CamcorderInfo has a Canon DC50 review posted if you are so inclined to head over and read it. The DC50 is Canon’s top standard definition, direct-to-DVD model this year, which puts it right at that point where you have to decide if you want to make the leap to HD. The reviewer’s conclusion:
Canon has given us their top standard definition DVD model for 2007, and it’s…OK. The handling is a bit off thanks to its thin, cheap, plastic hand strap and awkward finger placement. We did like the rear-mounted joystick and broad range of still features. The DC50 also performed very well in bright light, but it lost some steam in low light. Sound quality was poor, and a mic jack is sorely missing for a “top-of-the-line” model.
The article states that it is not possible to set shutter speed and aperture independently on this Canon. This is not exactly true.
EV scale behaves very predictably in Tv mode, which allows adjusting the scale quite easily and then verifying current settings using “photo” button. Therefore, this camcorder DOES allow setting shutter speed and aperture independently, though in a quirky fashion. The camcorder does not allow specifying aperture in f-stops, it only reports aperture in f-stops.
See details here: http://www.elurauser.com/articles/manual_mode.jsp