Rating: 
Summary: DCRTRV18
Review: A good small digital camera. Video quality is good. Still pictures are not the greatest, but as a starter camera combining video and stills, it is OK. Only problem is when I tried to download the stills from the camera, the USB driver provided did not work. Windows XP was unable to recognize the driver and am still waiting for Sony's reply to my request for a driver.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony DCR TRV18
Review: A good small digital camera. Video quality is good. Still pictures are not the greatest, but as a starter camera combining video and stills, it is OK. Only problem is when I tried to download the stills from the camera, the USB driver provided did not work. Windows XP was unable to recognize the driver and am still waiting for Sony's reply to my request for a driver.
Rating:
Summary: Sony DCR-TRV18: exceptional quality, a great value
Review: At 25 Mega bits per second, MiniDV is the digital video format of choice for amateurs and professionals alike. Shoot your movie, transfer it to the computer then burn it on a DVD. If you're like me and want to make lots of quality home movies and still skip the costs of burning DVDs, a good choice is to store your movies on regular CDs as SVCD... The MiniDV tapes offer top-of-the line video & audio quality yet they are very small (tape width: 6.35 mm).The question is: which MiniDV camcorder?
Important factors in my decision: * A quality camera lens. DCR-TRV18 is Sony's least expensive camcorder that comes with the famous Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens! * CCD size: look for a camcorder with a 680K CCD or larger. That larger pixel matrix gives you steadier shots and more horizontal lines. * Low-light operation: went out after dinner and videotaped rows of flowers in the local park - the camera compensated very well for the insufficient light, the video came out great. Sony camcorders shine when it comes to operating in low-light (compared to JVC and Canon). DCR-TRV18 also has a "Night Shot" mode for videotaping at zero Lux (darkness). I used NightShot to record people dancing at a wedding reception. * Analog pass-through: many camcorders do not have inputs for transfering older analog tapes to MiniDV or to the computer. With DCR-TRV18 I was able to copy older S-VHS-C tapes, playing in my analog camcorder, to MiniDV tapes. I bought my DCR-TRV18... and I love it! Like I mentioned before, I edited my movies, added scene transitions and text then burned the MPEG-2 files on regular compact discs (40 min SVCD) to view them with my DVD player. If you need to take digital pictures, consider buying a separate digital photo camera ... rather than a camcorder/photo camera combo (these combos could only take low-resolution photos at the time of this review).
Rating: 
Summary: Bad tape technology
Review: Before you buy, think about the cost of the DV tapes. They are about $6 each, retail, and EXTREMELY fragile. One broke in my camera, and damaged something when being taken out. This was a $70 repair, while it was still under warranty. I don't know how much it would have cost after warranty period was over. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy a camera with a sturdier, cheaper media, and from a manufacturer that respects its warranty.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Camera for the Money
Review: I am a student filmmaker of fourteen years. Previous to my purchasing of this camera, I had been using my mother's PD-100P. (My mother is a film producer). I needed to stop using her camera because it annoyed her that I knew more about it than she did, and because I needed the convenience of being able to use a camera without supervision and whenever I wanted. Being parents, my mother and father forced me to do my research on camera's, and made me earn all the money for it, instead of spending money I already had in savings. From the beggining I knew I wanted a Sony. Everybody in the business talked about how they were the top of the line, the best in every dimension. Still, I looked at Cannon's, Fuji's, Panasonic's, and just about every other make. After my gigantic search, I finally decided to go with this camera because of picture quality, format, Firewire (i.Link), and because of the cost and size. I can tell you, I made the right choice. A few days after purchasing the camera, a friend of mine (who owns a Cannon) and I got together and did a two-camera shoot for a class production. When I brought the tapes home to edit, I was amazed at the diference in picture and sound quality. Even though we were mostly the same distance away, my camera picked up better quality, denser, and overall more dynamic sound than the Cannon, which I had been told had better sound than the Sony. Of course, the Sony also had much better and more detailed pictures as well. Overall, I was amazed at the quality. One more thing to mention that is a definit advantage over other consumer camera's that most people overlook: the Intelligent Acessory Show. (IAS) The Sony line of camera's are the only ones that have hot shoes (the devices that you plug in get power from the camera). Most other brands feature cold shoes (the devices you plug in have to get power from another source), meaning you must carry extra cords around whenever you want to plug in an external feature, and you have to make sure that there is always an outlet nearbye. The overall features of this camera make it the best buy for "the money" out there. OVERVIEW Pros:
-Size
-Format
-IAS
-Firewire
-Picture
-Sound Cons:
-Only one con that I have found, and it is so minor, I didn't even mention it in the main portion of the review. The hand strap is slightly uncomfortable. I hope this helps you decide which camcorder to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Camera
Review: I bought this camera six months ago. A wonderful camera indeed, very compact but very powerfull, lots of features, still going over the manual!!! the bundled software is very basic, however with a more powerfull software you can do wonders. If you plan to edit with your computer, the firewire cable is a must. The only complaint I have is the included battery, it doesn't last very long, so a bigger battery is also a must. Because of the short battery life I haven't used the LCD much. Super Night Shot feature is incredible, works great if you plan to film things that are relatively close, however is works even in complete darkness!! Overall a great camera!! worth every penny!!
Rating:
Summary: A very good camera but it has some cons...
Review: I had this camera for a few months already so far i have no complains about it. Is very easy to used and it has a lot of features. But there are a few problems with this camera which may affect ur decision on buying it: Firstable Sony doesn't include the firewire card which allow u to transfer the DV video to ur computer. The good thing about it is the u can use ur USB to transfer the video but the quality is not the same since firewire the bandwidth is 400 mbps compare to 12 Mbps on USB. Another thing u may find annoying with this camera it only includes a .67 pixel camera. This mean ur still image picture would not come out as clear and sharp as a 4.0 Mega pixel. Also the program they include for transfering the Video isn't the great. I recommend u getting adobe premiere 6.5, Pinnacle 8, MGI 5.0. Which make ur life easier and do a better job then the one sony include. If u don't believe me check Cnet.com for ratings. Besides those point this camera is great, records very clear, and it has a very good zoom, a 10x digital although that may sound like not that much zoom, the advantage is that is digital which allow u to capture a more clear picture when u zoom at a far object.
Rating:
Summary: it works
Review: I have had this camera for about 7 months now and i think it is a great camera. It does have its limitations. Low light situations are not the greatest, but acceptable. The photo function is only like 1 megapixel or less, but i did't buy for the photo quality. (You want sharp photos get a digital camera!)In a well light situation the video quality is supurb and editing the video in the computer is awesome! Highly Recommended! Good Value for the money! Who needs a bigger lcd! If the video is sharp, clear and i can get it into the computer i am happy!
Rating:
Summary: great camera
Review: I have had this camera for about 7 months now and i think it is a great camera. It does have its limitations. Low light situations are not the greatest, but acceptable. The photo function is only like 1 megapixel or less, but i did't buy for the photo quality. (You want sharp photos get a digital camera!)In a well light situation the video quality is supurb and editing the video in the computer is awesome! Highly Recommended! Good Value for the money! Who needs a bigger lcd! If the video is sharp, clear and i can get it into the computer i am happy!
Rating: 
Summary: SONRY TRV18
Review: I initially bought a JVC DVL520 and promptly returned it to the shop after viewing the output quality. The replacement i bought was the Sony TRV18. Although it was a more expensive camera, i feel it is worth it. The clarity is amazing - almost DVD like. There are also a lot of handy features such as USB streaming, being able to record on Memory stick and of course the size of this unit really nice & compact. The digital stills are OK and the NightVision is a neat feature!
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