I decided to use one camera for traveling, instead of taking a camcorder and DSLR, so I needed a camcorder with good still photo capabilities. I haven't been disappointed with the HF S100! One of the best features are the 24p and 30p recording modes. These modes are missing from many camcorders. Most have only 60i, or 60i and 24p. I usually keep my camera on 30p for lower light sensitivity and the better motion capture. Another under-rated feature is the built in 1.7X teleconverter. Which make the camera equivalent to a 17X optical zoom (kind of). Since the sensor is so large that the video capture cannot use all of the pixels at the same time, the electronics can digitally zoom to use only the most central pixels in the 1.7X mode and still use discrete pixels. This is not the typical digital zoom, the video is full HD resolution! A great idea. Thanks Canon!I like the idea of SD or SDHC cards for recording video. I live in a humid climate which causes issues with tape based camcorders. When you leave an air conditioned building and go outside to the warm, humid weather, the tape drum in a camcorder will "perspire". Like a cold drink outside on the patio on a hot day. The moisture on the tape drum with make the video tape stick to it like it has glue on it, and the tape will get eaten. This camera doesn't have a tape drum, so no motor noise getting into the built in microphones, and no tapes to get eaten.Pros: 24p and 30p recording modes, video image quality, sharpness (wow!), built in 1.7X teleconverter, SDHC cards instead of tape, 3 second prerecord, excellent still images, great battery life.Cons: Optical stabilizer