Rating: 
Summary: This Camcord Delivers for its Inteded Purpose
Review: All of the negative reviews are un-warranted. If you want to buy this unit, make sure you understand what it was designed for. I saw a Sony Exec talking about it at a marketing show; she was discussing their ad strategy for it. The Exec stated that it was designed for a business traveller who wanted a TINY camcorder to take some "hobby" shots while on the road. I bought this unit for a BUSINESS trip to Hong Kong. For this purpose this camera was PERFECT. It easily fits in your briefcase. Until you own this thing, you have no idea what a leap it is in terms of size. On my trip, I would routinely just stick it in my (bulging) pocket. For this size comes a tradeoff. The camera opeates on MPEG2. The CCD has a lower than normal resolution. Both of these are okay; the larger problem is, at this size, you can get a lot of camera shake (even with the stabilzer feature). Overall, the picture quality is fine. I would not own this as your only camcorder. I would not use this for any "movie making" or run of the mill home vidoes. I would however HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone that wants to take videos on a business trip and not look like a tourist; or needs to grab some video to show their spouse who didn't get to go.
Rating:
Summary: This Camcord Delivers for its Inteded Purpose
Review: All of the negative reviews are un-warranted. If you want to buy this unit, make sure you understand what it was designed for. I saw a Sony Exec talking about it at a marketing show; she was discussing their ad strategy for it. The Exec stated that it was designed for a business traveller who wanted a TINY camcorder to take some "hobby" shots while on the road. I bought this unit for a BUSINESS trip to Hong Kong. For this purpose this camera was PERFECT. It easily fits in your briefcase. Until you own this thing, you have no idea what a leap it is in terms of size. On my trip, I would routinely just stick it in my (bulging) pocket. For this size comes a tradeoff. The camera opeates on MPEG2. The CCD has a lower than normal resolution. Both of these are okay; the larger problem is, at this size, you can get a lot of camera shake (even with the stabilzer feature). Overall, the picture quality is fine. I would not own this as your only camcorder. I would not use this for any "movie making" or run of the mill home vidoes. I would however HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone that wants to take videos on a business trip and not look like a tourist; or needs to grab some video to show their spouse who didn't get to go.
Rating: 
Summary: A Profound disappointment
Review: As a devoted Sony customer and a contented user of the DCR-TRV11, I had high hopes for the smaller DCR1P7BT. The size and fucntionality of the DCR17BT was superb, but its utility is plagued by its video downloading difficulty. Several different programs have to be installed. After installing Movieshaker, Quicktime, DirectX8a and an upgrade driver for Windows 2000, the camera still would not download using a FireWire connection. I have attempted downloading on FOUR SONY PCs (2 running Windows 2000, and two running XP and failed every single time. I returned the camera to Circuit City after 24 hours of frustration. My TRV11 downloads flawlessly. The last thing I need with a videocamera is downloading problems. With firewire devices, downloading should be nearly effortless.
Rating:
Summary: BUYER BEWARE!
Review: Buyers should beware that this camera uses the "MV" format, not "DV". The problem is that it is all but impossible to find software that works with MV. It comes with Movieshaker, but Movieshaker doesn't run on a Mac. Moreover, I believe there are connectivity issues with PCs too. For example, my PC (a new high-end Dell laptop) doesn't have an IEEE1394 port. Do most? That limits me to USB, which is much slower, and if I read the manual correctly, can only be used for still photos (I didn't spend much time trying, so I cannot confirm that point). Overall, I am a big fan of Sony and I'm impressed by how much they squeezed into such a small camcorder. However, I feel strongly that they should have forewarned Mac users (and possibly PC users) about these issues. Note: the box says it is Mac compatible. After spending all weekend trying to make it work, I finally returned the camcorder. Instead I replaced it with a "DV" compatible camera (almost half the price) and was connected to my computer in 10 minutes (although Mac users beware you do need to buy a Firewire cable).
Rating:
Summary: Nightmare
Review: Doesn't work with my MAC. Nightmare trying to download on PC. Sometimes works w/ an i.Link port on a Sony computer. Now it doesnt' even do that. Sometimes worked on a 3rd party FireWire card for my PC, but I had to pull card out and re-install everytime to try to get it to capture. Now that doesn't even work. MPEG2 bites, must convert w/ DOS program. MovieShaker is the worst. I hate this camera w/ a passion. I'm going to throw mine ($$$$!) away or sell it on [other online site]. Anybody want mine? I'm going to get one that plugs directly into my iMac.
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this camcorder!
Review: First of all, the Bluetooth feature is absolutely useless. You can only use it to upload to Sony's website using a 56k dialup. Forget about using it to upload videos. Second, it uses a Sony proprietary video format called MicroMV. As such, can only use the bundled MovieShaker to import and edit your video footage. This doesn't seem to be a big deal except that MovieShaker is extremely slow. Do yourself a favor, do a search on the web for reviews of this unit. I returned mine ...
Rating:
Summary: I had to comment to save you
Review: From buying this totally waste of technology. Call up any Good Guys / Circuit City and ask them what the most returned camera has been in the last few months - it'll be the new MicroMV cameras. They are all awful. The resolution is awful - all you have to do is look at footage on a TV and you'll see what i mean. Another HUGE disadvantage - MPEG2 encoding - NONE, I MEAN NONE, of the software NLE's (non-linear editors) support MPEG2 - so therefore, you can't use Premier, Final Cut Pro, etc...you are forced to use this 2-bit software app that Sony put out. It's awful. I tried it. It's painful. Premiere says they will NOT support MPEG2 until more camera makers adopt it - not likely in the near future. DON'T take a chance on such new technology, unless you're the guy who also owned the Sony mini-disc camcorder (discontinued after 6 months).
Rating:
Summary: Yes, Bad Resolutions, BUT GREAT PORTABILITY
Review: Got this for about 7 weeks, its great for outdoor, grab out of your pocket and shoot at what u see. Needs sunlight, yes its got horrible resolutions..but if you don't mind too much, its great. price...its not so bad. Yes, Editing software is not that good because it is super slow when i edited my 1 hour movie.
Rating: 
Summary: small with alot of options
Review: I have had this camera for about a month and it is the best investment i have made in a while. Using it as a camera and a video recorder is a big plus. The bluetooth is also great you can send a picture by e-mail with out having a computer. I would recommened this camera to anyone that is looking for one.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible little package
Review: I've got a lot of toys, but this was truly an incredible buy. I read the other reviews of this camcorder and was hesitant. I have to say that the only reason for the purchase was the Sony name. After checking out the camcorder for myself, I don't know why all the people were making such a fuss. I guess if you are a fanatic and own several camcorders to compare, you might notice some features that the bigger camcorders have (which I do). For people who one camcorder, how would you know the difference? The size is the key. Even with a mini DV camcorder like the Sony DCR-TRV22, you notice the size (especially if you need battery life and have the longer life battery connected). It keeps you from having it by your side. Most of the moments you want to film happen when your camcorder is stored in its bag (Murphy's law #__). Not with this one. It's so small and light that I can carry it around in my hand all the time. As far as the features, I thought it would be lacking. This is not the case. Most of the features I use readily are available and easy to use. Other larger camcorders do have more features, but how many of those do you really use? How many of us are going to go through the process of changing this and that to capture 10-20 seconds worth of film? This is the camcorder I was waiting for. I don't know why it is discontinued. Perhaps sales were not that great due to the price... I liked it so much, I bought a second one. Some things are worth the money and the DCR-IP7BT camcorder(s) was definately one of my best buys.
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