Customer Reviews

Sony DCRTRV260 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Someone stole my DCR-TRV240 camcorder, so I thought I'd purchase a DCR-TRV260 so that I could play my old Digital 8 tapes and continue converting my VHS tapes to digital. Big mistake! On the plus side, the TRV260 is somewhat smaller front-to-back than the TRV240. On the minus side: (1) The TRV 260 lacks the ability to make digital copies of VHS videotapes that the TRV 240 had. That is, the A/V jack is only "out," not "in/out." (2) There is no audio input jack or headphone jack, so you can't connect an external microphone or listen to the audio that you're recording. (3) There's no "Intelligent Accessory Shoe" so you can't connect an extra video light or a shotgun mike.

Since the DCRTRV250 mentioned in the February-March 2004 Amazon reviews is apparently no longer manufactured, if you're in the market for a new Digital8 camcorder, get the TRV 460 instead for $50 more. It has "Analog-to-Digital Conversion with Pass Through" (i.e., "Convert and/or record any analog NTSC video source to digital video via the analog inputs," even in real-time - which was not found on the TRV-250). In addition (and less important to me), the TRV-460 has the ability to record still pictures on a Memory Stick (instead of on the D8 tape), a remote control, and a "Touch Panel" LCD screen. The TRV460 still doesn't have #2 or #3 in the paragraph above, but at least it's closer to what I came to expect from the 240. When I receive my 460, I'm going to take all my analog and D8 videos and digitize them to a format readable by computers into the foreseeable future since VHS and D8 are both moribund. Buy the DCRTRV460 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder from Amazon.com!

well let me start off by saying i am not a family guy, i bought this camera purely for college, meaning alot of night shots, alot of abuse and other things related to college...of course being in college price was a big deal since i am always broke.
i got this camera at a very good price ($275) and so far the camera is proved it's worthyness! i've taken it everywhere outdoors, indoors, sports events, race track use, etc etc.

The night shot is very useful and it works very well and the easycam option enables me to do everything with the touch of one ot two buttons.
it is not backward compatible true, but i don't have any older tapes from an older camera. This camera is therefore perfect for a first time camcorder user who wants price, functionalty and quality all in one.

all in all it is a very good camcorder

This model is NOT backward compatible with old analogue Hi8 tapes. That feature is not available until the 460. I was told at the store that it does, but I was not able to make it happen, and the people at Sony confirmed that it does NOT play old tapes.

So, if you need to be able to play them, you'll have to spend the extra $50 and buy the 460.

This camcorder is a great deal for the price. It has excellent night shot capabilities as well as a built in light that works great outdoors. It's lightweight and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. Great buy!

Beware! It doenst have a remote control. Otherwise it is same as the TRV250 model. Still, it costs much more than TRV250. Better go and buy TRV250, it is amazing.
I also planned on buying TRV260, but just realized in time that 235 was certainly the better of the two, lesser price and you get remote control too! Now, thats a deal!

I have a DCRTRV280 camera that I had some trouble with, so I wanted to replace it with a refurbished model. The 260 is the immediate predecessor of the 280. The units are very similar in all ways but two. The 280 has a record and stop button (and you can focus on this screen) on the mini picture screen; for the 260 you must use two other adjustments. Both cameras (for me) give excellent pictures, even if the lighting is not perfect. I like being able to rewind a recorded scene and view it immediately. Also you can hook directly up to a TV and see it (the cords are provided for a direct link to TV). The 260 is not the easiest to use for recording and focusing, but you learn quickly if you read the manual. (That's why I only gave it three stars for ease of use.) Both units are quality Sony, but I like the refurbished for the 90 day warranty. The battery that comes with the unit will hold up for at least an hour (the amount of time for the tape length). Buying a better or extra battery is also an option, and the batteries are pretty reasonable if you check around the net.

This camcorder was purchased to replace my 250. It is great! It has sony's nightspot system, and is really easy to use, and transfer digital images to my computer. Love it!

This camcorder is easy to use right out of the box. It has Sony's famous nightspot system, that allows you to record even with 0 lux, and makes great recordings with really good audio. This is a great camcorder for anyone.

This has proven easy to use, and it does a great job of capturing memories, including sound, and even does a good job in low light conditions.

I bought an extended battery and recommend doing so with this or any other recorder. However, as others indicated, this unit doesn't seem greedy for power.

Recently, I searched the net and found a shareware program, which allowed me to load the tapes straight to my hard drive using the same cable I use for my Cannon Rebel (USB) and other devices. From there, it's just a matter of learning the ropes and editing according to my preferences.

I gave this four stars only because there are better cameras out there. However, for the price, this one is hard to beat.

Very slow to focus! Compared to older models it is very shakey as well. It does not hold a candle to last years trv250 model, so check your stores as I found last years model at a great price.