You are correct in your assesment of the DVX - It will yeild images closer to film. The reason I mention the AUTO mode is that I find I use it more than I ever thought I would - I am a director/camerman, trained and experienced w/ super-16 & 35mm cameras, so don't let people tell you it is "unprofessional" to depend on those capabilities when they are available - it's all about getting good pictures, sometimes as fast as possible - auto-focus can be a real life-saver sometimes, and the Sony is slightly faster. As I said, the DVX is a great camera - for me (after years of using other stuff) it took some time getting used to the on-screen look - the film gamma settings can be "mushy" and washed out compared to the rich chroma and crispness I get from film transfers - all of this is, of course, adjustable in the extensive menus of the DVX. Shoot footage and compare it to quality images from film shows on Discovery or A&E, tweak some more until you get what you like. Also, despite what you might read elsewhere, the 100A is a subtle but extremely desirable improvement over the 100. By the way, even though it might cost a couple of hundred more, buy at a place like ABLE-CINE rather than a box-store, the customer service is worth the dough...