Sony DCRTRV18 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD. MPEG, & Memory Stick

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [9.30mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006686R
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,038 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Capture those special moments with the DCR-TRV18 MiniDV camcorder. The new MiniDV camcorder from Sony creates high-quality visuals, thanks to the 800,000 pixel CCD (which gives a horizontal resolution of up to 500 lines) and the Carl Zeiss 10x optical zoom lens. The Super SteadyShot mode will make sure your visuals stay still, even if your hand doesn't.

Using the USB streaming feature, the camcorder can also function as a Webcam. In addition to this, video footage can be downloaded directly to a PC via a USB port. This material can then be edited on your PC using the supplied software. Once edited, your masterpiece can be shared with the whole world via the Internet.

The DCR-TRV18 includes the ability to record straight to MemoryStick. As with the DCR-TRV340, you can create movies by using MPEG; your recording time is now only limited by the size of MemoryStick.

Add to these already impressive features a 2.5-inch 123,000 pixel LCD screen, manual focus, 120x digital zoom, playback zoom and Super NightShot mode for filming in very low light and you've got yourself an impressive camcorder.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony DCR-TRV18: exceptional quality, a great value, September 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV18 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD. MPEG, & Memory Stick (Electronics)

At 25 Mega bits per second, MiniDV is the digital video format of choice for amateurs and professionals alike. Shoot your movie, transfer it to the computer then burn it on a DVD. If you're like me and want to make lots of quality home movies and still skip the costs of burning DVDs, a good choice is to store your movies on regular CDs as SVCD... The MiniDV tapes offer top-of-the line video & audio quality yet they are very small (tape width: 6.35 mm).

The question is: which MiniDV camcorder?
Important factors in my decision:

* A quality camera lens. DCR-TRV18 is Sony's least expensive camcorder that comes with the famous Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens!

* CCD size: look for a camcorder with a 680K CCD or larger. That larger pixel matrix gives you steadier shots and more horizontal lines.

* Low-light operation: went out after dinner and videotaped rows of flowers in the local park - the camera compensated very well for the insufficient light, the video came out great. Sony camcorders shine when it comes to operating in low-light (compared to JVC and Canon). DCR-TRV18 also has a "Night Shot" mode for videotaping at zero Lux (darkness). I used NightShot to record people dancing at a wedding reception.

* Analog pass-through: many camcorders do not have inputs for transfering older analog tapes to MiniDV or to the computer. With DCR-TRV18 I was able to copy older S-VHS-C tapes, playing in my analog camcorder, to MiniDV tapes.

I bought my DCR-TRV18... and I love it! Like I mentioned before, I edited my movies, added scene transitions and text then burned the MPEG-2 files on regular compact discs (40 min SVCD) to view them with my DVD player.

If you need to take digital pictures, consider buying a separate digital photo camera ... rather than a camcorder/photo camera combo (these combos could only take low-resolution photos at the time of this review).

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Picture Quality, November 6, 2002

By 

"soapydonutzs" (Burbank, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV18 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD. MPEG, & Memory Stick (Electronics)

Just bought this camcorder after much investigating. I bought the TRV18 instead of the 25 or 27 because why pay the extra money for more mega pixels when they already tell you that these pictures are not printing quality just basically for e-mailing and transfering to CD. I also do not believe that $ 300.00 more is worth getting a larger viewing screen. Just got back from Disney World and the still photo's and movies are great. We have a Sony HD tv and let me tell you the videos almost look HD. The night shot is just amazing you have to see to believe. This camcord is worth every penny.......If you want pictures to print then buy a digital camera if you want pictures to share on the internet then this does just fine. Size is great just put int in a purse or fanny pack and away you go.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good MiniDV, but there're better and cheaper camcorders, July 12, 2002

By 

Byron (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV18 MiniDV Digital Handycam Camcorder w/ 2.5" LCD. MPEG, & Memory Stick (Electronics)

This entry-level MiniDV is very easy to use, and very comfortable to hold. I am very impressed by its picture and audio quality when I play my movie on TV; though I think the color balance lacks depth and a bit light when I compared it with TRV-25.

This camcorder allows you to capture picture and MPEG Movie into the provided 8MB Memory Stick (USB Streaming Only). I would not recommend either, since the still pictures are very poor(680k pixel), and 8MB memory stick is not going to capture any long movie either.

If you want to edit or upload your movie on your computer, I would suggest purchase a firewire card as it provides much better quality than the USB option. The provided Sony software is very easy to use. (Love those video e-mail!)

If you're a big fan of Sony, I would suggest spend a little more to buy the TRV-25/TRV-27, which provides better picture quality and have megapixel. If price is an issue and you don't mind if it is not a Sony, try the Canon MiniDV.