this can vary depending on how may scenes you have on the disk.

Bottom line- we are happy so far with this camcorder. We also opted to get the Handycam DVD starter kit which includes a nice carrying case, which is just the right size for the camera, spare battery, and a few disks. The kit also includes a DVD-RW disk and an extra battery. In addition, I have ordered a 30mm UV protective filter for the lens.

From jemaer_rfs helpful review:

cons:
- average low light performance

I disagree - I find the low light performance to be excellent. This is also borne out by comparative tests published in _Consumer Reports_ camcorder evaluation issue.

- no memory stick support; if you want to take a still picture, it is saved on the DVD.

This is true--but hardly a disadvantage: surely more people have DVD-ROM drives than memory stick readers.

- mic picks up DVD spinning noise in quiet environments.

This is true: you will have to live with this or choose another camcorder. Id be curious to know if this is the case with other DVD camcorders.

- finalizing a DVD takes upwards of 10 minutes, and it can be a confusing process.

It takes about 3 minutes, assuming the disc is full. The less full a disc is, the longer finalizing takes. Since this process is only necessary for playing the disc on other DVD players, I fail to see how its a disadvantage when compared to, say, a tape-based camcorder (where you cant play the tape in anything but the camcorder).

It isnt confusing either. Id like to just digress here and say that the product manual is very good--certainly the best manual for a piece of consumer electronics Ive ever used--and describes very clearly how to exercise every feature and function.

- dont expect much from the still images recorded.

No- they are 640x480 images: okay for the web and email but not much else. I wouldnt even bother, really--just take a short video shot instead.

- getting video into editing software (e.g. Final Cut Pro) is harder than it should be.

I dont know about the specific software mentioned here, but since the video is recorded in a standard format on a standard DVD-R (assuming you use a DVD-R) its very universal. As I use Linux and Macintosh systems exclusively (Linux rarely supporting a particular camcorder) this universality was a big selling point of a DVD camcorder for me--and thus getting the video into any particular piece of software has been very easy so far.

- not Mac friendly.

In the sense that the bundled software doesnt come for Macintosh. But you dont want that anyway--you want to use iMovie, right? I hear (have not done this myself) that this is easily done by using Quicktime Pro to convert the .vob files from the DVD into .dv files, which can then be used in iMovie. Secondly, I will bet iMovie will soon support these camcorders.

From an anonymous review:

- There is a significant delay between when you push the record button and when recording actually starts, in the neighborhood of a few seconds.

This is true. I have gotten in the habit of recording extra footage before and after what I want to capture, and editing it later on the computer, so this doesnt bother me.

- Also, there is no editing as-you-go with DVD. If you are used being able review the last part of what you taped and record over it if you dont like what you see, you will be frustrated with DVD recording. There is no editing unless you transfer it to your computer and then of course you need to record it again on a DVD burner or video CD.

This is only true if you are recording to a DVD-R (write-once media). You are free to record to a DVD-RW and erase/edit as you like.

These reviews do not mention two other potential drawbacks: namely (and this applies to any DVD camcorder) the media is low-capacity and somewhat costlier (I found DVD-Rs for $3 ea; they record 30 min in standard quality and 60 min is extended play mode) so you may be paying more per minute, and changing media more frequently, than with a tape camcorder.

The second is that the camcorder doesnt support Firewire, only USB 2.0, which you may not have if you dont have a fairly new computer. Again, this wasnt much of a disadvantage for me since I always planned on reading the DVDs directly rather than transferring the video using the camcorder (popping the disc into the DVD-ROM drive *has* to be faster than transferring the files by wire.

Overall Im extremely pleased with my purchase. I decided not to spend an extra, about, three hundred bucks, for the DVD300; and Im so happy with the image quality: excellent low-light, image stabilization, nightshot (and arent these what youre buying a camcorder for?); that Im convinced it was the right call.

There is a significant delay between when you push the record button and when recording actually starts, in the neighborhood of a few seconds.

