Rating: 
Summary: drawbacks galore!
Review: ...Comfort and user friendliness is important to me and this just didn't have it. The zoom function was difficult to control and it was hard to reach the zoom button on top of the camcorder and it just didn't feel right to move the lever left to right as opposed to front and back. The viewfinder was only B+W. My Sony Cam from '91 felt more ergonomically correct than this unit. Glad the TRV530 is discontinued. The TRV117 is a much better choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this camera for stills if you want to print them
Review: Buyer beware. The 640 X 480 pixel resolution of the still photos cannot be printed in an acceptable quality. I have been happy with the camcorder functions and the digital media is easy to work with but the poor still quality is a real problem for me.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Digital Camera
Review: Excellent, digital and optical zoom. Special efects wonderfull. I would be great better resolution for taking pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Looks great on paper, but failed my tests
Review: For me this camera had the perfect mix of features so I picked it up to record my hiking adventures. First off the motor was so loud it was terrible (louder than my gal's voice in some scenes). I took it up Mt Timpanogos and discovered that not only was it too loud, but the 360 degree mic was overpowered by even the smallest breezes, and colors of flowers and plants got totally washed out in bright sunlight (can be corrected by a filter). The B&W viewfinder is useless (I couldn't make out a deer standing in shadow 20 meters away) and the LCD is hard to see in bright sun. It was also way too heavy to carry in a pack all day. In low light conditions it gets very grainy (to be expected, but not to this degree). I returned it and now am trying a DCRTRV17. Same mic and LCD but with a color VF, much smaller and lighter (DVC), a super quiet motor, but only 10x op-zoom.
Rating:
Summary: Too Many Better Choices Out There.
Review: I already own the extremely small JVC GR-DVP3U and was looking for a good second camera. I needed something larger for more recreational use.. The features that caused me to buy this unit where the Sony name, large LCD and the fact that the digital8 format would allow me to still dubb and play my Hi8 and 8mm tapes. I took for granted that the images would be crystal clear and the capabilities would be as expected in 2002. Howver, I will be returning this camera within my alloted 30 days. The low light capabilities are non-existant. I tried filming in my living room with 3 lights on and the images were worse than my old 8mm Viewcam. Outside in bright light if operates fine. Still images are pathetic! This is not Sony's best work. look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Poor picture quality indoors
Review: I have an old Sony hi-8 camcorder that no longer works. Since I have many years of hi-8 recordings, I decided to move to digital-8 format. I purchased the TR530 from Circuit City. It played our old Hi-8 tapes very well. When I recorded my kids in a well-lit room, the picture quality was much worse than the old hi-8 tapes. It was unacceptably grainy. In bright sunlight, picture quality was okay, but certainly not any better than Hi-8. Since all reviews that I had read about the Sony digital-8 camcorders were good, I assumed that I had a defective camcorder.
I took it back to Circuit City and they replaced it with no hassle. To my surprise, the new one had just as poor of performance as the previous one. I called Sony and they could not help me. I then took the camera into Circuit City to demonstrate its problem with the salesman who sold it to me. After connecting it
to a large screen TV, he agreed that the picture quality was poor. He then connected a demo model up to the TV, and it, too, had an unacceptably grainy picture. The salesman was visibly embarressed. I returned the second camera for a full refund. (Circuit City gave me no hassle). My experience with Sony Digital-8 camcorders appears to be unique. Perhaps our local Circuit City received a batch of bad
camcorders. I don't know.
Rating:
Summary: Nice camcorder, some disappointments
Review: I have been using a Sony 8mm camcorder for a number of years. I bought this because my wife wanted a digital camera and I wanted to edit video on my computer. The digital editing has worked out well and it has been fun, once I got my firewire card to work right. The software that comes with it works adequately. I was disappointed in the video quality in low light situations. It gets very grainy compared to my old 8mm unless you turn on Nightshot, but then everything is a shade of green. The digital camera piece is also disappointing. The picture quality is very poor, though OK for my wife that prints mostly 2X3 inch pictures for scrapbooks. She went with this size because anything bigger looks bad. I do not like looking at the pictures on screen because of the poor quality. For the price I don't know that you can get any better and I still enjoy and use it, but the quality wasn't as good as I had hoped.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice State-of-the-Art Digital8 Camera
Review: I just bought this camera and I am pleased. First at all, this device can be operated (easy operation) since you open the box and charge the battery. Some people have written about the inconvenience of a b/w viewfinder. I don't think so; certainly, with the excellent color display why would you like see the viewfinder? On the other side, professionals can "read" an image even it is in black and white.
Second at all, it can be carried (inside a Sony bag, of course)with its accesories (literally ALL its accesories) and you will not be tired; obviously, this is an enormous advantage, specially if you are planning the "trip of your life", that is, 5-6 weeks with a camera in order to record every little detail. You won't need to visit a doctor after the trip because the pain in your shoulders.
Finally, let's talk about prices. It is true that technology is expensive. And it is true too that Sony's best performance equipments are really expensive. But, for this price you obtain basic accesories and an excellent software package, so you will be able to do whatever you want without an additional investment. I hope you think about this next time you want to buy any other brand.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!!!!
Review: I purchased this camera a few weeks back. I've had camcorders for nearly 15 years and I can tell you that this camera is definantly worth every penny. The 3.5" screen is so easy to use. It makes every shot a breeze. The 7oox zoom allows you to get close-up that were previously not possible. I use it alot at my daughters musicals,etc.No longer do I have to position myself near the front on the floor. I can go to the back of the gym at the top of the bleachers and do my filming. Having the memory stick feature to be able to take digital pics is just an added bonus that puts this camera over the top. Hats off to SONY for an all round PERFECT camera. No complaints.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY disapointing - this camcorder [is bad]!
Review: I recently bought the 530 some time ago and let me tell you it was the biggest mistake of my life. I am so happy this camcorder is discontinued because it won't make others as angry as it made me. First off, the digital stills are laughable. VERY WEAK! The camera is bulky. I can't even get my finger to rest confortably on the zoom. I end up holding the damn thing with two hands!
Okay, the optical zoom is good (that's where it gets ONE star from me). However, the digital zoom is so awful that its pointless that its even there. Picture is very grainy at times when seen on my TV. This had my family very disapointed as I was filming my first born's first few steps. I was REALLY angry. This camcorder was a bust for Sony and I'm glad they threw it out. I will be getting the MINI DV soon.
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