For the image quality you get, the price is well worth it.

When up against similar models, i.e. pro-sumer "large" handhelds, the DV300 is a clear winner. As of now, the current crop of these similar models are as follows:

* Sony PD150 (an oldie but a goodie)
* Sony VX2000 (very similar to the PD150, but without DVCAM support)
* Panasonic DVX100 (more on this camera later)
* Canon GL2 (the worst of the bunch)

Ease of Use:
This section recieved a three out of five due to the camera's lack of additional buttons on its exterior. Because of its newer design, the DV300's button layout seems to be inspired by the "less is more" theory. This, however, only makes it more complicated when it comes to what should be simple setting adjustments. An example of this is the white balance (WB) control. On most cameras, pushing the WB button will swith it to 5600K, another push 3200K, another push fluorescents, and another push Auto. On the DV300, however, the user is required to "make" their own presets, having only one built-in preset. One must press the WB button, scroll through the submenu, select the desired preset to overwrite, point the camera at a white object, and hold the WB button to adjust. Now you're set for one preset. There is, however, an Auto setting for WB, but its reaction time (e.g. walking from a tungsten-lit room (3200K) to outdoors (5600K)) is slow to adjust. Other than that, it just takes some getting used to.

Durability:
This thing is built like a rock. I have yet to inflict any "serious" damage on it (i.e. dropping), but from what I've used of it (been playing with it non-stop since the day it arrived), it feels incredibly well-built. One cannot hear any pieces "rattling" when the camera is shaken... That's always a good thing.

Ergonomics:
The DV300's "rounded" design makes it incredibly comfortable to hold, and its large focus ring is easy to access and spin. In addition to this, the camera is surprisingly lightweight - a LOT lighter than it looks. This is a huge plus, especially considering the larger-than-average size of the camera. The button layout is great for the most part - I couldn't think of a better place for the manual adjust iris ring. However, a lot of the buttons are bunched up in the back of the camera (near the battery), whereas I would rather have them placed were somewhere on the sides.

Battery Life:
...isn't something to write home about. My fully-charged 4 hour battery died in what seemed like less than 2 hours, but I DID have the LCD screen open for a short while. I'm sure if the screen is closed for the whole time, it'll last for a little over 3 hours.

Movie Quality:
Now this is why the DV300 received 5 stars. Even with all of the aforementioned drawbacks, the image quality is absolutely gorgeous. The interesting thing is that the camera comes shipped with "standard" resolution set as default, but it CAN be set to "maximum." There is a VERY large difference in quality (380,000px vs. 420,000px), especially if you have a good television set, but there is one major drawback: Sensitivity. When on high-resolution mode, light sensitivity seems to drop to about 2/3 of what "normal" resolution is, but this shouldn't be a problem since this camera has great gain control (up to 18dB, and even a 24dB LoLux mode). The 1/3 inch CCD's, three of them, are a major step up from the popular 1/4 inch CCD's, giving you better image quality and more controllable Depth-of-Field. Furthermore, Interline-Transfer chips make it so that when the camera is pointed at a bright source, it doesn't vertically flare (a very big problem with pro-sumer cameras these days). This camera handles highlights and shadows extremely well - better than I've ever seen before with a digital format. Another great advantage this camera has is with its advanced image settings, such as pedestal level (master black), black stretch, gamma settings, color matrix, vertical/horizontal sharpening levels, and others. Plus, with the touch of a button, you can swith to SMPTE Color Bars output... Good stuff. In addition, it has variable shutter speed, which means you can point the camera at a monitor and turn a dial until the dark horizontal bands disappear. One more thing, the iris is adjustable in "in-between" stops, meaning there are around 6 or 7 "notches" before you go from an f/2 to an f/2.8 (most cameras will just go straight from one to the next).

...vs the DVX100:
The two cameras are very similar in that they use the exact same CCD chips, thereby yielding almost identical image quality. However, the DVX100 has the much-touted 24P option, something that all other cameras lack. However, if you don't need this option, don't shell out the extra cash to get it. When set to standard recording modes, the JVC has slightly superior image quality to the DVX, for its electronics are better.