I was so excited about this camcorder, but after two returns it became apparent that Aiptek is having quality issues while producing this model. The first camcorder had three white dots and one red spot show up in the viewfinder while recording. I also noticed what I would call "streaking" in the viewfinder (think very light vertical lined burned into the lens...much like tv burn in). I thought it might just be the viewfinder, but when I viewed the movies on my TV or computer, they were actually more pronounced since the viewing area was bigger. I returned the camcorder (amazon was great about the return) and had them send me another one. The new one had no white dots in the viewfinder and the streaking burn in was less pronounced. I was very pleased until I again viewed the recorded video on my TV and on my computer. Both showed a single white dot near the middle of the screen. If you're buying a camera for the great picture, a little white dot that is always there is pretty darn annoying.

I'd actually read about one other person having the white dots problem with this camera (in a forum on the web) but I'd read so many great reviews and seen so many great video examples that I figured it was one bad camcorder. I have no doubt some people are getting camcorders with no defects, but after two bad units I'm moving to a different brand. Unfortunately any other cameras with these features are a bit more expensive. I hate when people say you get what you pay for...so I guess I'll just not say it. :-(