Excellent low light performance, awesome LCD, not quite a dsr250

Author's Rating:

Pros: Low light performance, LCD, manual controls, built in lens cap

Cons: focal length

The Bottom Line: 
Highly recommended as a B-roll or backup cam for event videography.

Author's Review
I own a Sony DSR250 and Canon GL2. Here is a quick comparison summary. I brought the VX2100 3 months ago and used it on 5 weddings. I am pleased with it.

Things I liked:
1. The low light performance is MUCH more superior to the GL2. Although rated at 1LUX, when shooting at the same light condition, the Gain kicked in sooner than my DSR250 (that cam is rated at 2LUX). But still, did I mention the low light performance was very good?
2. The new LCD screen can be viewed clearly at direct sun light. This is extremely useful in outdoor shooting. For my other two cams, I must use LCD hood when shooting outdoor.
3. The built in lens cap is a very nice touch.


Things I wish were better:
1. The focal length is "boring". At the wide end, it's around 50mm (35mm equivalent). On the telephoto end, it's not as far as my GL2 (12X on the VX and 20X on the GL). Given it's a fixed lens, I wish Sony would put in a 20X lens that starts at 28mm.
2. The factory battery is a joke. It will last no more than 30 minutes when using LCD. Get the biggest Bat available if you are serious about using this cam for over 2 hours.
3. I realize Sony doesn't provide XLR inputs on the VX to force the pros to go with the PD. That's fine. However, it would be nice if there is hot-shoe addon that allows the VX user to get native XLR input instead of going with the aftermarket versions that rely on the 3.5mm MIC input jack on the camera.