A solid choice!

After trying to decide between the Sony DCR HC28/38/48 as well as Canon ZR800 series and Panasonic PV GS85, I settled on the HC 38 and I have been very pleased with the choice.

Having the iLink directly on the camera (instead of on a docking station, as in the HC48) makes a big difference in terms of portability.

The 40x optical zoom is a real plus, especially for outdoor shooting with a tripod (too shaky for hand-held).

I thought I might be bothered by the touchscreen but it actually works great--just carry a handy cloth to clean it often since the screen is also for viewing playback.

The camera doesn't take still photos, but most of these camcorders have sub 1MP capability anyway, so I'll stick with my digital camera for still shots.

As for the night shot feature, I don't really use it anyway whether in color (HC48) or not. A bright LED headlamp does the job!

I use my HC38 with imovie (Mac) and it works perfectly.