Customer Reviews

Sony DCRTRV140 Digital8 Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, Video Light & USB Streaming

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

... 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

I think the first question when buying a Sony digital camcorder is, Mini DV or Digital 8. Both Mini DV casettes and cameras are smaller but more expensive. The price is about 1.5 fold for about the same specifications. As they use the same recording system there isn't a real difference in picture quality and data transfer. Digital8 camcorder's recording pattern allows digital recording on 8mm or Hi8 tapes but only TRV 140 can't playback ! In fact the most important difference between them the size and the weight of the camera because of the size of the casette. TRV 140 is the cheapest D8 camera. Its most important spesification is x20 optical zoom. 560 digital zoom is useless as the quality destroys completely after x40 digital zoom. LCD monitor is perfect. TRV 140 has the USB connection but you can't transfer quality videos to your PC with it. I think you need to use the i.LINK DV Interface (IEEE1394) on TRV 140 if you want to transfer quality videos to your PC. Of course you have the A/V out which can be used by a TV card but the quality differs. USB connection brings the ability to use your camera as a webcam and transfer still images to your PC but nothing else. Built-in light is effective only 2 meters so you need extra light in larger places. Built-in infrared light system lets you capture video from a up to 3meters away, even in total darkness but the sceene is black and white and qualility is poor for moving objects. You can see the others on the LCD even when you can't see your own hand because of the darkness(!). It is posible to use an external infrared light system. TRV 140 records high-quality 12-bit or 16-bit digital stereo audio but it is a bit more noisy at 16 bit. When you watch your video on TV picture quality is realy wonderful. You can connect your camcorder to a TV by A/V out, scart connector or S video cable. S video connection doesn't transfer audio and it doesn't bring an extra quality. The cable isn't included in the package and no need to pay an extra in my opinion. TRV 140 has a DV out connector but not a A/V in. Some digital camcorders can capture MPEG digital video and store it directly to the memory stick but TRV 140 can not. Movie length ranges allowed by the capacity of the memory stick and it is only some seconds. MPEG movie function can be usefull to share via the internet and you can get performance by using USB connection but nothing else. You have to pay minimum 150- 200 $ more to have a camcorder which can produce MPEG movies. There is also the photo function in TRV 140 but the quality is not like a digital camera. Photos are like paused images in good quality. In fact camcorders can not take quality photos as a megapixel digital camera. Transfering the photos to a PC is also not practical as a digital camera too. Battery life is realy satisfactory. You can record a 60 minute casette even the LCD monitor and sometimes the built-in light is on. The remaining battery and casette is always displayed. Steady shot picture stabilization of Sony with motion sensors works very well. As a result TRV 140 is the cheapest digital camcorder and there is not any reason for not to buy it. All digital8 camcorders are bigger and heavier than Mini DV camcorder but there is not a big difference in picture quality. Don't even think of buying a Hi8 camcorder instead of TRV 140. You will see that digital videos and sounds are very different than analogs. Perhaps TRV 140 is the best choice if you don't want to spend too much on a digital camcorder. Be sure that it is not poor of some technology as it is cheap !!

It is safe to say that any product you buy from Sony is a high-quality product, at least in my opinion, and in the case of the Sony DCR-TRV140 Camcorder, it is no exception.

The quality of the video is excellent; the "Nightshot" view is useful, however, I don't see any use for it for me.

It should be noted that while the Sony DCR-TRV140 does have IEEE1394 FireWire support (using a 4-pin port on the camera) it does not include the cable necessary for you to connect your camera to the computer through the IEEE1394 protocol. This cable can be purchased separately for around $40 at Sony, or other retailers.

The USB Streaming is excellent, and the software included with the Camcorder is very comprehensive and easy to use; however, I like using Windows Movie Maker 2 to import and edit my movies.

At any rate, to edit the movies, all you have to do is connect the USB cable to the camera and to your USB port on your computer then record the digital video.

If there is at least one thing I would change about this camera, it would be the support and user-guides for the camera. There is a user manual, which does provide basic information, but I found for my needs--which is that of the average user--it is not comprehensive enough.

Despite that downfall, I certainly would recommend this fairly low-cost camera to anyone interested in entering the digital video sector of the digital world.

I bought it after a couple of weeks of deliberation and after almost deciding to by the canon zr-45. The main thing in favor of the zr was its compact size.

The trv140 on the other hand had great nightshot capabilites. I valued that more than size, so I bought the sony.

