For most video moviemakers, even amateurs, modern digital technology is the state of art. Most digital video cameras on the market follow the mini-DV standard that is tied to a certain tape format. The main advantage of this technology is that due to the very narrow margins of the recording medium the cameras can be made very compact.

We thoroughly tested a very interesting candidate that has been on the market for over half a year now. It is Sony's DCR-PC100E which combines a video camera with a digital still picture camera (Digicam). On top of that, there are many interesting features that will excite every video freak, the most prominent of which is a built-in mini night-shot device that allows the recording of videos in absolute darkness. We put the compact DV camera through a thorough test and it accompanied us on several business trips and company visits. This ordeal revealed many positive features but also a few distinct weaknesses.

The camera is bundled with several cables, a remote control and a card reader for the memory stick.