Customer Reviews

Sony DCR-TRV130 Digital8 Camcorder

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'll be honest and admit that if you want to spend a thousand dollars on a camcorder than you will definitely find something better. However, if you are somebody like me who had limited funds to spend but wanted all the everyday features a ... person would want, then this is the camera to buy! All the basics are included (still photo shots, fantastic zoom abilities, picture stabilization, ability to film in complete darkness and amateur picture manipulation capabilities).

It also hooks up to a PC using a fire wire cable (IEEE1394) and a video capture board, which I recommend buying the StudioDV from Pinnacle Systems that includes both for ... then getting sucked for ... by purchasing Sony's brand. Also I found the Laser Link feature to be the best features, allowing me to play back my tapes on the TV without having to hook up the camera to it every time.

Overall, the DCR-TRV130 is a great camera for what you're going to spend on it.

I bought this cam-corder because of budget constraints. Even tough I wanted a unit with many more features I find myself very pleased. I sold camcorders and known about home versions since they first became available. And of course Sony was number one then. The 130 is my third unit I owned, the others being VHS. Having a zoom up to 560, night shot, steady shot, I-link, many fades, and filming features are a big plus. I had it for about a month and find it lite and easy to use. The built in light is also a plus (eats batteries). Lot's of accesaries are available from Sony. All it lacks is a micrphone socket, wich will help zoom in on sound while elimnating background noise. Other than the mike jack you get A LOT OF BANG FOR THE BUCK.

The Sony DCR-TRV130 is a good cam for the money. Two things that you should consider before you buy: Your computer may need to be upgraded to allow you to download digital images... and don't expect Sony to help you out with software issues. I got the Belkin firewire card... which came with VideoWave III software and a HP CDR to store images..., I also had to upgrade to Win 98 SE. But once you are set up its a breeze. You don't have to shot any digital photos with the capture button on the camera just export individual images from the video. Also, the camera itself is simple to use, which is great for our family because my wife can use it and so can our nieces.

Here is my 2 cents:

I bought this camera because:
A. I already have a 2.1 megapixel camera. I don't want to duplicate that functionality so don't need the memory card, and this has that capability too if you know how, but haven't spent time finding it.

B. To be able to make video CDs from this camera using an ILink. (I have an ATI All in Wonder Radeon card which takes S-Video, RCA etc. too as well as the Firewire input which came with my compaq) All you need to do a video CD is a CD writer drive and either a firewire card or the ATI (or similar) card. The ATI card comes with lots of software to do all that. But even if you don't have any software, you can get freeware (...)
C. Digital-8 quality is much better than Hi-8. I don't have older tapes to play and don't have many plans on making tapes. VCDs are very nice, compact in comparison. Being Non magnetic, they cannot loose data from being close to Monitor etc.

Pros:

A. The picture quality is quite nice esp. the built-in light which is absent in the rest of Sony D8 models.
B. Price
C. Battery life higher than others (if built-in light is not used)
D. Night shot and Super nightshot, if ever used, is amazing!
E. For just 5O dollars or so, u can get the laser link reciever which is nice.
F. You can use PC to do digital editing.

Cons:
A. Cannot play older tapes. (Not a con for me though. Besides if I did have the older tapes, probably I would also have an older camcorder which could play the same)
B. If you look at the package provided by the ATI PC card and the price tag of this device, I would say that ILink cable and software should have been included in it.
C. If you ever get to compare these with the Hitachi series, you may hate Sony for providing a black & white viewfinder. Well, things are clearer but. . . viewfinder is supposed to be showing you what you record, right?Well does the b&W one does so, No.
D. You cannnot use a non-DV interface for providing input back to camera. But then again, such an interface, the quality is much lower so would anybody want to lower the quality of a D8 tape to hi-8? Well, in that case, for ppl who need it, I would suggest that don't buy this one, the old Hi-8 ones from Sony are going really cheap including the TRV 98 with 3.5" screen. (...)

Bottom line: If you are in a situation like me, don't buy the higher end sony camcorders.

