Rating: 
Summary: Nice introduction to the digital world
Review: ... After some browsing I was convinced to purchase this camera because of its solid technology and advanced features in a surprisingly affordable package.The highlights are: Digital technology using Hi8/Digital8 tapes, Hi-Fi Stereo, 560x digital zoom, 20x optical zoom, USB streaming, Super Nighshot, Steady Shot, built-in light, LCD screen, and the infoLithium technology. The camera includes a complete and detailed guide, a stereo A/V connection cable to hook up to your VCR or TV, a full featured wireless remote commander (with batteries), the NP-FM30 battery pack, a USB cable for video streaming to your PC, a shoulder strap, plus the AC power adaptor. It also includes a CD-ROM with Sony's USB drivers and Pixela's ImageMixer software for Macintosh Windows (including 2000 and XP). I am new to this whole digital video camera world as this is my first video camera, and I can say that after just a couple of hours of use I find myself very satisfied and excited with this new investment. The main purpose of my purchase was to use it to record family events and share the family moments using my PC. Obviously one of my first tests was the digital streaming using the USB connection.
I found the digital streaming very simple to use and well documented. The only gripe is the bundled Pixela ImageMixer software. It didn't work quite as expected and I had to resort to MS MovieMaker, which incidentally works excellently with this camera. I own a PC clone with Windows XP Pro and I couldn't find any glitches or incompatibilities here. You can record your pictures using various levels of quality; in high quality mode the USB performed quite well, although not quite comparable to streaming directly to a TV or VCR. The available option of using an I-Link, IEEE 1394 cable (not included) should provide a faster data transport (100-400 Mbps) and a better streaming experience, but I am currently unable to test this feature. The camera can also be used for still pictures, with capacity for more than 550 pictures using one tape. This is a fantastic feature, plus the still pictures may be combined with your videos at the same time. Later on you can use the built-in search functionality to easily obtain and view (or transfer) your stills. Additional nice features include:
* Fader effects
* Digital effects such as Still, Flash, Luminance key,Trail, Slow shutter and Old-movie
* Auto Exposure - these are preprogrammed modes used for different shooting conditions
* Interval recording - The camcorder automatically records and standbys
* Cut recording
* Zooming during playback
* Scene search by date, photo search
* Digital video editing
Overall, this is a very affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured video equipment and that is why I highly recommend it. Pros: Affordable Digital technology, ease of use, many advanced features, great documentation
Cons: Camera is a little heavy and big compared to recent models, poor software
Rating: 
Summary: I bought one too
Review: ...
Its a very good camera for the price and as my old camera was a hi-8 canon Ex1 I didnt have to go out and buy new tapes either as the 140e uses hi-8 tapes. I didnt use the pixelA software as it is rubbish, instead I use Pinnacles Studio8 which allows me to download and convert my video to burn to cd or dvd between different formats. Firewire works well and all functions are simple to use. Image quality is good. The only blots on its copybook are for me the disabled control facilities from the higher models (you can re-enable them if you know what you are doing) and the lack of DV in (again this can be fixed) finally the lack of an external mic socket...which I'm looking into sorting out... overall...very good buy. Ray.
Rating:
Summary: I bought one too
Review: ...
Its a very good camera for the price and as my old camera was a hi-8 canon Ex1 I didnt have to go out and buy new tapes either as the 140e uses hi-8 tapes. I didnt use the pixelA software as it is rubbish, instead I use Pinnacles Studio8 which allows me to download and convert my video to burn to cd or dvd between different formats. Firewire works well and all functions are simple to use. Image quality is good. The only blots on its copybook are for me the disabled control facilities from the higher models (you can re-enable them if you know what you are doing) and the lack of DV in (again this can be fixed) finally the lack of an external mic socket...which I'm looking into sorting out... overall...very good buy. Ray.
Rating:
Summary: Entry level
Review: A nice entry point as far as digital camcorders go. If your not too high tech or your other equipment is not top of the line, you probably won't be able to tell much difference between this and the next model above it.
