Samsung's standard-def F series has been popular over the past few years because a) the camcorders are cheap and b) they have huge zoom ranges. The F50 carries on that tradition with a 52x optical zoom range (65x software-enhanced Intelli-zoom) and a $180 price tag. Use the money you save to buy a tripod, because the F50 only has digital image stabilization. This model also has no built-in memory; if that's a deal-breaker, check out the F53 or F54 instead. All things considered, this is a good deal.