I dont know what that last guy was looking for this camcorder to do but it does do a whole lot. The zoom on this camera is superb. The 560X zoom gets closer than any other camcorder i have seen yet. The laser link feature is nice too so you don't have to hook up any wires constantly. I also like the fact that you can take still images with this product however i was disappointed that the images go on tape and not on a memory stick. Also i would have liked to have easier connections be made to my computer. I would reccomend this product to anyone looking for a camcorder with some really great features. It does have its drawbacks but for a camcorder with great features and a great price, this is the one to choose

I've bought my camcorder about a month ago and find it to be a dream. This is an upgrade of my 5 year old Sony camcorder and it has all the useful features that you would expect. It also includes a Lithium battery, a built-in light and a night-viewing system that allows you to shoot in total darkness.

I would fully recommend this to anyone looking at camcorders.

This camera is excellent. Excellent Price, excellent features. Picture quality excellent with Stereo Sound. Digital8 holds it's own against MiniDV. And for the price I paid for this Sony CamcorderYou will not be disappointed. Believe me. Nightshot is Off the hook. Super Nightshot is unbelievable. Digital Stills on tape is good, would of perferred a memory stick but for [money], can't complain. To sum everthing up, If you want a guality digital camera for a cheap price, do not overlook this camera. You would be a fool if you did.

no analog line in, no backward compatibility to analog 8 mm. simply to say, there is no reason to put up with the bulk size of this machine. The strength of Sony Digital-8 line has been in those two mentioned above. TRV130 is the only exception to that. It doesn't playback analog 8 mm/hi-8 mm tapes, it doesn't let you dub your old VHS tapes to digital tapes, you can't record the tv shows to this camcorder. Even those who don't need these functions, you can get a much smaller camcorder from other manufacturers at cheaper price. I don't see any reason to consider this product.

I've had this camera for almost a year now, and it's the first movie camera of any kind I've ever used. I have a digital still camera (an olympus 2100cz) so I'm not a neophyte.
I'm finding it easy to use. I use to film my wifes speaking engagements. So i've used this camera in a small room with only 5 or 6 people in it, or in very large auditorium with 200 or so people in it. It worked beautifully. The remote helps a lot when using a tripod. It does an especially nice job picking up audio even at distance.
I had to get a special cable to do transfers to my Macintosh, but once on the mac everything gets really easy.
I guess it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive cameras, but if you look over the stats in the discription above, you should be able to figure out this one is for you.

I visited several sites, and looked at a lot of product reviews. But after reading some of the reviews here, I decided to take the plunge! I purchased mine for ... less than the stated price here, even though I'm not pleased with the customer service I received from the store I bought it at, I VERY please so far with MY NEW Sony DCR-TRV130! I also brought the infrared unit and can't wait to try it out! I going to get the upgrade for my PC, and I will be set.
OOPs almost forgot, both the DV Camcorder kit, and the ULEAD will require updates you can find on their websites to work with XP and they're signed.

Thanks again to all those who took the time to write a review. You, and Amazon.com were VERY helpful in my deciding to make this purchase.

Ok..upgrades in place, and BOY was it a chore! But I'm STILL VERY PLEASED with this camcorder. I got a 1394 Firewire (Home DV Editing Kit) made by SIIG, Inc., which is supported by XP. and increased memory to 512MB. Why was it a chore? Because I let COMPUSA do the upgrade. I must say they did offer to assist me in getting my camcorder to work with the new upgrades with also included a NVIDA Geofore 2MX 100/200, but BELIEVE me...save yourself the hassle, and do it yourself! In the end I did just that! All I had to do once I got everything set up was make sure my camcorder was turned to VCR BEFORE connecting it to my pc, and before opening any editing programs. I have ULEAD VideoStudio, and MS MovieMaker, and Windows Media Player, all work well together. I was able to make stills, and a CD with ease! This camcorder is GREAT no matter what anyone says! I still give it a four because it was a hassle to get to work with my PC. I almost gave up, but glad I didn't. You will need to get patches for the 1394 kit, and ULEAD from their websites to work with XP. Both are digitally signed. Also don't put an antivius program to the 1394 ports.