Rating: 
Summary: Great camera!
Review: Stuck looking for that PERFECT camera? Look no further. If this camera is in your price range, this is the one. Excellent broadcast picture quality, loads of features that can be used if you desire the manual settings, tons of add-ons available.
Rating:
Summary: Great camera!
Review: Stuck looking for that PERFECT camera? Look no further. If this camera is in your price range, this is the one. Excellent broadcast picture quality, loads of features that can be used if you desire the manual settings, tons of add-ons available.
Rating: 
Summary: Correction on May 16th Review
Review: The software mentioned on my May 16th review IS called "AVID Xpress" -- not "AVID Express" -- when my review was edited someone changed the spelling, possibly thinking it was a typo/mistake?
Rating:
Summary: Best Consumer Digital Camcorder on the market
Review: The TRV-900 is, by far, the best camcorder you can buy short of a professional model. The picture quality blows away the competition (must be those 3 CCD's). In most cases, you won't be able to tell the difference between the TRV 900 and professional cameras costing several times its price. The TRV-900 has every feature a consumer could want, including a progressive scan mode that lets you take high quality still pictures and save them directly to tape or a flash memory card (not included). You can also capture still images from tape and save them on a floppy disk (drive included) or flash card.The LCD screen is large and bright. The menu controls are easy to use once you decipher the manual (see below). Sound quality is noticeably better than other camcorders I have used. Low light performance is great. For those who are interested, all automatic exposure, white balance and focus functions can be overriden and controlled manually. On the down side, the unit is a bit heavier and a bit larger than most other mini-dv camcorders. You have to open the lcd screen to reach the button that activates the menu controls. The camcorder comes with a very nice lens hood, but it is threaded in such a way that you cannot install a filter between the lens and the hood - you have to install filters in front of the hood thereby increasing the risk of glare. Finally, the manual was obviously translated from Japanese and is full of annoying little errors. But these are all minor shortcomings that do nothing to detract from the amazing picture quality and features. In summary, if you are looking for a Mini DV camcorder and can afford this one, then you need look no further.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony Handycam [messed] up my computer
Review: The USB software bundled by Sony for transferring images to computer COMPLETELY [MESSED] UP MY SYSTEM. The installation is very dicey. You need to do things in a precise order. It is prone to getting [messed] up,... it can't be fixed. As usual, the Sony software is a mess.
Their instructions for unscrambling the mess don't work. They just get you deeper into the woods.
Be sure to get the extended warranty if you buy this product. You will probably need it. As for the computer, it may require a complete disk wipe and reinstallation. God help you if you have RAID or something else. WHAT A MESS. Sony is big enough that they don't care. They don't have to.
Rating:
Summary: Great for a Mac DV user
Review: This is the camcorder I will buy on my next paycheck. I own an Apple PowerBook G3 (bronze), and needed a camcorder, as we're expecting our first child in August. Why not go with DV? You learn a lot! First Adobe Premiere is cheaper than Apple's Final Cut Pro. Then you find out that Premiere works better with Sony cameras than Canon. Then you find out that only some FireWire cards work with Premiere and which Sony models those support. If you are like me, you learn that you have two models that could work, and one of them was just discontinued. The DCR-TRV900 was perfect! Well, NightShot would have been fun, but it has everything else. I went to a video store to handle it, and it works as advertised; even the SteadyShot! Next step is to see how it works in combination, but all signs point to a good experience.
Rating:
Summary: great digital camera
Review: This is the only DV camera I've used, but I'm very happy with it so far. I don't own one, but my school does and so far it's been incredible. Great resolution, very light, pretty stable picture for a light consumer camcorder and oh my god, the difference between Hi-8 and DV is like night and day. Also, the digital effects can be used without looking cheesy. I recommend it whole-heartedly.
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Summary: Get this camcorder if you want to edit your video!
Review: This really is a hot camcorder. Combine it with a PC and some editing software from a company like Digital Origin, and you can really create some fabulous videos. One feature that is not to be underestimated: analog video input. This lets you transfer your old analog footage to DV and work entirely in this format, which simplifies things a ton.
Rating:
Summary: Only for Pro-Consumers
Review: When I received my new camera I was using a borrowed PC100. I did not return the later right away 'cause I wanted to do a little test to prove if the 3CCD system was truly that different. My wife asked me what I was doing, to which I answered: "Let's see if I just overspent our money..." I used the same tape to film our newborn baby with both the PC100 and the TVR-900 at the same position. What were the results? My wife said: "Make sure you do the rest of the filming with the new one." The PC100 had darker areas, you could see the interlaced video shadows, and a whole other bunch of things I don't know the terms to 'cause I discovered them when I saw the same picture filmed with the TRV-900. It is a lot heavier than the PC bunch from Sony, so go for it only if you are looking for near-professional results instead of convenience...
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Product Design - ever
Review: You want it - you got it. Excellent picture quality; Sony steady-shot that really works; still-image capture to tape (or extra adapter card+memory stick a must!); bright LCD display; variable audio feedback; IEEE firewire, controls that are easy to reach and are learned-responses for those familiar with previous Sony cams. Specifically, we use this unit for green-screen compositing of people, environments, and virtual products. The firewire coupled with Adobe Premier is a god-send. Simply said, that is essentially all you need (plus consistent overall lighting in a green-screen environment). G3 or PC - firewire will suck it down as fast as anything I've seen. Positively get the custom aluminum case if you do a lot of travel and want to keep your camera happy. This will keep all your components safe and somewhat easily accessible. Get a 2+ hour battery; the NP-750 battery has plenty of gas - surprisingly the LCD does not drain the juice too quickly. A PC transfer card for the memory stick would be nice - but you can get away with plugging the IEEE and transferring from memory card or to tape. The construction and attention to product detail is marvelous. Little rubber covers, positive audio clicks, all the nifty nick-nacks want you to have Sony make your next car. Sure there are a few quirks - but there's few products that have such high quality and high value as the TRV900!
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