Customer Reviews

Sony DCRTRV250 Digital8 Camcorder with 2.5" LCD, USB Streaming and Remote

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Other than a few really dumb design flaws, this camera is perfect. I didn't want to spend a fortune on an all-digital camcorder, and I wanted better quality than a regular 8mm. This digital-8 format is perfect! The price of the camera can't be beat, especially considering the high quality. The video is crystal clear and the still photo feature is really wonderful. The camera is easy to use and very lightweight. The still photos I took came out really well, even when people were moving around. The night vision feature is amazing and I've been having alot of fun with it.

The only things I don't like about this camera are:
1. The battery only lasts for about an hour, and getting a 2nd battery with a charger & accessories costs almost as much as the camera itself.
2. The Hi-8 tapes only last one hour so you constantly have to change them. They also take FOREVER to rewind.
3. When you have a tripod screwed into the bottom of the camera, you cannot change the tape without removing the camera from the tripod! If they had moved that over about 1/2 inch it would be fine.
4. The included software is horrible and doesn't work very well at all. It was written in Japanese and most of the English translation makes no sense. I would not recommend even installing it. Instead, get something like Vegas Video or even Ulead Video Studio (which came with the Firewire card I purchased) to get the videos into your computer.

These are just simple little inconveniences that anybody can live with to get such a high quality camera at a great price!

I would recommend installing a Firewire card into the computer if you plan on using that for video editing. If you aren't going to connect the camera to a computer, the included video cable makes it really easy to hook up to a VCR. The remote control is great for controlling the camera when watching your videos. As stupid as it sounds, I never realized how much easier it is with the remote.

All in all, this is a great camera at a great price and I would highly recommend it to anyone. No, it's not professional grade, but it's perfect for the average Joe that wants to capture everyday stuff.

This camera is great. It does the job and fits into my budget. I was debating between this and the Canon ZR65 but found that this Sony has better quality. I checked at Best Buy to see the image quality and it helped a lot. The only benefit I saw in getting the canon was to take still pictures and it has a slot for memory card. But the still pictures are poor quality and meant for a digi-cam which I recently purchased too. =) This Sony trv250 camcorder gave me everything I wanted: best picture quality for lowest price, digital and capability to transfer to pc. When you watch the videos, the picture looks perfect. But once you record it onto vhs, you lose picture quality but that's due to the VHS technology. One of the main reasons I got this is to transfer the videos to my pc. The software it came with sucks. It saves it as .mpg which is great, but I couldn't even save a 20 mins video. It crashed several times. So I ended up using windows movie maker and it made my video fine but as an .avi format. I need to find a program that converts the .avi to .mpg so I can burn into vcd. One big flaw though is when you transfer the video using usb (it's 1.0, not 2.0), it becomes choppy, unbelievably choppy. I was scared I couldn't transfer videos anymore as it can get very annoying watching my home videos choppy. So I went out and got a firewire card and tried again and it worked smoothly. I was getting nervous about my purchase but it worked out. The night version is awesome. In a pitch dark room, I can see everything, in green. Its infrared vision makes me feel like a G.I. Joe. I took this camcorder out to the dessert and videotaped my trip and it came out well. My friends thought the quality was pretty good too. The accessories that I bought were a stand, NPFM70 battery that lasts 4+ hrs, camera protective lens for the dusty times (avoid scratches on the actual lens), digital8 tapes (it should've at least came with one, cheap-a*s Sony), and a camcorder backpack to keep everything. All in all, for the price of the camera, I think it was a great purchase.

better than the 240, and cheaper. Yeah the 240 has 25X zoom , and this one has 20, but you'll never be able to tell the difference. And you'll thank me later for getting something with such superior quality that allows you to record onto 8mm tapes. For this price, this is a must have. If you're an aspiring screenwriter/movie buff like myself, you can record your own low/no budget movies, transfer them easily to your computer (using provided or other software), edit them "professionally" (your limit is your own creativity), and even lay mp3 tracks as background music. I mean c'mon. This price for a DIGITAL camcorder. How can you afford NOT to have one.