Rating: 
Summary: DONT BUY IF USED FOR FIREWIRE EDITING
Review: Basically, this camera is great, but I bought it to do digital editing (so I would transfer the video with the firewire port). Well, to my surprise, Adobe Premiere didn't support the camera, Ulead's VideoStudio didn't either, and neither did the software provided with it (Pixelas ImageMixer). All in all, the firewire is really just a buzzword to make the camera sell, because its ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS. So I'm stuck with this USB Streaming feature... Personally, I recommend if you bought this camera to return it immediately and get a Sony MiniDV camera where you can actually use the firewire.
Rating:
Summary: Good value for digital camera
Review: Bought this camera as a replacement for my old (failed) Digital 8 camera. Same features as my other camera, at 1/2 the price as my old camera 4 years ago. Added feature this camera has: Time lapse video. And stop frame photograhpy. Feature this camera does NOT have: Search mode while in Record mode. If you want to un-record a scene, this camera does not allow you to search, or rewind, while in record mode as the previous models allowed. You must change to playback mode, then rewind, then change back to record mode and hope the tape did not shift much while changing modes.
Rating:
Summary: Good value for digital camera
Review: Bought this camera as a replacement for my old (failed) Digital 8 camera. Same features as my other camera, at 1/2 the price as my old camera 4 years ago. Added feature this camera has: Time lapse video. And stop frame photograhpy. Feature this camera does NOT have: Search mode while in Record mode. If you want to un-record a scene, this camera does not allow you to search, or rewind, while in record mode as the previous models allowed. You must change to playback mode, then rewind, then change back to record mode and hope the tape did not shift much while changing modes.
Rating:
Summary: Package with everything
Review: Camera is easy to use and a sturdy rugged design. The buttons are solid and all have a positive feel to them, no chrome to wear off. The zoom is easy to control. Some of the cameras I tried would pick up the sound of the zooming onto the tape, this camera is silent. Lots of goodies, remote (so you can sit back in your chair as you watch your videos), being able to zoom in on a video during playback, and time lapsed videoing. When looking for a camera make sure that you have enough optical zoom. Digital zoom is just blowing up the best optical picture that you can get. I've tried some cameras with 10x optical, but the picture quality really suffers, and even more so when you use digital zoom. This camera with 20x zoom and 560x digital zoom makes for great shots of people without getting in their face and does a nice picture job on zooming in on objects. The steady shot feature is the best out of all the cameras I looked at. Other cameras have their own versions, but Sony has perfected this feature. Very handy when looking at your home videos. Nothing more annoying than watching a shakey video. Which brings me to the weight of the camera. This camera isn't the lightest, but that's because of the size of the tape and technology in it, but the lighter the camera, the harder it is to keep steady. The O- lux with super nightshot works great, you can see in the dark! In low light I was happy with the performance. I've used the camera around the camp fire and was able to take some great video. The battery life is relatively short even if you don't use the LCD screen, but Sony as the infolithium battery which tells you exactly how much time you have left on the battery at all times. Like with any camera, you will need to buy a second battery anyway. The USB streaming function with the Pixella software is virtually useless. Very disappointing, because that is why I bought this model. (Other wise I would have bought the TRV308). I went out and had to buy a Firewire PCI card with a cable (IEEE 1394, I-link). Now your talking great camera to PC downloading. Its like your LCD screen is on your computer. Cut, paste and re-record the video onto your camera or email it. Overall Sony knows how to make a product. They try to think of everything, even the lense cap has a handy clip to hang it out of the way when you are filming. Plugs and cable ports are handy and easy to get at. Whatever camera you get, buy a UV lense, 10 bucks takes the glare out of outside video shots and adds an extra layer of protection to the actual video camera lense. I spent alot of time going from store to store buying, trying and returning 4 different brands of cameras in this price range. I am very satisfied with my purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Buena
Review: Es una camara muy buena, sin embargo la resolucion de las fotografias y el video cuando se pasa a la computadora da una calidad muy baja.
Rating:
Summary: It works with my Mac
Review: Even though the manual says it does not work with the Mac, a 4 to 6 pin cord connects to a firewire port on the mac and it works just fine with iMovie, etc. It is a great camera for the money and very easy to use.
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