Rating: 
Summary: Great Customer Service
Review: I bought this Camera 2 weeks ago from Sears for $200. What a purchase, previously I had a Samsung SCD27, that camera was great but I didnt like its low light recording so I got the TRV250.The Camera is great, however the motor is noisey but it doesnt show up on the video which is of a high quality. Particularly in the low light/dark the Sony really shines, whereas the Samsung had a slight (annoying) grain to its shots, the Sony does not. I use Windows Movie Maker to Capture the Video (AVI format) then use the free program Tmpgenc from Tmpgenc.net to convert the AVI file to Mpeg1 VCD format. Great Results. I was also missing a lens cap on my camcorder, so I phoned Sony and they sent me a free replacement because I was within the 90 day warranty period. Great service. However the 90 day warranty period could be longer, the Samsung gave you 180 days so long as you registered your product!
Rating:
Summary: great camera, poor docuumentation.
Review: I found this camera to be very good, for the money. But the manual indicates that it can record from an analog source - which you can't.
Rating: 
Summary: everything I expected
Review: I had been saving for a nice camera and had done some looking. First at some analog cameras then some Digital. Next I came across this one and I looked at it for a long time. Then decided to buy it. It's light and nightvision did great as well for daytime. The only negative thing I could think of was my old charger isn't compatible with this one. For the most part this camera is great.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Customer Service
Review: I had my camcorder for 4 months. I used it 3-4 times when I first got it. Than when I went on vacation (only days after the 90 warrantly expired) it did not work. When I called customer service when I got home, they told me it would cost $290 to fix it. I am still hashing it out with them, however they have not offered me an acceptable response so far. Basically I paid $360 for a camera I was only able to use 3-4 times, and now it's worthless. Even worse, if you read the troublshooting guide you will find that you will have problems when you take the camera to another climate. They claim it can adjust after 1 hour, but mine did not. Needless to say, I did not get to record any footage from my vacation...and I'm very unhappy with Sony.
Rating:
Summary: First Camcorder
Review: I researched this product before I bought and it has had a lot of great reviews. Basically, for the price, it's a great camera for first time buyers who want a decent digital camera. Sony makes good products - I looked at other cameras of the same type and others looked cheaper. Biggest mistake when using: I used nightshot to try and capture some Vegas lights (at night of course) and everything was green! Don't use nightshot unless your in an unlit area - you'll be able to tell through the viewfinder if your getting a picture or not - That was my only problem and that is why I gave it four stars - they don't mention the color problem in the manual. Otherwise great first camera at a great price.
Rating:
Summary: Best bang for your buck
Review: I used to own SONY TRV 340. I bought the TRV 250 for less and found that it is much better than TRV 340. TRV 340 costs around two times as the TRV 250. But it is an old model so don't buy it if I were you. You can connect to computer easily with USB port for the TRV 250. For TRV 340, you have to buy separate firewire card and software. It is a bad idea to take still pictures into memory stick for a digital camcorder. The quality of the picture won't be good. Get a digital camera instead.
Rating:
Summary: A great buy
Review: I'm really happy with this camcorder. Lightweight and fun to use. The step-up 350 version offers a few more features, but I decided they weren't worth the extra money to me. Yes, the included software is a joke, but Microsoft MovieMaker 2.0 has been working wonderfully for me. I use the camera mostly indoors and it performs very well under less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Speaking of less-than-ideal lighting, the Nightshot mode is fun to play with.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for your first Digital Camcorder?? Buy this one now!
Review: My first experience with a video camera was an old full sized VHS camera with about 10 minutes of battery life and a profile that made me look like someone from News at 11. After being out of the video scene for 10+ years, I did the research and decided that the Sony line was best. Well, today I went out to the local Wal-Mart and saw this model and played with it for about 10 minutes. I really was able to figure out the basic controls very quickly and was blown away when I could zoom in quickly across the store to the mole on a clerk's face. The checkbook was doomed when I realized the camera was steady enough to count the hairs growing from the mole!! For me and most first time camcorder buyers, this model has more than enough features, which are listed in the review. I especially like that it hooked up to my Windows XP Home Edition system without an error. I was playing with my first streaming USB movie in 10 minutes. I took the camera outside at dusk and was able to record close up objects with amazing clarity. The Remote Commander works great -- I even have the added "feature" of being able to turn my stereo on and off with it!! The only "drawbacks" would be the short battery life (you really need to get a longer life battery which is readily available and at a good price.) The other problem for me is the bottom loading of the tape cartridge which means removing the camera from the tripod to change tapes.
Rating: 
Summary: $216 to fix?!?
Review: My wife and I purchased this item 7 months ago and it has stopped working already. Sony has offered to pay for the parts to fix it, but the labor will cost $216!! We only paid $250 for the camcorder!
Buy another brand and avoid this type of [...]!!
Rating:
Summary: Great camera!!
Review: Other than a few really dumb design flaws, this camera is perfect. I didn't want to spend a fortune on an all-digital camcorder, and I wanted better quality than a regular 8mm. This digital-8 format is perfect! The price of the camera can't be beat, especially considering the high quality. The video is crystal clear and the still photo feature is really wonderful. The camera is easy to use and very lightweight. The still photos I took came out really well, even when people were moving around. The night vision feature is amazing and I've been having alot of fun with it. The only things I don't like about this camera are:
1. The battery only lasts for about an hour, and getting a 2nd battery with a charger & accessories costs almost as much as the camera itself.
2. The Hi-8 tapes only last one hour so you constantly have to change them. They also take FOREVER to rewind.
3. When you have a tripod screwed into the bottom of the camera, you cannot change the tape without removing the camera from the tripod! If they had moved that over about 1/2 inch it would be fine.
4. The included software is horrible and doesn't work very well at all. It was written in Japanese and most of the English translation makes no sense. I would not recommend even installing it. Instead, get something like Vegas Video or even Ulead Video Studio (which came with the Firewire card I purchased) to get the videos into your computer. These are just simple little inconveniences that anybody can live with to get such a high quality camera at a great price! I would recommend installing a Firewire card into the computer if you plan on using that for video editing. If you aren't going to connect the camera to a computer, the included video cable makes it really easy to hook up to a VCR. The remote control is great for controlling the camera when watching your videos. As stupid as it sounds, I never realized how much easier it is with the remote. All in all, this is a great camera at a great price and I would highly recommend it to anyone. No, it's not professional grade, but it's perfect for the average Joe that wants to capture everyday stuff.
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