Rating: 
Summary: Great for those with an 8mm library
Review: The best features of this camcorder, and that things that make it worth [the extra money] over the TRV250, are its backwards compatibility and its analog to digital converter. Now that my trusty Sony Hi8 camcorder has died after 12 years of service, I not only will still have access to all the tapes, but the bulit in A/D converter will let me burn them to disc with no other hardware except a firewire port and a big hard disk. In addition, it has analog A/V inputs which will allow VHS, TV or other signals to pass through and be digitized. Bulk and the 1:20 recording time of the supplied battery are issues, as is the fact that batteries must be charged on the unit, unless you plan on buying ... stand alone chargers. The info-lithium battery system is quite nice, however, telling exactly how much time is remaining. The memory stick is OK for email or web sites, not for serious photography.Bottom line: if you have an extensive library of Hi-8 tapes that you want to play or burn, then this is the ideal unit. If you are starting fresh in digital videography, then the mini-DV units offer significant advantages in size and features.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Camera, Good Luck Uploading to PC
Review: The good: Clear picture when viewing the digital tapes directly on a television. I like the fade in/out button. Good value. The bad: The manual is worthless. ilink is the same as firewire? Won't read that in the manual. Uploading video to your PC via the USB port does not work. The software the camera comes with is horrid. Had to buy a memory stick. The still pictures are horrid. Apparently, through reading other reviews, to get decent uploads of video for burning to VCD's you need firewire. Now I have to buy a cable (35 bucks) and a firewire card for my PC. Perhaps I should have just bought a camera that burns directly to DVDs. Low light shots are not the best quality. All in all, for the money and my first Camcorder, I am getting great shots of my four month old daughter. As with all electronic things (first computer, dvd player, mp3 player, etc.), I will be a much more informed shopper on my SECOND purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Good camera for beginners and novices.
Review: There are enough features to satisfy a normal person. Since I'm not normal, I wanted a bit more. Scrolling menus by spinning a tiny wheel is not very user friendly, but it'll do for most. I also wish I could control the fade in and out times. Some buttons that do not require the LCD screen require opening the LCD screen as they are in the inside panel. Charging is very quick and the pictures are crisp. The manual covers everything but is a bit disorganized. It needs to come with a memory stick. Self-focus requires turning the menu wheel instead of a wheel attached to the lens which is a bit annoying but that's okay as I use the auto-focus. The best thing is opening the cassette holder and watching the machine slide it out with a whirring sound.
Rating:
Summary: really nice
Review: this camera is treally nice except since it is only 500 it really show the quality is ok but the nite life need improving overall good camera
Rating:
Summary: its good but not worth...bucks
Review: This is a great camera but it can be noisy - I had to return the first one because it was really really noisy. The one that replaced it was better, but still way noisier than my old Sony Hi8 which was downright silent. I guess the tape moves twice as fast and the heads probably spin faster too. Anyway, considering that the Hi8 was $1400 in 1992, this is a good deal as it has a bunch of things I wanted then like a built in light and the LCD display. There's a fine line between "noticeable" and "annoying" noise levels and this one is right up against it. As I understand it lots of the new digital cameras, including the DV format cameras are noisier than the older analog models, I guess unless you start spending more than a grand or so. Oh well. 4/5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: bit noisy
Review: This is a great camera but it can be noisy - I had to return the first one because it was really really noisy. The one that replaced it was better, but still way noisier than my old Sony Hi8 which was downright silent. I guess the tape moves twice as fast and the heads probably spin faster too. Anyway, considering that the Hi8 was $1400 in 1992, this is a good deal as it has a bunch of things I wanted then like a built in light and the LCD display. There's a fine line between "noticeable" and "annoying" noise levels and this one is right up against it. As I understand it lots of the new digital cameras, including the DV format cameras are noisier than the older analog models, I guess unless you start spending more than a grand or so. Oh well. 4/5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A great camcorder
Review: This is a very nice camcorder. Some people have said it's noisy. Those people must have received a defective one or are filming in a library. If it was any quieter, I'd have to check if it was even on. The nightvision is great if you want to do your own Blair Witch movie. Yours will probably be better than the actual movie. As far as still pictures go, get a digital camera or 35mm. This is a camcorder, that can take stills, but it is a camcorder. All-N-Ones haven't quite gotten up to par yet. Give it another couple years. I am still waiting for my Star Trek Telepoter, that should have been around or in testing by 2000:)
Rating: 
Summary: Incomplete package right out of the box.