I got a good deal at circuit city. Since then, I've played with it some and am enjoying it tremendously.

The following is not a comparison with any other camcorder, they are just observations about the 140.

Things going for this camcorder :

1. Good picture quality overall.

2. Great nighshot capabilities. It also has a light if you want full color images in the dark.

3. Really simple to use.

4. Setting up USB was no problem on my Win2K machine. Pixela worked on the first go, thought it did crash sometimes. But you won't find yourself using it that much. Firewire connectivity was equally simple and the picture quality was great. The USB connectivity is good for using it as a webcam.

5. Hooking it to the tv was also straightforward and the image quality was excellent.

6. Good audio capture.

The worst of this camcorder: The motor noise, loud and clear ! Most camcorders seems to have this problem, but it is unmistakable on this one ! I believe software filters can take it out to some extent. Yet to try that.

Minor irritants:
1. The focussing is a tad slow.
2. Bulky compared to mini dvs.
3. The USB cable provided is too small.
4. No firewire cable.

I didn't really care for still images since even the high end camcorders have only a megapixel resolution which is no good for stills.
I didn't care for backward compatibility with hi8 tapes.

I just wanted to be able to use my cam anytime, anywhere and this one fits my needs and budget just right.

I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the motor noise. That really seems like clumsy design on Sony's part. Also sony could have done better than to provide an amateurish software like Pixela

Shoot away,
amit

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DIGITAL8 a 520 line video & hi-fi stereo!!

The DCR-TRV140 Digital8 Video camera recorder (Digital Only). This camcorder is awesome. This is Sony's introductory level Digital8 model. The DCR-TRV-140 is a low price, high value, versatile and sophisticated video cam. This is all you will ever need.

Bottomline - This is what you get; uses Hi8 or Digital8 video tape (the simple difference is a 120 minute Hi8 tape converts to a 60 minute Digital8), 20x Optical Zoom (Most important zoom which maintains hi-res feature), 560x digital zoom ( loses hi-res feature when magnified - I recommend staying with OPTICAL ZOOM ONLY!), 2.5 hi-res color LCD screen (opens 90 degrees & can be rotated 180 degrees with an auto mirror image), built-in light with 5 foot range, remote control & sensor, Steady shot (stabilizer), USB streaming, DVIn/Out - Sony iLink (BEST FEATURE - A 4 pin 2 way FireWire(IEEE-1394) for direct digital video & stereo transfer with no signal loss), digital effects, frame recording, hi-fi sound, interval (lapse) recording, SUPER NightShot ( shooting in a dark room without light), backlit feature ( allows to subdue rear light to increase foreground subjects lighting) and much, much more.

This camcorder comes with a 3 hour battery (its real life is about 75 minutes using the LCD screen. The actual battery time remaining is displayed on the LCD screen. The stabilizer eliminates the camera jitter and the hi-res digital pictures are awesome. The supplied video cables allow you to hook up to a tv or vcr. The video transfer via USB (with supplied PC software) or the awesome Sony iLink (FireWire)allows a 2 way direct digital link to a DVD recorder (ie Philips DVDR-985, DVD+RW (rewriteable) or DVD+R (one time) SEE MY DVDR-985 REVIEW).

In Summary - this is an OUTSTANDING DIGITAL8 Video Camcorder. Again this a DIGITAL ONLY unit. The DVR-TRV140 is a great economical way to move into the hi-res (520 line) digital world. Transferring to PC or DVD burner is so simple and digital pictures & hfi stereo sound is the only way to go. Enjoy.

The video recorded with this camcorder looks very well on TV. Much better then Hi8 and little difference from more expensive models. However if you transfer the video to a computer the limitations of its sensor (290k active pixels) becomes visible, but still decent. The audio is decent but not directional at all. When recording a silent scene, the camcorder records it's own motor noise but this is not a problem since even a whispper will be recorded louder. The autofocus is VERY fast (compared with other brands), works very well even for reasonable low light. The digital image stabilizer works very well introducing just very little noise (Panasonic, JVC or Cannon are no match in this respect). There is no white balance manual control, and the manual exposure control is shared with manual focus. Both are quite useless since given the display resolution you cannot achieve better control then the camcorder does. Quite good low-light performance (while a little noisy), better then TRV240 and TRV340 which have a much smaller sensor (1/6" compared with 1/4"). Top loading tape (no need to remove it from the tripod to change tape, like the rest of D8). No analog video in. No Hi8 playback. Overall a very good value for the money! Don't even think about buying a Hi8 camcorder instead! You may consider however TRV740 for its better resolution, especially if you plan to watch your videos on a computer screen. Compared to miniDV you get the same recording quality in a bulkier and cheaper package.

