Rating: 
Summary: SonyDCR -TRV740 - My first camcorder
Review: After looking at what Sony had to offer on their digital camcorder line, I decided to buy a TRV740. I was impressed with all the features it had to offer. After playing with the shelf model for a while I purchased the TRV740. Once I opened the product at home and inserted the tape there was a hum or buzzing noise while recording or playing back a recording. In a quiet environment, this buzz is also picked up in the recording. The location of the buzzing sound came from the tapes drive mechanism. I returned the product two times and all subsequent camcorders aired this buzz. If you are looking to buy this product play with a shelf model WITH THE TAPE IN. This way you can judge if this will be a problem for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Sony didn't put their most into this camera
Review: First of all, let me say that the bottom-loading thing is terrible. It has more downsides than ups! I mean, the way they have you open the deck exposes the entire tape assembly! Sony has said this is done to make the camera smaller- with D8, you can't get smaller. Anyway, back to the camera.The DCR-TRV740 is not quite a well-defined camera. It's older brother, the TRB840, has many feautres that the 740 skimps on. One major dissappointment is the low-resolution 2.5" screen. The screen is not only small, but also has about half as many pixels as the MiniDV cameras have on their LCD's. So, you can understand that the picture you see while shooting may look dissapointing. As far as the CCD, yes, it's Megapixel, but what good is the resolution when the pictures don't look any good? I had a DCR-TRV310, which in 640x480 mode took better stills than this! The low-light quality of this camera is worse, as well. I think that the use of a small 1/4.7" CCD is to blame. It just doesn't capture as much light! The real problem is that there seems to be no real reason to buy this camera unless you need D8 and can't afford a DCR-TRV840. The manual features are downright terrible- most of the controls must be accessed throught the menu, even the automatic stuff(a very bad move by camcorder companies)! And to press the buttons on your cam, you inevitably move the camera. The camera does have a nice fast rewind/fast-forward speed, so if you own a lot of D8, Hi8, or 8MM tapes, and need a camera to play them back, this will do.... I returned my camera and am going to get a real D8 Playback device, the GV-D800. And then buy a MiniDV camcorder. CONCLUSION: This camera is OK, just don't expect anything magical out of it. Not even the Megapixel resolution saves it. Just not well thought out- I think the camera designers should actually use the cameras they make!
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I bought a Sony DCR TRV740 this summer and have been very pleased with it. It was my second D8 camcorder and is a nice step up from the DCR TR7000 it replaced. I used the still photo function recently at a boat race and was more than pleased with the results. The high resolution stills come in a 1152x864, which results in a pretty good picture. Video quality is good. The ccd in the 740 and 840 produces a really nice looking picture. I can't hear any of the tape drive sound that others claim to hear on their recordings. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is the need to get a larger battery is you plan on shooting much away from a power cord. A larger memory stick is probably in order if you intend to use the still photo feature.
Rating:
Summary: Sony DCRTRV740
Review: i have had this product for 4 months and love the unit.
Pro's:
1. portable, small for the price
2. Mega pixel is nice option but you may need a separate camera if you are a stickler, but more than adequate for general pics
3. reversable swivel screen for viewing from any angle
4. no real detectable humm
5. easy operation and clear buttons
6. i have dropped it several times, no problems
con's
1. battery must charge in unit, not easy to remember
get charger or buy a second battery, because you will forget to charge and have to miis out
2. Pixela software is fare but useable
3. included memory stick is insufficent for camera, buy 32 or 64 memory stick
Rating:
Summary: Great picture quality for the price
Review: I just upgraded from a Sony TRV95 (Hi-8mm) to the TRV740. I was deciding between the TRV240 and the TRV740 then ended up selecting the TRV740 for its higher resolution (520 line vs "up to 500"). I don't have the TRV240 to compare it against, but I am very please with the picture quality of the TRV740. Definitely a step up from the Hi-8. In addition, I look forward to editing my DV and my Hi-8 tapes on my new computer without a generation loss. I would have given the camcorder a 5 star rating except for these annoying things that I hope Sony will fix in future models: 1) The tape mechanism IS as noisy as folks say. It IS detectable in the playback IF you listen for it. I can live with this is since the audio record quality is so nice and sharp. My guess is that this noise is due to the tape been driven at 1.5x to 2x the speed of Hi-8. 2) The supplied battery's life is about 60 mins with LCD usage so this will drive most people to buy an additional power pack. This is common across camcorder lines, but still annoying. 3) The 2.5" LCD is not as detailed as the Sony's MiniDV version. While it is acceptable, realized that this 2.5" LCD has 61K pixels and the Sony MiniDV line has almost double the number of pixels. 4) Megapixel or no megapixel, a camcorder's digital stills are rarely as good as a "decent" digital camera. Since I have a 2.1 mega pixel digital camera, the quality of digital stills on the TRV740 is useless to me. 5) Wide angle shots are not as wide as the old TRV95. One would almost need a wide angle lens to properly capture an indoor gathering. However, the wide angle lens is another $$. Again, due to the limited zoom on DV camcorder these days for preserving picture quality (lens), this may be common across other camcorders. I can only wish for 28mm by default. Okay, I feel bad ripping on the camcorder for so long, overall, I am happy with the TRV740 and I look forward to using it to preserve years of memories.
