Good Start for the new comers

Hi.

I got this camcorder few days before and now using it daily almost 5 hours in day. I have listed out some of the Advantasges and problems i face with this new avtar of sony lineup.

1. The quailty of the recorded is very good and i feel happy when i shoot videos inside the house in low light the lense did a good job.

2 Nightshot feature is also impressive and i have shoot some videos in total darkness and quailty is really good.

3. The battery that comes with the Kit is seems to be OK if you are not planning to use the LCD while recording. You can also choose the battery with the higher life time.

4. The most welcome feature is the USB straeming of your data by connecting to ur PC. i have brodcast my movie using the yahoo messanger webcam feature and its done very well.

Well now i m sorry to say but this machine has some inbuilt problmes like.

1. If you are planning to capture the recorded video on your computer using the USB and the supplied software named PIXELA u will be disappointed with the quailty as it was very very bad.

2. The built in light does not seem to have an great extent while working on the low lights.

3. The external Microphone Input is not provided and u have depend on the inbuilt mic.

In last if you are a new comer and ur requirments are not like gorge lucas u can easily go for this low budget handycam and enjoy the pleasure of movie making.More detail ...

Excellent picture quality and easy to use

This camcorder is packed with features including the stabilizer and a color LCD screen and it is amazingly easy to use. I learned how to use all of its features in under an hour. What I am most impressed with about this camcorder is the picture quality. Compared with other Hi-8 8mm & VHS-C camcorders in the store this model has the best picture quality comparable to a digital camcorder. At home I have filmed under the worst lighting conditions and all of my home videos always turn out beautifully. I highly recommend this model and all other Sony models.More detail ...

camera should sell for (more)!

Wow. What a buy for the price. This camera has most all the options of a way more expensive camera but it for only (this price). People complain about it not having an LCD I do not like those they result in shaky photography (not with this puppy though and its Image Stabilization which is great.) and it drains the battery. So I didn't care about that. If you really want an LCD you can move up to the next level which is 50 dollars more. But in the process you lose the Image Stabilization so really this camera is the better buy. It come with great features. First off the battery lasts for a long time you can get 90 minutes of footage which it even with auto-focus and zooming in and out. Its great. And its easy to recharge in fact the camera tells you how many minutes left until a full charge. Also it tells you the minutes of camera battery you have left instead of one of those battery meters which can be misleading. It comes with cool features one where it outlines the subjects in the picture and makes it turn into a cartoon. You can make black and white movies and even record in 16:9 mode. It comes with a titler so you can label you movies. You can chooose the location size and color of the title and it has capibility to write in 22 lanuages...which was handy on my trip to Mexico. The NightShot OLux was too cool even when it is pitch black the thing can record and see everything. It has 20x optical zoom and 460x digital. I don't like digital it just enlarges the pixels to zoom so the 20x optical is all you need. It inlcudes 5 types of faders which are all neat. The camera can record any play my old 8mm tapes. For the price this is a wonder. If you are looking for any eaasy camera to use chucked with all the options get the Sony CCD-TR818. Make sure before you use it to turn of "auto-date" which automatically puts the date on the first 10 seconds of a shot. It can be easily turned off in the user-friendly menu system.More detail ...

Best available for your average user

Buying a camcorder can be difficult. Do you want VHC? 8mm? Hi-8? Digital 8? Mini-DV? Then there's whether or not you want to be able to take stills have firewire output to a computer image stabilization etc.
One can easily find themselves saying "All I wan't is a basic camcorder to record random things." If that's you this is your camcorder.
Though the picture is not digital Hi-8 offers a nice clean picture that gets the job done. And since you can plug right into your TV or VCR transfer to video is simple without having to store all your old tapes like you did in the VHC and VHS days. Being a Sony you can expect a great zoom that let's you get nice detail from a good distance away. Add Steadyshot probably the best image stabilizer out there the ability to manually adjust your lighting nightshot and you have the ability to record in any situation.
Having sold Sony's for over a year I can tell you the number returned due to dissatisfaction was minimal. Same for broken or damaged camcorders.
Bottom line is this. In the TRV-318 Sony makes a great camcorder that's not only easy to use but able to take a nice clean video. And as long as you don't care about capturing the light flicker off a snowflake you'll love it too.More detail ...

Sony Hi8 tape camcorder

This is one of the smallest full featured Hi8 camcorders I

have used yet seems robust. I like the 20x optical zoom

and the option to use very high (990x) digital zoom. A remote is a feature I miss for TV viewing and transfer. Buy a larger battery.More detail ...