We decided to go with the digital8 format for our upcoming first baby as the quality is similar to miniDV but the camcorders are about [$$$] less right now. Plus the Hi-8 tapes that digital8 uses are cheaper too.

I am very pleased with the results so far and it seems like an excellent camcorder. The low-light is good enough and the daylight is spectacular. I have already shot a clip of our dog, transferred via firewire to our PC, converted it to a smaller size and emailed it. The quality is great. I look forward to getting a DVD writer and archiving our baby videos.

If you like the Sony name and don't want to spend the [$$$] for a Sony miniDV camcorder, this is the one to get.

I purchased a Sony DCR TRV 250 digital camera new about 15 months ago. I took excellent care of it and suddenly the LCD went blank during my Ph.D. graduation ceremony ("a SONY Moment"). In this state of disrepair, the camera is not worth a nickel. I am very frustrated and angry with SONY as they have not responded to my email inquiries. After finally reaching them by phone, I was told SONY repairs would cost approximately $280 with shipping. I don't think so! I feel very deceived. SONY is now "unplugged" in my house - for good.
It is my understanding that there is a class action suit in progress and I am also notifying the Attorney General in New York. It's too bad SONY could not stand by their products and quit gouging customers for using cheap electronics. The real question here is whether or not SONY is committed to sound moral and ethical principles regarding the sale of defective products.

I bought this Camera 2 weeks ago from Sears for $200. What a purchase, previously I had a Samsung SCD27, that camera was great but I didnt like its low light recording so I got the TRV250.

The Camera is great, however the motor is noisey but it doesnt show up on the video which is of a high quality. Particularly in the low light/dark the Sony really shines, whereas the Samsung had a slight (annoying) grain to its shots, the Sony does not.

I use Windows Movie Maker to Capture the Video (AVI format) then use the free program Tmpgenc from Tmpgenc.net to convert the AVI file to Mpeg1 VCD format. Great Results.

I was also missing a lens cap on my camcorder, so I phoned Sony and they sent me a free replacement because I was within the 90 day warranty period. Great service. However the 90 day warranty period could be longer, the Samsung gave you 180 days so long as you registered your product!

Almost a best MiniDV camera quality for this price.
Little bulky compared to a MiniDV camera, but you have
to pay at least twice the price. You can use cheap 8mm
cassette too(use Hi8, LP mode to get 90min).

USB video transfer is best for VCD creation, use Firewire
if you want DVD quality.

At the beginning this camcorder seemed perfect, great video, easy to use, and the price made it an excellent value. I bought this camcorder because I figured it would be reliable. Unfortunately, after using the camera for about 18 months, the CCD failed. The camera now just records dark fuzzy ghostly video. The repair shop claims that almost all Sony digital camcorder CCDs are defective in design which eventually causes a capicitor in the CCD board to die. The CCD can be replaced for around $250, but the replacement designs are also defective and aren't guaranteed to last any longer than the originals. So, in summary, you will love this camera for the few days or months that it lasts but then you'll swear that you'll never buy Sony again after the camcorder fails and you find out how unhelpful the Sony service department is. Before buying this camera do a google search for "Sony black screen failure" and you'll find hundreds of cases of people experiencing the same problem I did. If you talk to Sony, they'll tell you that they have never had another customer with the same problem.

I researched this product before I bought and it has had a lot of great reviews. Basically, for the price, it's a great camera for first time buyers who want a decent digital camera.

Sony makes good products - I looked at other cameras of the same type and others looked cheaper.

Biggest mistake when using: I used nightshot to try and capture some Vegas lights (at night of course) and everything was green! Don't use nightshot unless your in an unlit area - you'll be able to tell through the viewfinder if your getting a picture or not -

That was my only problem and that is why I gave it four stars - they don't mention the color problem in the manual. Otherwise great first camera at a great price.

Sony camcorders have a factory defect that the ccd screen goes black when in record mode after a few tapes of use. I was asked to pay $270 to fix it. Beware.. there are thousands of such reported problems on this and other camcorder review sites. I would suggest that you read them before buying a Sony product.