Rating:
Summary: Sony DCRTRV740
Review: I read the reviews about this camera and was a little hesitant because some of them mentioned it was noisy.
I bought it anyway and was pleasantly surprised that it was not that noisy.
I am quite a picky person about such things and I'm surprised someone could be dissatisfied with the camera because of the whirring.
If you thought about not buying it because of that, don't worry.
I just recieved mine so I still have to put it through its tests with the computer and so on. I just thought I would respond to the issue of the whirring noise.
Rating: 
Summary: I Expected Better
Review: Pros: Picture quality, Hi8 Playback Capability, Price Cons: Zoom Control, Image Stabilization, Bottom cassette loading, Handling Comfort, 15x Zoom While holding out for the cost to come down on DVD camcorders and needing a new camcorder that would play my existing Hi-8s, I went with the backwardly compatable Digital8. The TRV740 appeared to be a solid choice with it's many features and great output quality. But when I first started to use it I was quickly disappointed by the following: Zoom Control: My previous camcorder was a Canon ES5000 (Hi8). The TRV740's zoom control is awful in comparison with the Canon. It's very difficult to activate the slowest zoom speed as the sliding switch does not move smoothly. 9 times out of 10, you'll go right past the slow speed as the force needed to get the switch moving is much greater than the force to keep the zoom speed steady so an overzoom situation happens. Then you're zooming rapidly and have to slow it down which ruins the slow zoom effect. "Super" SteadyShot: Huge disappointment here. Electronic stabilizers simply do not compare with optical stabilizers (Canon). It almost seems that when the stabilizer is turned off, Sony added shake to the image so that when the stabilizer is on, it looks better in comparison to when it was "off". Just a silly conspiracy theory to let you know bad it is. Bottom cassette loading: Did you ever think you'd see a camcorder that had to be removed from a tripod in order to change the cassette? You've got it with this one. Unbelievable. Handling Comfort: It's a little heavy and not something you want to use for an extended period. 15x Zoom: This is on the low side and the only reason I can imagine that they went with this low of an optical zoom is because of the poor image stabilizer. At 15x, let alone 20x, you need a tripod or it looks like you have some sort of neuro-muscular affliction. I'll probably keep it to use as a player to backup my Hi-8 collection by playing those tapes to a DVD burner. I recommend looking for something else if you think you'd be bothered by the same things as I am with this camcorder.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent quality!
Review: The Sony TRV-740 is an upgrade to our old analog Sharp 8mm camcorder. The difference in picture quality is amazing between analog and digial 8. There is no noticeable buzzing noise on the recordings as other reviewers have claimed. Originally, one of the features that sold me on this camera was the 1 megapixel digital camera feature, which records still images on a Sony Memory Stick. Don't buy this camera with that feature in mind. Quality of still pictures is just OK. If you are seriously wanting to take digital pictures, stick with a digital camera and buy a less expensive Sony Digital 8 model without this feature. First thing is that there is no flash, so you can't take still pictures indoors. Also, you should get at least a 2 megapixel still camera if you're wanting to print out pictures. I have also purchased the SONY EZ Editor package. This camcorder works great for video editing. I have been able to easily edit videos - adding music, transitions, and titles using the Sony EZ Editor and my PC. You can even transfer old analog tapes onto a digital 8 tape through the included inputs on the camcorder. Then, you can transfer the video onto the PC for editing in digital format. Digital 8 is a plus for existing analog 8mm users, since you can playback analog tapes on your digital camcorder. Buy one of the higher capacity batteries--it's definately worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Good VFM
Review: This camera is excellent for capturing Videos, the Still Picture quality is good if you are outdoors, for shooting still pics indoors & especially during night-time, you must have a very bright Light Source or a very brightly illuminated room. The Optical zoom is just adequate but I would prefer 20X +. The memory stick is a great Acc., Sony should give 32 MB as Std Acc. I also have the EZ Editor Hard/Soft-ware but I am still struggling to get good output. Battery Life is adequate. Overall I would definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great quality, heavy handling
Review: This is a great camera, but I wish I had done a little more research before going ahead and purchasing this. The quality is absolutely great. It has the ability to transfer data with the iLink, and the backwards compatibility is also a plus. However, the "digital camera" aspect is pretty poor. If you want to take digital pictures, buy a digital camera. The photo resolution on the still images is horrible and the actual size of it is too small. Also, there are a ton of extra features on the camera that are worked into the price that are never used, like the superimposing is a waste. It you want to do things like that, you probably should look into some editing software.
If I could go back, I would have definatly got a MiniDV camcorder. The quaility is just as good but it's much smaller and more lightweight. After filming for awhile, your arm hurts lugging this monster around. I personally would stick with the Sony brand, only due to the great NightShot feature. If Cannon or Panasonic offered it, I would check them out. However, Sony is the only brand to go with in the ghost hunting buisness...
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