Ben's Bargains Serving Fresh Deals 24/7

Not to sound like a broken record, but:

If you're considering this camera, also take a look at the previous-generation HF10, which can be had for $549 in-store at Costco. There are some minor differences between the two, but many reviews suggest that the previous-generation HF10/100 produced better quality video, particularly in anything less than bright light.

You also get 16GB built-in memory with the HF10, which is a couple hours worth of video at the highest quality setting.

One advantage to the HF200 is the max bitrate has been raised from 17Mbps to 24Mbps, the max allowable in the AVCHD spec - but by most accounts this simply increases file size without an appreciable increase in quality.

Thanks for the info. I'm still saving up for the XH-A1

yeah, nikko's right, this is marginally better than the HF10 and HF11. And low light recording is actually poorer with the HF200. Ben had a deal on the HF11 a few posts down:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=C925-1458&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmbacon=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=isIkAyUyNbM-lILGXYJFWj6mGSj5hHg.oA

That's much better, since it has 32GB of internal memory by default.

I'd suggest you read more on camcorderinfo.com