Also, there is no editing as-you-go with DVD. If you are used being able review the last part of what you taped and record over it if you dont like what you see, you will be frustrated with DVD recording. There is no editing unless you transfer it to your computer and then of course you need to record it again on a DVD burner or video CD.

I ended up exchanging my DVD100 for a miniDV format TRV22, which has the same resolution & basic features, is smaller, cheaper, and doesnt suffer from the problems mentioned above.

I am replacing a TRV-340 (Digital 8). I had no problems with that camera, but my wife, who is technologically illiterate, could not understand the process of finding the cables and hooking the camcorder to the TV and playing the tapes, or hooking it to the computer (or standalone DVD recorder) and burning the tape to DVD to watch.

So she saw this camera and liked the idea. So we spent the money, brought it home, and lo and behold, used our first DVD-RW (8 cm) disk. We recorded a few clips over a few minutes. We popped it out and put it in the small portable DVD player that we have, and sure enough it played (without finalizing). She was happy, and as a consequence, I was happy.

Drawbacks: It sucks down a lot more juice than my tape camcorder. I get barely 60 minutes per 50-sized battery, according to the screen. But worse yet, 30 minutes per disk on the SP setting (around 4000 kb/s bit rate, or so...mid-DVD range, which is roughly 8000 to 2000, more or less, I havent had time to calculate 1.4 GB over 30 minutes, yet.).

Still picture capability is on disk-only, and its only 640x480, but I prefer a still camera for special still shots, and use 5+ Megapixel for those.

Disks are still expensive, but as Ive seen three different companies (at least) in the store with DVD camcorders, the generics should freely flow soon. Until then, Ill use DVD-RW, burn to DVD-R by computer, and erase.

pros:
- records dolby digital stereo.
- carl zeiss lens.
- 10x optical zoom.
- video quality almost at par with miniDV camcorders (at slower recording modes).
- Super SteadyShot image stabilization system - and sonys system really helps.
- three low light shooting modes: Nightshot, Super Nightshot, and Color Slow Shutter.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB 2.0, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- USB 2.0 support for fast downloads.
- the convenience of DVD navigation - simply select the scene and youre there!
- supports analog-to-digital conversion.
- hot accessory shoe with lots of optional accessories.

cons:
- inferior CCD resolution vs the DVD200 and DVD300.
- expensive - as with most sony products, you pay a premium, plus you pay for DVD convergence.
- average low light performance.
- no memory stick support; if you want to take a still picture, it is saved on the DVD.
- mic picks up DVD spinning noise in quiet environments.
- finalizing a DVD takes upwards of 10 minutes, and it can be a confusing process.
- dont expect much from the still images recorded.
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- smaller LCD (2.5") vs the DVD300 (3.5").
- no manual focus ring.
- getting video into editing software (e.g. Final Cut Pro) is harder than it should be.
- not Mac friendly.
- poor battery life with included battery so add $$ to your budget to buy a higher capacity spare.
- compared to current release camcorders, this is a pretty big one at 3.1 x 3.8 x 5.6" weighing 1 lb 6 oz.

this is a nice, solid effort by sony and i give them points for dvd convergence. however, in my opinion, the DCR-DVD100 is too big, not easy to use, and does not use the 1MP CCD that the DVD200 and DVD300 have. its expensive for the feature set but the alternative to this dvd camcorder (a miniDV tape camcorder and DVD recorder combo) is even more expensive. i already have a dvd recorder so for me, a smaller and easier to use miniDV camcorder makes more sense. if this is your situation as well, i would recommend a panasonic gs-70 or sonys pc-105, both miniDV camcorders. otherwise, if you want a finalized DVD straight out of your camcorder, consider the DCR-DVD100.

a final note. if you have decided you want to record directly to a DVD, which camcorder should you buy? DCR-DVD100 or DCR-DVD200 or DCR-DVD300? i highly recommend spending the extra ... bucks (street price) to get the higher resolution CCD of the DVD200/DVD300. if you want a bigger 3.5" LCD, itll cost you an extra ... bucks to go to the DVD300. i think this is a fair price for the upgrade too.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.