Pros: Old Technology--yes, but that's not all bad. I have 2 of these and use them regularly in event video production. They are excellent cameras and a very good price. The glass is wonderful--sharp edge to edge with no vignetting. Learning the camer is fast and most controls fall naturally under fingers. The on-camera microphone is competant.

I have never had a failure of any sort, and only occasional dropped frames when I have been remiss in cleaning the head.

Battery life is very good IMHO. Optical image stabilization is the way to go and Canon has the best.

Cons: I wish they had focus and zoom presets (achieve the shot you want and focus or zoom away, and return to the shot precisely with one push of a button). I also wish that the viewfinder was B&W with better resolution to help with fine manual focusing.

Other Thoughts: Regarding HD vs SD. HD is beautiful, but expensive.

Weddings--NO ONE has asked me about HD yet. They will at some point, but figuring that the final video produced has to go to grandma and Aunt Sue who have never heard of HD, there's still plenty of life in SD for weddings.

Corporate? Corporations have huge investments in SD video infrastructure that they may be the last to turn. I have done video for some very large firms and HD is the least of their concerns--its the message that sells them.

Churches are in the same boat as Corporations. This camera's technology has years left in it.

Pros: Was once a good camera.

Cons: Noisy images. Poor dynamic range. Inaccurate colors. Soft, lo-def images. Lots of artifacts: aliasing, chroma bleeding, etc.

Other Thoughts: This camera was already old technology when I bought it 3+ years ago. I can't believe it is still for sale. I also own two HD cameras, including one that cost less than the GL2 and produces much better images.

Pros: I used this camera many times in my video tech class and it was awesome. Its definitely sturdy having survived so many kids roughly handling it. It has many lighting features that will help you film in different environments and the sound is great. Oh yeah, also the viewfinder is in color which is great. The image is very stable even when the camera is shaky.

Cons: The LCD is a little small and the microphone picks up your voice but also everything else.

Other Thoughts: When I used this for a group video project in English class we played the video on the projector and it still looked good despite how large the screen was.

Pros: This product has been my first prosumer camera since I started my business way back 2004 and it accidentally fell off my tripod
( down to the floor) on my first wedding video coverage. I was so worried that I might not finished my first project for the day but luckily this unit were still up and running for the rest of the day, and to mention until now ( June 2007) no problem at all. It still gives me and my client the expected clarity of video quality. Take it from me my GL2 still works no matter they call it ( Mickey mouse camera per se) My customers loves the quality it gives.

Cons: battery runs out but the camera still healthy.

Other Thoughts: Just take good care of it, the camera will last long enough more than you expect.

Pros: Light weight, easy to transport, and the ND filter is a nice feature (opens aperture for more light to enter the camera).

Cons: The only issue I have had with this camera is the microphone. You'll need to buy the external microphone if you want to capture the sound correctly. I was recording a car commercial and in certain shots recorded a airplane thousands of feet in the air, laughing out loud.

Other Thoughts: Overall this camera is build solid, powerful, and a fantastic piece of machinery. I would definitely recommend this camera to an a mature.

Comments: I bought this camera over a year ago, and have made semi-pro DVDs with its tapes. It has many customizable features, but does well on its auto settings. I have made professional quality audio CDs (16 bit) using it with two studio quality microphones attached. It has adjustable gain controls for the audio. I have used it all over the United States and Europe, making live performance video recordings of a GRAMMY nominated choral group, as well as great landscape scenery. It has very similar ability to its big brothers , the XL-1 and the XL-2 cameras. Excellent Prosumer camera!

My numerous purchases with NEWEGG have been equally satisfactory <font>-</font>- they are also a "class act".