Review: This is yet another in a line of disappointing SONY products I have purchased in the past 24 months. The software that comes with this product can be thrown away or used as a nice Coaster set. Whatever you do DON'T load this software on your computer. It interferes with other audio and video capture devices, and it is plagued with errors when run on Windows XP. It's also a pain to use due to a lousy gui.
You cannot hook this thing up to a VCR as there are no RCA jacks anywhere on this camcorder so forget turning your VHS tapes into digital video using this camcorder as a conversion tool. Got home movies on VHS? They are gonna stay there, you won't be converting them to 8mm or digital with this camcorder.
The digital DV cable you need, does not come with this camcorder, so the package is incomplete from the word go. The store that sold me the camera doesn't have the dv cables, nor did any other electronics store in my area. I had to order them from Sony who happily sold me the 6 foot piece of wire for a mere 38 bucks, plus shipping of course. That was after I actually got through to someone at Sony's phone number, and as is customary these days with any phone service you can expect a long wait to talk to somebody. This item is the last Sony product I buy.
Rating:
Summary: superb camera for the amateur with a Hi8 library
Review: We are using this camera to take home movies, view/transfer our library of Hi8 movies, and capture digital stills for transer to our computer. This camera has exceeded our expectations in all these areas. While my husband was anxious to get a digital video camera, I was reluctant to spend the money, even though our analog videocam is three years old -- a dinosaur by today's standards -- heavy and clunky with few features. But now I'm the one who is always grabbing the camera to film and to take pictures. I love it. Using a memory stick that can be purchased in several capacities, you can take still pictures even as you're filming; the memory stick we got holds approximately 400 pictures. You can find your shot using the viewfinder (in b&w) or the LCD screen (in color). We had no trouble at all, using the included cable and software, transferring images and movies to our Macintosh computer; it will work for an Intel machine too. A recharge takes us about 80 minutes and is then good for 90 minutes of recording time using the LCD screen or 110 minutes using the viewfinder. Problematic are the LCD screen which, even when adjusted, is difficult to view in high light conditions, and the steep learning curve on the many functions and buttons. On the other hand, there are so many buttons and functions because this camera DOES so many things. There are lots of special effects too. The buttons are very small but that also helps keep the size of the camera down. Some frequently used functions, like backlight and fade, need only a single button to activate. Bottom line: It will take you a while to learn everythng that this Sony can do -- the manual is nearly 270 pages!! -- but your effort will be greatly rewarded. Also, this camera is terrific if you have tapes in the older Hi8 format. Great camera.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing is perfect so I want to give 4.5 starts
Review: Well, this is the model one level higher than 250, and more expensive. Is it worth? My answer is, definitely YES. I don't want to repeat what the manufacturer review and others said. Here is the usage summary from my experience (I used both camcoders and returned 250).
Pros compared to 250: 1) Analog to digital conversion feature. You can record directly from your VCR and convert the analog signal into digital one. Either with USB or Firewire, you can make your own VCD or DVD. With XP, windows movie maker can be the capture software and it does a better job than the ImageMixer came with the camcoder. 2) Super Night Vision. 16 times brighter than Night shot (250 has). You can record Save Private Lynch in complete darkness with this camcoder (either in color or green). 3) Downward compatability. This camera can play hi8, 8mm tapes while 250 can not play hi8 tapes. Cons:
1) You need to buy a Firewire cable (6 pin to 4 pin if you connect to your PC), maybe a PCMCIA or PC adaptor for Firewire as well. It's OK even you don't have them but the USB is 1.0 version so it won't be as fast as firewire (depending on how big you want the video to be).
2) Memory stick. Considering the cost of purchasing a separate memory stick this camera can be more expensive than a Canon or JVC mini-DV one.
3) Extra battery. Same thing. Japs are smart. SO you need to spend more on accessories. For all the 3 cons, you can get around without purchasing anything. E.g., use USB intead of Firewire; do not take still images (therefore not using memory stick) or use Start/Stop to record picture and use software to capture later on; use direct power instead of battery if possible. Accessories are 50%cheaper on ebay. All in all, from big 20x optical zoom to super night shot, A/D conversion to downward compatibility with hi8, 8mm, USB steaming as a web camera, you name it. The features of this camcoder are very complete. But nothing is perfect and everything is tradeoff, don't you agree?
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