Rating: 
Summary: Very good deal for the money.
Review: This camera is great for a few reasons. First of all, it can deliver some pretty good images for the casual point-and-shoot consumer who wants to shoot some high-quality home videos. It is also very good for someone who likes to have a little more control over the image. The manual focus ring and manual exposure features allow for a more customized picture. Being able to turn off the automatic white balance is also a huge plus here. The higher-end features are where this camera struts its stuff. For instance, this camera offers true 16:9 widescreen mode. It doesn't merely put black bars on the top and bottom of the image, you actually get more real estate on the sides of the picture without losing resolution (a feature not available on much more expensive cameras such as the Sony VX-2100 and the PD-170). I use this camera for producing short films and other video production. When lit properly, you'll be amazed by the quality of video you can get out of this baby.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This is an amazing camera for it's price. It has a carl zeiss lens which is a must-have if you want your video to end up looking profesional. Personally, i like it even better than the model above this one. This one not only has a 3.5 inch LCD compared to a 2.5 inch LCD on the more expensive model, but it also has a better feel. In the model above this one, the only thing "better" is it's smaller size. But i don't like that smaller size. It makes it feel too delicate. I may be only 17, but i've been into videography for quite awhile, and i would say, this is my favorite camera, for it's price. It's obviously not as good as say... the VX - 2000 which... i think costs something over 2000. But for my purposes, and the majority of the public's, i'm sure it's the best choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This is an amazing camera for it's price. It has a carl zeiss lens which is a must-have if you want your video to end up looking profesional. Personally, i like it even better than the model above this one. This one not only has a 3.5 inch LCD compared to a 2.5 inch LCD on the more expensive model, but it also has a better feel. In the model above this one, the only thing "better" is it's smaller size. But i don't like that smaller size. It makes it feel too delicate. I may be only 17, but i've been into videography for quite awhile, and i would say, this is my favorite camera, for it's price. It's obviously not as good as say... the VX - 2000 which... i think costs something over 2000. But for my purposes, and the majority of the public's, i'm sure it's the best choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony TRV-38 has great value!
Review: This is my first digital video camera. I've used many Sony camcorders ranging from the VX1000 to my old Hi-8 CCD TR930. Although Sony seems to be compromising some features, they are also adding great new ones. This camera, when used in fully automatic mode, does an "AWFUL" job indoors with low light--your videos will turn grey and color-less! However, with some practice using the camera's other exposure modes this problem can be avoided. Otherwise, just give it decent light. Seems that Sony's CCD and/or lens quality is getting worse. I still love the camera though. The 3.5" LCD screen also serves as the primary menu system. Yes, you are actually fingering the screen. At first this is weird. Then I began to realize, like always, how smart Sony's menu system is--very logically laid out. Get this: the screen can flip completely and rest fully back into the camera LCD-side-out making the LCD literally into a button-like control panel. With practice you can keep your eye in the viewfinder while accessing LCD buttons almost blindly. It's cool, and the 3.5" LCD is bright and rich: simply awesome. This unit has a hot-shoe and does wonders with audio when used with an Audio Technica AT-822 field mic (the built in stereo mic isn't bad either). Thank you Sony, we like hot shoes. The manual focus ring is obviously a welcome feature. The tape mechanism is on the bottom which is a major inconvenience when using this camera on a tripod. Truly insane. The tape system is however quite speedy and responsive. One of my favorite features is "END-SEARCH" which seeks out the end of your tape automatically. Firewire works like a charm (using WinXP Professional), and it has loads of USB features, none of which I will probably ever try. The zoom slider is touch sensitive and works very well. The jacks are mostly all together on the front right of the camera which I find very convenient. Outdoors, or anywhere with enough light, the brilliance and depth of the colors will amaze you. The camera is so feature rich that its price is quite nice. If you are afraid of using manual features and/or are someone who likes to take home videos inside under low-light, don't buy this camera; its color performance in fully-automatic mode is dissapointing. One last thing, this camera is near-useless for still photos unless lo-res is all you need. YUCK! Get a nice digital still camera for that (such as the Sony DSC-F707). At one megapixel, why do they waste our time? I can just hear the salesman now, "This camera serves as both a video and still camera, so you only need one unit!" Yeah right! Soooo.... Get a big battery, perhaps a light or three, a Sony TRV38, and have fun!
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