Sony Reviews

While this is a decent Analog camcorder, don't expect much from the USB streaming feature. The maximum frame rate over USB is 320x240, which is half the minimum recommended for creating a DVD out of a home movie. If you want to get the video from your tapes onto a computer or DVD, expect to purchase a separate video capture device or card.

To make matters worse, the bundled software doesn't let you capture more than thirteen minutes of video at a time before it crashes and claims the drive is out of disk space. regardless of how much disk space you really have avaliable. This happens even when recording to NTFS volumes, which do not have the 4 gig file size limit of Fat32.

Most third party programs will also have issues using the camcorder's USB streaming features. The drivers create an eclectic audio device that many video capture programs can't see, so you'll have to use a separate audio cable unless you like the idea of not having any sound. Roxio's products are among the many that can't find use audio driver.

In short, it's a decent camcorder, assuming you compare it to other devices as though the USB streaming feature didn't exist, because for all practical purposes, they doesn't.

This overall is a great camcorder. I used it for a year and had very little trouble with it. I've made a list of good and bad things about this camcorder that will hopefully help you in your decision.

First the good stuff

1.It has a nice big LCD screen for easy viewing when recording

2.There are plenty of different features for recording in different lights

3.It has OK sound and picture quality

4.It is good for families, groups, teachers or anyone else who just needs a good quality camera for a cheap price that they can use to to record family outings exc...

Now for the bad stuff.

1. The size of the camera is a little big. it is hard to hold for long periods of time and somewhat heavy (if you have a tripod and you use it this shouldn't be too much of a problem).

2. the battery life could be better (only about 50-60 minuets with the LCD screen).

3. the sound is a bit metallic, and the picture doesn't show reds or yellows well.

4.if you have the need to edit your recordings it will be very hard and somewhat expensive with this camera. If you want to edit, I would definitely recommend a digital camcorder instead because it will be much easier for you to edit your videos (this was my big mistake and I had to sell it for a Sony digital).

If this review has helped you or if you want to ask me any technical questions, e-mail me at dave_lancer@hotmail.com

This is my first camcorder of any kind. i have used other types, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, but this is probably the best that i have used. It's easy to learn the basics with and takes really great videos. The USB streaming capability is really easy to use and works great. Pixela seems to pixilate(spelling?) the movies, but it's nothing that really hurts and it's that severe. The NightShot is great, the lamp is really good, and the camera has a few little effects for the pictures. No big complaints except a remote would be nice for playback, and a colored viewfinder. But with a 3" color LCD screen, the chance that someone will use the viewfinder is small. i recomend this camera to anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot on a good quality camera.

Picture quality is good, loud & sensitive mono sound, easy and not too heavy (about 2 lbs with battery), not too big size for travelling (about 4.5 x 5 x 11 inches). STANDARD BATTERY that came with this camera works 2 hours for B&W viewfinder recording 50 minutes with color LCD recording. If you play black a lot on the LCD (I like to do that), this battery will last about 30 minutes, charging time is about 1 hour. Option batteries are available, and I think I should have one.

Night shot and super night shot movies is just like in a horror movies, every things look faded-green or B&W and people has silver eyes, well, at least I can see the objects (I shot in total darkness). The battery consuming is higher with the night shorts. By the way that tiny built-in light is useless. Remote seems to be useful for the play back only, hardly used at all. I love the multivotage adapter that came with the camera, I wish Sony adds the PAL playback too incase of travelling to Europe and Asia (Hitachi has this feature).

Photo effects are not very useful but programe AE are good and easy, however the icons of programe AE are very tiny, quite difficult to figure out what programes am I on (my eyes are getting old). Every one looks good on that small color LCD, however in the strong day light it is very difficult to see that screen, the manual recommend to use the B&W viewfinder instead. Multilanguage titles with custom setting options.

If you live a hi-tech life, do not buy this cam. because the output is only A/V (2 jacks), no s-video connection, so it's not working with my TV-video capture card in the computer (I use Avermedia product), I heard that it might work on pinnacle system, but did not try it yet. I think I might be able to connect it through the VCR which has A/V connector and can be connected to my TV card, however this attempt hasn't been succesful.

