Just because something is cheap does not always make it nasty, nor does it necessarily make it the best buy. The possibility of the D701i being cheap and nasty was certainly a concern when the first one arrived and failed to operate, however, it was quickly replaced and the replacement worked fine straight from the box.

The D701i has an impressive line up of features for its price including a 3.5in LCD and a four-in-one (MemoryStick, MemoryStick Pro, SD, MMC) media card slot. In fact, despite being the lowest priced camera it was the only one to offer so many media options.

However, the four-in-one option may seem like a bit of overkill as the camera is only capable of low resolution (640 x 480) stills, so you are more likely to be using the cards for short video clips.

While the 3.5in LCD looked impressive in artificial light it was less than impressive when shooting outdoors, forcing you to use the viewfinder, which while adjustable up and down is slightly obstructed by the battery pack.

The 800,000 pixel LCD does a reasonable job in providing an image that is equivalent to a good VHS camera without having the polish of a higher priced digital video cam. However, it handles changing light conditions well and the Night Capture mode works as well as many of the higher priced models.

While the design is nothing to write home about, it is functional and the controls are minimalist, which will suit most first time users who just want to get on with recording some video.

Like most of the other cameras it offers USB streaming (for web cam functionality) but relies on a 1394 connector for transferring video. While it skimps on in camera editing options and special effects (there's only mirror and mosaic), for the price, the D701i comes with an impressive line up of software including Ulead's Video Studio 5.1 and Photo Express SE.

All up it's a good value entry-level camera with the only question being its reliability.