Sony Handycam DCR-TRV250 Studio - Camcorder - 540 Kpix - optical zoom: 20 x - Digital8

I have had this camcorder 4 about 4 years now & I have 2 say it is the best. I was recently in the market 4 a new camcorder simply because I wanted 2 update my video equipment. I decided 2 look into several different formats & I have 2 tell you that the quality of the new camcorders are horrible as compared 2 this.

The New camcorders (Optional Reading)
I have tried several camcorders as I was looking 4 a light weight smaller camcorder. Let me tell you about my experience. The first camcorder I purchased was a Hitachi Hybrid Camcorder DV-HS500A. This is a combination Hard Disk Drive & DVD camcorder that I got open box at Circuit City. I was very impressed with it 4 about four hours. When it got dark I noticed that the picture quality is horrible in low light. I tried all settings & I must tell you it was of no avail, so off I went back 2 Circuit City. I then bought a JVC GRD-850 which was a great
camcorder except I could not download any video 2 the PC. This is because it had a firewire port however it was disabled. Finally, I tried a Panasonic PV-GS85 but the picture quality was way off & washed out. Not 2 mention the grainy video in low light. This is when I finally gave up.

The DCR-TRV250
The big thing about this sony camcorder is its many features. The biggest feature is the availablilty of the HI-8 Camcorder tapes. Why is this a feature? because its cheap. Best of all, each tape holds 120 mins of
recording. A MiniDV tape holds 60 mins max, a DVD 30 mins & a Flash drive....well it depends on the Flash Drive. Right now the only thing that holds more time is a Hard Drive Camcorder.

Picture Quality
Pictures quality is live & vibrant & accurately reproduces the true colors of the scene.

Night shooting
Because of the 1/6" single CCD night shots are incredible. Very little grain, if any at all. The best thing is the bright light built into the unit & Night-Shot which gives you night vision.

Still Camera
This is not one of the best features. The camera is < 1MP & records onto the tape, but trust me your better off using a digital camera.

Battery Life
The supplied battery last about 1 hour depending on if your using the LCD or the viewfinder. I recommend the viewfinder. The extended life battery lasts about 4 hours. I tend 2 use both batteries.

Backlighting
Here is a feature that I like, if the background is brighter than the foreground (ie. the sun is behind you) you can press the backlight button 2 brighten your face. CAUTION: Do not point the camera directly into the sun, it will damage the CCD Sensor.

Output & Connectivity
The Camera comes with the a S-Video connector 2 connect 2 a TV's S-Video port, a A/V Out connector 2 connect 2 the RCA Connector, Firewire 2 connect 2 the computer & a USB Port as another connection 2 the computer.

Overall this is a great camcorder however it is not without its caveats.

1. Its Heavy.
2. It does not interface with Vista.
3. Large compared 2 newer camcorders.
4. No memory stick slot.


The good points.
1. Stable & proven technology
2. Night vision
3. Excellent in low light conditions.
4. Backlighting.
5. Video light.
6. In-expensive tapes & 120 mins in LP Mode.
7. Download videos 2 PC using most available video software (ex. Windows Movie Maker)
8. Adjustable viewfinder.

A great buy. Pick this up if you can. Many people still search 4 this camcorder as it is backwards compatible with 8mm tapes.

I bought this used an unlike the reviewer above found Sony 2 be excellent when it came 2 the recalled CCD program. This camcorder didn't work yet Sony repaired it throughly. Now it is better than new, shots perfect, captures stills, streams video like a vcr & is one of the very few with a night vision. I really like this unit. I'm selling it because that is what I do, plus I want a DVD or a hard drive camcorder.

We purchased this product in 8/03 & have hardly used it since then (maybe a total of 10 hours recording time). We brought the camera with us 2 record the first few moments of our second daughter's life and, wouldn't you know, that's when the camera started failing. We were able on that date 2 reset it & get a few moments of video. But the next time we turned the camera on, we got the same "error" message & could not reset. The "error" message was mysterious-- the code was not in the booklet that came with the camera (with the other error codes) but I found it online. The code combination revealed & error that we should be able 2 service, which was supposedly that the battery in the unit was not an Infolithium battery (Sony's patented battery) & should be replaced with the proper battery. Problem was, the Infolithium battery was in the unit & the code came up even with no battery in the unit (running on AC power). I looked online & found that several people had the same problem with their cameras. I contacted Sony & got absolutely nowhere with them after speaking 2 6 people & 3 levels of management. They were incredibly evasive, gave conflicting information & ultimately did not care whether I, the customer, remained a satisfied loyal Sony consumer or not. I tried 2 explain that the issue clearly indicated a defect in the product, not a wear & tear issue, & that Sony is responsible 2 correct defects (this product, in fact, already had one defect recall out (four years after the problem first was reported) because the LCD screen fails). Sony wants $225 2 repair this camera, which you can see is ridiculous in light of the camera's price. All in all, the camera has been a failure & Sony is not a responsible manufacturer.

The DCR-TRV250 delivers all the benefits of Digital8 recording quality in a smaller chassis. And with the USB streaming feature, you can turn your camcorder into a video conferencing tool or webcam. Stream live & recorded moving video 2 a PC via USB! Make your own digital-quality movies. Stream & share content. This remarkably value-priced unit delivers amazingly crisp & clear Digital8 video, which allows you 2 transfer video 2 your personal computer via its iLINK DV input/output.