Home :: Cameras :: Camcorders  

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

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

List Price: $499.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Deal
Review: I've had this camcorder for a while know, and i have to say that for the prize excelent FOR ME. Know the Sony TRV-140 isnt all flowers, it does have some but few flaws.
1. Steady Shot isnt superb.
2. REC button some times gets stuck and it wont retract after you press it like it should, but dont worry because i fixed that with just a little bit of grase.

Well know let me tell you ,the things that you will appreciate from the Sony TRV-140.
1. USB Streaming.
2. DVin/out port
3. Super NightSHot

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great product
Review: 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.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: DONT BUY IF USED FOR FIREWIRE EDITING
Review: It may not be listed in Apple's iMovie Compatibility list, but it works perfectly for me on my iBook 700 combo drive model with OS X v10.2.6. Just plugged it in, launched iMovie and it was instantly there...another great OS X experience!

Ease of use was outstanding, just charge up the battery, pop in a tape and go. If you've ever used a camcorder, you could probably use this one without even looking at the manual, the controls are pretty standard and easy to learn.

Video quality seems good, focus is quick, lcd display is bright and vibrant. The built-in floodlight worked well to light up the dark stairway (no windows or lights) in my house and take good video there. It works equally well for me indoors and out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Works flawlessly with iMovie on Mac OS X
Review: It may not be listed in Apple's iMovie Compatibility list, but it works perfectly for me on my iBook 700 combo drive model with OS X v10.2.6. Just plugged it in, launched iMovie and it was instantly there...another great OS X experience!

Ease of use was outstanding, just charge up the battery, pop in a tape and go. If you've ever used a camcorder, you could probably use this one without even looking at the manual, the controls are pretty standard and easy to learn.

Video quality seems good, focus is quick, lcd display is bright and vibrant. The built-in floodlight worked well to light up the dark stairway (no windows or lights) in my house and take good video there. It works equally well for me indoors and out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Easy Set Up and use
Review: My wife wanted to tape a family event and I opted for this model. I never used one before but the set up and operation was easy. I have yet to read the manual from cover to cover but I was able to get up and running without it. The video came out nice in dim lighting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sony DCR-TRV140 Digital8 Digital Camcorder With USB
Review: 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 ...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: High Quality Digital8 Recording
Review: 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 importaint type of zoom because there is no loss of picture quality. It also has a 560x digital zoom which is less importaint because, the farther you zoom, the worse the picture quality gets. One of the most amazing features of this camcorder is the Infared 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 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: good for TV output but bad for PC
Review: The quality of TV output is very good but poor when transported to PC. There seems to be data loss. Perhaps due to USB streaming, not sure. Other things are fine.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: good value for the money
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You need this
Review: 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.


<< 1 2 3 4 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates