is there anyway to keep the light on the powerlight on permanently? i hate having to press the button everytime i wanna see something.

No. It cannot be kept on.

dammit, maybe on the xl3

Marlon, what exactly are you asking? The camera will stay powered up and turned on for as long as power is provided to it. If there is a tape in the camera, you'll need to set "VCR Stop" in the menu.

The amber power light should stay on continuously while the camera is powered up. I think you're talking about the display light. It can be made to stay on continuously by pressing and holding (latching) the light button for 2-3 seconds and then releasing it. To turn it off just push it again as normal. I think they should have also built in some cool blue, red or white LED lights in the underside of the carrying handle to illuminate the buttons and AE Shift dial on the top of the body.

Oh, okay, the side panel light... yeah, that's described on page 9 of the owner's manual.

thanks guys! you rock!

Oops. Sorry, Marlon. Bad info. Tried to get mine to stay lit one time and couldn't seem to do it so I assumed it didn't... age old lesson: never assume.