The accesories price are quite expensive (i.e. separate battery chargers, spare batteries, filters, car battery adapter) espectially if you buy them direct from sony....

I just received this today and I'm very excited about this camera. It comes complete with bag (in primary colors), strap for camera, A/V cable, remote, batteries for remote, AC adaptor, and rechargable battery pack. Only thing you need to buy is the 8mm tape. Well worth the money considering you don't have to buy the extras. This camera will help make some memorable holiday moments last forever.

I bought this camcorder back in July and I have enjoyed it ever since. I have taken a lot of footage of skateboarding in my area and such. All I need to do is find a cheap fish-eye lens, and some cables to go to my PC. Can anyone help me find the right cable for this camera to a PC? Thanks. Joelizlar@mediaone.net

Hi Everyone, I believe that this is a good cam corder but recently I bought Sony DCR-TRV 120. It is year 2000 model and has got all the features normally you find them in Sony camcorder, plus it has got 45x/450X zoom and I got it for 650$. Very good deal. Picture quality is amazing. 21/2 " screen is kinda small but still it works fine. In short check out this camara before you go for any other model.

This is by far one of the best entry-level camcorders. With all the features including night vision, it is well worth the $$.

This camera is as close to digital as you can get without the price, it has many features and is simple to use, a great buy

Like the other reviewer, My camera is about 6 months old and it doesnt work. Don't buy this camera or any camera from Sony. A friend of mine had a different model from Sony and that to doesn't work. Sony also does not care about their customers. So, I'm stuck with this worthless piece of junk.

I have owned my camera for over three years and have enjoyed it immensely. Contrary to what the specs say, it does have preset titles, and you can also make custom titles. It also has good quality pictures. I don't mind the battery charger, and I like being able to use the view finder or LCD screen. I have certainly gotten my money's worth. Too bad it's not a digital. It is a really good, dependable camera that is easy to use.

I've had this camera for a couple years with no operational problems. It does suck battery a bit, so one may wish to obtain a more powerful battery pack. The only feature that I would like to have added is a stabilizer. When zoomed out, the picture tends to get pretty jumpy. But at no zoom to about half zoom, the picture is pretty solid. The sound quality and night vision capability are pretty impressive, too, for a camera in this price range.

As the title says, a good entry level video camera.

I've been getting the C:31:23 error message on CCD-TRV36 model. Bought this unit four years ago and used it rarely (max 60hrs). I have contact SONY several times. The off-shore tech support suggest I spend $200 and send this to Sony and they will fix it for me (all labor and no parts needed!) They probably have an easy fix for it and are not willing to post it on their web site. Why should they when they can make $200! I told tech support I can buy a brand new digital one for $350 and it will defiantly not be a Sony brand. I have put in brand new Sony tape and brand new rechargeable battery and it did not fix this issue.

The camera really is easy to use and is loaded with features. The remaining battery life indicator is a GREAT feature. The special effects are fun to use. The night shot is cute but my use would be minimal. Overall, it is a very good camcorder. I would buy it again.

Great features. Easy to use. Incredibly fun. With the birth of my first child, Alexis, I needed a camcorder that would help me capture every exciting moment in her life. This handycam does that and more. Probably, the best investment of my life. You can't go wrong with this camera.

When our 8mm stopped working that we had used for nine years, I found it overwhelming to research and find a new camera.
I knew I didn't want digital because I don't even use my digital still camera very often, other than to e-mail pictures.
I knew that I wanted another 8mm, so that we could play our tapes we have now. I didn't want to spend too much money. We received this camera a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. It even has more options than I really need. We charged the battery when we got the camera and for 2 weeks we have been filming the kids occasionally and the battery is still full. I never thought I would use the night vision, but have found it is fun to film the kids when they are asleep and I don't have to turn a light on to film. The zoom works well and the color looks good. For the price, I don't see how you could get a better camera. I don't think you could find a better analog camera even if you did spend more money. I obviously can't comment on how well it will hold up in the future, but as far as its performance now, I love it.