This is (was) Sony's low-end digital camcorder. Snatch one up before they're phased out with next year's model. Crisp, clean video. Note the lux sensitivity on this low-end model exceeds the more expensive ones. The built-in video lamp is surprisingly effective.

USB, S-video and firewire output is available for dubbing tapes. The firewire seems more tailored to dubbing direct to a Sony tape deck. Personally, I elected not to install the USB drivers because of problems mentioned with Win2K. I use the s-video input on my video card and it works wonderfully. You don't need the mpeg features on the high-end models, especially if you want to edit your video on your PC.

The camera features nightshot and super-nightshot. What's the difference? Super is better, I guess. The manual is inadequate in describing some of the features, so you will be left to experiment. The nightshot feature has become notorious as a modern day, functional x-ray specs. If that's what you're looking for, keep looking. If you use the camera as intended, you can shoot in total darkness with a built-in infrared light source. An optional add-on infrared source is available for shooting around a camp fire or to film the candles on a birthday cake with wonderful clarity.

Into any great design a few low-points must fall. This camera does not feature the Intelligent Shoe and is not compatible with such accessories. There is a built-in mic with no provision for an external mic at all (my biggest disappointment). The built-in mic has great sound; but, with the automatic gain, it may pick up the motor noise in a quiet room. Finally, it records on Hi-8/Digital8 tapes in a format which is not at all compatible with other cameras. Use it to record then dub to VCD/DVD, or use the firewire to dub directly to a properly equipped Sony tape deck with an extensive set of editing features.

The DCR-TRV140 is Sony's lowest level digital camcorder, but it is not low-level at all. It records picture at a stunning 520 lines of resolution and sound in PCM digital stereo. You can truly see the difference in picture quality between Digital and Hi8 or VHS-C. The Digital8 system records digital pictures on inexpensive Hi8 tapes. It's got an incredibly large 20x optical zoom. Optical zoom is the most important type of zoom because there is no loss of picture quality. It also has a 560x digital zoom which is less important because, the farther you zoom, the worse the picture quality gets. One of the most amazing features of this camcorder is the Infrared Super NightShot. What it does is project an infared light, invisible to the human eye, allowing you to see in no light at all. It also comes with various special effects and fade options. The FM30 InfoLithium battery allows use for 3 hours (1 hour w/LCD). It includes an i.Link DV Interface (IEEE1394) for editing video on your computer. It also allows you to have streaming video via USB. This camcorder is a good, moderately priced introduction to digital video with features surpassing those of other brands.

Pros: Performance for the price, features, looks

Cons: Size, pricey, still picture quality, no analog inputs or backward compatibility with 8mm/Hi8

Summary: The Digital 8 camcorders uses Hi-8 tapes (you can use cheaper 8mm tapes but it is not recommended) and perform digital recording. The Digital 8™ camcorders are usually backward compatible with 8mm or Hi-8 tapes - they can play your old 8mm or Hi-8 recordings.

Advantages of D8 camcorders:

1. Ability to play 8mm and Hi8 recordings - TRV140 cannot do this
2. Hi8 tapes are a little cheaper than MiniDV
3. Sony D8 camcorders are cheaper than their MiniDV camcorders with similar features
4. Even inexpensive D8 camcorders usually have analog inputs and analog-digital pass-through - TRV140 doesn't

Disadvantages:

1. D8 is not widespread and if your D8 camcorder dies or becomes obsolete, you will have to get another D8 camcorder.
2. Hi8 tapes are larger in size than MiniDV
3. MiniDV is widely supported, unlike D8. If you need to play your tape on another digital camcorder or VCR, chances are they will be MiniDV.

As you can see, two major reasons to get a Digital8 camcorder would not apply to TRV140 (you can buy TRV240, which has both 8mm/Hi8 playback and analog inputs). And the Hi8 tapes are not much cheaper than MiniDV. So the only reason would be:

You want a digital camcorder from Sony that is inexpensive.

The TRV140's main advantage is its price. But there is little sense in buying the Digital8 camcorder that lacks D8 features ...