Very happy with it

When our 8mm stopped working that we had used for nine years I found it overwhelming to research and find a new camera.
I knew I didn't want digital because I don't even use my digital still camera very often other than to e-mail pictures.
I knew that I wanted another 8mm so that we could play our tapes we have now. I didn't want to spend too much money. We received this camera a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. It even has more options than I really need. We charged the battery when we got the camera and for 2 weeks we have been filming the kids occasionally and the battery is still full. I never thought I would use the night vision but have found it is fun to film the kids when they are asleep and I don't have to turn a light on to film. The zoom works well and the color looks good. For the price I don't see how you could get a better camera. I don't think you could find a better analog camera even if you did spend more money. I obviously can't comment on how well it will hold up in the future but as far as its performance now I love it.More detail ...

Price+Features=Great Camcorder

I'll be honest and admit that if you want to spend a thousand dollars on a camcorder than you will definitely find something better. However if you are somebody like me who had limited funds to spend but wanted all the everyday features a ... person would want then this is the camera to buy! All the basics are included (still photo shots fantastic zoom abilities picture stabilization ability to film in complete darkness and amateur picture manipulation capabilities).

It also hooks up to a PC using a fire wire cable (IEEE1394) and a video capture board which I recommend buying the StudioDV from Pinnacle Systems that includes both for ... then getting sucked for ... by purchasing Sony's brand. Also I found the Laser Link feature to be the best features allowing me to play back my tapes on the TV without having to hook up the camera to it every time.

Overall the DCR-TRV130 is a great camera for what you're going to spend on it.More detail ...

Grab Hold Of This One

I just used this camcorder after my son came home with it and I am impressed. Ease of use picture qualitysound and lightweight.All 5 stars in my book. Priced right for the working stiff also. Nightshot feature is great. I'm on my way out to "grab hold of one" now.More detail ...

The BEST top bang-per-buck value in digital camcorders!

This is easily the best value DIGITAL camcorder out there today hands down. 'Digital8' is just as good as 'MiniDV' in terms of resolution and picture/audio quality. Why pay more for MiniDV? For under three 'Benjamins' you get reliable digital video and audio quality with over 500 lines of resolution and a proven medium (Digital8) whose videotapes cost half as much or less than MiniDV tapes. The video quality in low light is also excellent with a low light switch and feature that works great. And size-wise the camcorder is not much larger than a MiniDV unit. It is feature-rich and comes with all the accessories you would need including a charger battery lens cap A/V cable for connection to your TV a USB cable and software for connection to your PC or Mac. The owner's manual is one of the best i've ever seen with very intuitive diagrams and easy to operate instructions. And the battery level meter and 'time left' indicator on the LCD view panel is very useful and amazing in it's detail and usefulness. Folks this is one serious digital camcorder that is available 'for a song'! Great job Sony!!!



UPDATE 1/2006: 'Consumer Reports' listed this camcorder as a 'Best Buy' and mentioned that Sony has the best 'repair free' history out of all camcorders! Proof that this is a GREAT bargain! I wrote my original review of this here last year. More detail ...

The BEST top bang-per-buck value in digital camcorders!

This is easily the best value DIGITAL camcorder out there today hands down. 'Digital8' is just as good as 'MiniDV' in terms of resolution and picture/audio quality. Why pay more for MiniDV? For under three 'Benjamins' you get reliable digital video and audio quality with over 500 lines of resolution and a proven medium (Digital8) whose videotapes cost half as much or less than MiniDV tapes. The video quality in low light is also excellent with a low light switch and feature that works great. And size-wise the camcorder is not much larger than a MiniDV unit. It is feature-rich and comes with all the accessories you would need including a charger battery lens cap A/V cable for connection to your TV a USB cable and software for connection to your PC or Mac. The owner's manual is one of the best i've ever seen with very intuitive diagrams and easy to operate instructions. And the battery level meter and 'time left' indicator on the LCD view panel is very useful and amazing in it's detail and usefulness. Folks this is one serious digital camcorder that is available 'for a song'! Great job Sony!!!



UPDATE 1/2006: 'Consumer Reports' listed this camcorder as a 'Best Buy' and mentioned that Sony has the best 'repair free' history out of all camcorders! Proof that this is a GREAT bargain! I wrote my original review of this here last year. More detail ...

Box includes: AC-L15 Power Adapter/In-Camera Charger NP-FM30 InfoLithium(R) Rechargeable Battery AV Cable Lens Cap Shoulder Strap Sony's CCD-TRV138 Hi8(TM) Handycam(R) Camcorder delivers outstanding video quality with Hi-Fi sound in a compact affordable and easy-to-use package. The high-quality Hi8(TM) Recording can be enhanced with new features to customize your personal video. Use Fader Effects Picture Effects and Titling to get creative - enhance your home movies with creative fades pictorial exposures and titles. The Digital Zoom Interpolation and CCD imager with 320K gross pixels provide clear sharp detail during zooming or playback. Dial exposure (24 steps) Dimensions(WxHxD) - 3 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 6 (85 x 98 x 151 mm) Weight - 1 lb. 11 oz (780g) without Tape and BatteryMore detail ...