Rating: 
Summary: Nice Camera, but a few annoyances . . .
Review: A beautiful camera, but a few annoyances . . .- Did not come with a case.
- Did not come with a tape.
- Comes with one battery and no external charger i.e. you need to charge battery in the camera so if you buy a second battery; you also need to get an external charger.
- MPEG movie mode to stick limits you to 15-second shots, even if you have enough memory to take more. Not sure why. Camera comes with 4mb, I bought an additional 128mb stick.
- USB functionality is for the stick only i.e. you can't use the USB port to pull from the tape. For that you need a Firewire card. This makes sense, from a speed perspective but is not evident from the technical documentation on Sony's site. It seems like an output port choice but there is none; it's either/or depending on what you want to move to PC. USB driver provided by Sony sets the stick up as a removable drive - you can copy the MPEG's and JPEG's right over.
- Firewire card I had was compatible with Windows ME but not with the software that came with the camera. The card does work with the native ME software (I think it's: "Windows Movie maker".)
- Again, card and camera will not work with Adobe Premiere 5.1c although the Adobe site says the most recent version will work with Card/Camera combinations recognized by Windows.
- Built in flash is adequate but if you need to take red-eye free shots consider the external flash - the red eye mode on the built in flash isn't always adequate. Not a small camera but the size is well worth the trade off to get a two in one device i.e. camcorder that takes decent still shots. For those important moments you may fall back on your old 35mm or hi-res digital camera but the 1.5 mp images this camera provides should be acceptable for most occasions and not having to lug two cameras is great. All-in-all, one of the best mid-level cameras out there - Sony just needs to charge $100 more and throw a few more accessories in the box.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Camera, but a few annoyances . . .
Review: A beautiful camera, but a few annoyances . . . - Did not come with a case.
- Did not come with a tape.
- Comes with one battery and no external charger i.e. you need to charge the battery in the camera so if you buy a second battery; you also need to get an external charger.
- MPEG movie mode to stick limits you to 15-second shots, even if you have enough memory to take more. Not sure why. Camera comes with 4mb, I bought an additional 128mb stick.
- USB functionality is for the stick only i.e. you can't use the USB port to pull from the tape. For that you need a Firewire card. This makes sense, from a speed perspective but is not evident from the technical documentation on Sony's site. It seems like an output port choice but there is none; it's either/or depending on what you want to move to PC. USB driver provided by Sony sets the stick up as a removable drive - you can copy the MPEG's and JPEG's right over.
- Firewire card I had was compatible with Windows ME but not with the software that came with the camera. The card does work with the native ME software (I think it's: "Windows Movie maker".)
- Again, card and camera will not work with Adobe Premiere 5.1c although the Adobe site says the most recent version will work with Card/Camera combinations recognized by Windows.
- Built in flash is adequate but if you need to take red-eye free shots consider the external flash - the red eye mode on the built in flash isn't always adequate. Not a small camera but the size is well worth the trade off to get a two in one device i.e. camcorder that takes decent still shots. For those important moments you may fall back on your old 35mm or hi-res digital camera but the 1.5 mp images this camera provides should be acceptable for most occasions and not having to lug two cameras is great. All-in-all, one of the best mid-level cameras out there - Sony just needs to charge $100 more and throw a few more accessories in the box.
Rating:
Summary: Four Stars going on five
Review: I bought it whilst pregnant (about 6 months) thinking I would really have enough time in my hands to fiddle around and learn all the tricks....Not really in reality! The baby as just turned one and I am really now starting to get the hang of it! From what I have seen so far it is great! Definetely a bonus for those that live away from their loved ones, specially when you can very quickly record 15 secs flicks and slot the memory card onto your for example sony mouse/memory stick reader and access all the technology and e-mail it. I have to be honest and give it to XP professional and ADSL to make everything happening nowadays so much faster. Next move...update PDA, have done phone though (Sony Ericsson T300 - just brilliant). Keep it coming technology, big fan of it and thank you Amazon.com for supplying me all the information I NEED!
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome, but pricey
Review: I have owned this camera for about 6 months, and did about 2 months research. This camera is the best camera out there and is worth every penny. I can not believe all the options available. I am still learning how to use them all. If you have an wild imagination, this camcorder will make all your dreams come true. Although there are alot of options, they are very easy to understand and very simple to use.
The digital pictures come out very clear, and everyone was amazed at the video playback. It is amazing.
The only drawbacks about the camera is that you have to purchase another battery. The one that comes with it does not last very long. You also need to purchase a bigger flash card for the pics. The one supplied only holds about 4 high res pics, and finally you should invest in a uv protective lense. This will keep your original lense from getting scratched. All these additional products will add about another ($) to ($) to your bill, and you still have not bought tapes yet.
But in the end, it is worth every penny...
Rating:
Summary: Great Combo Camera
Review: I love my new camera. The combination of 1.5 megapixel stills and great video images mean I only have to take one camera with me on vacation. Add the fact that it includes a built-in flash so you can take pictures in low light situations, and the fact that it weighs less than a pound and a half, and it just can't be beat. As a Mac user I can report that the iLink output is compatible with iMovie, and the USB port means the media card appears right on your desktop - no more funky software to import digital stills. I can even digitize my old HI8 footage into iMovie with the analog passthrough feature. Quite a camera I must say!