Personally I think you should get a MiniDV digital camcorder. Namebrands like Sharp and JVC now have very inexpensive MiniDV models, so it's time to move to that format.

If you really need an 8mm/Hi8 camcorder -- for example, in my case I needed one to play back my large library of 8mm tapes -- then this Sony is simply the best. It costs a bit more than a couple other Sony models as well as some offerings from lesser companies, but you get what you pay for. This Sony is not only high quality but has tons of features, such as image stabilization, NightShot, and 20x optical zoom. You can hook it up to your PC as well. You should also know that its CCD sensor is 460k pixels, more than any other model in this price range. The result is vibrant images.

Buying a camcorder can be difficult. Do you want VHC? 8mm? Hi-8? Digital 8? Mini-DV? Then there's whether or not you want to be able to take stills, have firewire output to a computer, image stabilization, etc.
One can easily find themselves saying, "All I wan't is a basic camcorder to record random things." If that's you, this is your camcorder.
Though the picture is not digital, Hi-8 offers a nice clean picture that gets the job done. And since you can plug right into your TV or VCR, transfer to video is simple without having to store all your old tapes like you did in the VHC and VHS days. Being a Sony, you can expect a great zoom that let's you get nice detail from a good distance away. Add Steadyshot, probably the best image stabilizer out there, the ability to manually adjust your lighting, nightshot, and you have the ability to record in any situation.
Having sold Sony's for over a year, I can tell you the number returned due to dissatisfaction was minimal. Same for broken or damaged camcorders.
Bottom line is this. In the TRV-318, Sony makes a great camcorder that's not only easy to use, but able to take a nice clean video. And as long as you don't care about capturing the light flicker off a snowflake, you'll love it too.

I really believe this is the best camcorder.It is very cheap and really easy to use. I'm 14 and I just used it to film my spring break and I still haven't even touched the instructions, if I can use this camcorder anybody can. I highly recommend buying this camera it has so many features like nightshot, steadyshot,a really powerful zoom, a really long battery life, and many more. It can even play back those old 8mm tapes you have lying in your closet. So if your looking for your 1st video camera or a camera to bring on all of family vacations this is the camera for you.

I just got the CCD-TRV-308 camcorder and it is awesome!! The only thing is is that you cant edit your film on your computer you can just play it back. I give 4 - 4 1/2 stars

I've been trying to buy a video camera for the past 6 years (ever since my first monster bought in 1990 died). I finally bit the bullet since this camera seemed so reasonable and so highly-rated. I'm happy with every aspect of this camcorder. The bells and whistles are surprisingly complete, and it's so lightweight that I can (and do) spend the entire day with it in my hand.

One caveat...a wide angle lens would be a smart purchase. It's difficult to get far enough away from the action and still hear what is going on.

We purchased this camcorder for the holidays, selecting the CCDTRV308 over the CCDTRV108 due to it's added features such as image stability and auto-light. It arrived within three days - amazing! With my son's birthday coming up at the weekend, and the speedy delivery, it was a real test as to whether I could read the manual and become comfortable in the camcorder's use before the big day. The instructions are clear, concise and easily referenced.

We chose official Sony cassettes for this first run to ensure optimal picture quality and compatibility. Image quality is excellent, but we did notice that it performs better after it has 'warmed up'. This might be due to cassette stability or electronics temperature, but in no way detracts from this product's quality. Fade in/out options are excellent and with the 'cinema' setting gives your production that 'ER' feel.

I suspect that upgrading to a higher capacity battery may be a next step, but it lasted through the kid's party with ease. About 30 minutes of shooting remained, even though we used the LCD the whole time.

Title use is a little confusing, but you do get the option of creating two custom titles in addition to the standard fare.

The tripod was prepared, just in case the weight of the camcorder became tiring, but it was not needed. The lightness of these new camcorders over the ones of yesteryear makes life much easier, and is not burdening.

We researched considerably, before purchasing this product, which is no guarantee of success, but I have no hesitation in recommending it to those considering a Hi-8 camcorder.