Rating:
Summary: VERY BEST SONY DV HANDYCAM EVER PRODUCED
Review: I purchsaed my Sony DCRTRV30 Handycam a little over a year ago. And, I could'nt have purchased a better cam. Most of my cameras (4) are now Sony products and have not found fault with any of them. Working as a Paramedic in the City of Philadelphia, Pa. I carry my Sony TRV30 with me 24/7. And, you would'nt believe some of the great shots that I've gotten at work and at play. I've even sold some fire/accident video scenes to the local media. This camera is impressive in it's size, features, convenience, overall performance, and it's sleek/cool styling. It make's me proud to carry and display it everywhere I go. I'm sorry to see that Sony has discontinued it's production so quickly. But, that also now make's it a "classic" style cam, for all who where smart enough to have purchased one. The very best Sony DV Handycam Camcorder yet. ...
Rating:
Summary: VERY BEST SONY DV HANDYCAM EVER PRODUCED
Review: I purchsaed my Sony DCRTRV30 Handycam a little over a year ago. And, I could'nt have purchased a better cam. Most of my cameras (4) are now Sony products and have not found fault with any of them... This camera is impressive in it's size, features, convenience, overall performance, and it's sleek/cool styling. It make's me proud to carry and display it everywhere I go. I'm sorry to see that Sony has discontinued it's production so quickly... Happy shooting.
Rating:
Summary: VERY BEST SONY DV HANDYCAM EVER PRODUCED
Review: I purchsaed my Sony DCRTRV30 Handycam a little over a year ago. And, I could'nt have purchased a better cam. Most of my cameras (4) are now Sony products and have not found fault with any of them. Working as a Paramedic in the City of Philadelphia, Pa. I carry my Sony TRV30 with me 24/7. And, you would'nt believe some of the great shots that I've gotten at work and at play. I've even sold some fire/accident video scenes to the local media. This camera is impressive in it's size, features, convenience, overall performance, and it's sleek/cool styling. It make's me proud to carry and display it everywhere I go. I'm sorry to see that Sony has discontinued it's production so quickly. But, that also now make's it a "classic" style cam, for all who where smart enough to have purchased one. The very best Sony DV Handycam Camcorder yet. ...
Rating:
Summary: VERY BEST SONY DV HANDYCAM EVER PRODUCED
Review: I purchsaed my Sony DCRTRV30 Handycam a little over a year ago. And, I could'nt have purchased a better cam. Most of my cameras (4) are now Sony products and have not found fault with any of them... This camera is impressive in it's size, features, convenience, overall performance, and it's sleek/cool styling. It make's me proud to carry and display it everywhere I go. I'm sorry to see that Sony has discontinued it's production so quickly... Happy shooting.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the bunch
Review: I'll try not to repeat what others have said about this marvelous cam...Anyway, The most impressive ( and important ) feature of this camera is its visuals. I first took the camera out for a day shooting clouds, traffic, sunsets and various wildlife. When viewed on my TV I was floored at the quality. Absolutely lush, vibrant colours, amazing deatil - beautiful. Don't judge what you see on the LCD panel. The actual output imagery on tape is fantastic. Still imagery is a wonderful boon. 1360x1020 gives you plenty of resolution to play with. Upgrade the memory stick to at least a 64 meg. You'll then be able to hold about 70-80 hires pictures. I did find that the stills produced were somewhat grainy when the light level was low - which is normally the case. However in bright conditions they are great. I have no need to carry a separate digital still camera with me.
Had great fun creating close up shots - you can bring the subject matter so close it'll touch the lens before it goes out of focus. Produced some great macro photography this way. Brilliant. The manual focus ring is wieghted and smooth for precise focus adjustment - auto focus a little slow - nothing to worry about. Manual Exposure control - excellent.
Many fun features which after playing with them I never really come back to. It's the quality of the visuals that'll impress you.
I purchased a firewire card and cable and have had no problems outputting the imagery to and from my PC. Made many a short film of friends and folks this way.
The charger is great in that you only need a plug adapter when traveling to another country ( eg. Europe ). It'll handle a broad range of voltages. The TRV30 has every input / output you'll likely to need and even though the little cover seems like it's going to break mine is still on after months of use...
Don't be put off by the 10x zoom. It's plenty. Anything over that and you'll be needing a tripod to keep the image stable. I've gotten some huge shots of the setting sun with the 10x.
Plus with the 37mm lens you have plenty of opportunity to purchase add on filters and lens from a massive selection of great camera gear that's out there.
You can also shoot in 16:9 mode which will then play back correctly on a widescreen TV. However, the image is not anamorphic. The camera is basically resizing the image. Nice feature to have though.
Um...,
Also buy a quality tape and stick with it. Don't change brands. I use Fuji. Enough rambling - if you're thinking of purchasing the Sony - go and try in a shop. Hold it, play with it and fall in love with it. Imagine what you will create. I did.
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