Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Camcorder Reviews

Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

Lacks one essential (to me) feature 2007-10-28

The camera is fine, but it won't play back video recorded on Sony 8mm. Unfortunately, I specifically needed it to ensure access to my pre-2002 archives. I'm including this info, just to make sure that others like me don't inconvenience the seller.

Basic Digital 8 with Sony Quality 2007-10-25

We bought this just to have access to our old digital 8 tapes after our other more featured but outdated Sony failed. We therefore wanted a low cost camcorder. This camera nicely meets that need

Not what's pictured - still 2007-10-22

If you think that you'll get what is pictured on this page (the camera bag, extra battery and tapes, etc), forget it. It is nearly a month since I returned this item because I did not receive what was pictured, and the FALSE picture is still up on Amazon's website. Customer 'service' excused this false representation by saying that you always have to carefully read the written description of the product you're buying, not rely on the photo. If that is so, why do they have photos at all? This totally defies the building of trust for online buying. Also, even though Amazon received this product back on October 1st, 2007, they have still not as of today refunded the purchase price to my credit card. Once I do finally get my refund posted to my credit card, I am going to cancel my Amazon account of nearly 8 years. Everything about Amazon has gone down hill as it has gotten bigger. There are other places to buy everything they offer, and in most cases the prices are lower and the service is better, and now it would seem as well, the items are more accurately represented. Although Amazon has not removed the false picture of the merchandise yet, lets see if they remove this post.

Nice camera 2007-09-27

Given that I've not used the camera a lot, yet, it seems to be very good--nice picture quality, especially in low light. I like the large viewscreen, but find the on/off slide button a bit badly placed ergonomically. It's heavier than I expected and given that I have small hands, sometimes it's too cumbersome.

I've only downloaded once to my computer and while it went fairly smoothly (though not as "transparent" as I would have preferred), the playback was jerky. That's part of the reason I haven't been using it much... I guess you could say I'm a bit too hassled right now to try to figure out why. I don't doubt there's an easy solution.

For the price, it's a good camera, but if you want something light and easily handled, I'd recommend going with something else.

Great Deal 2007-09-07

I finally gave up on my old Video camera since I can't buy batteries for it any more, and bought this Handycam. (Comsumer Report liked it, I listen to them) It is easy to use and has nice pictures. Very good price too. I like Amazon, they deliver fast and have everything I could ever be needing. I always look here first and find it fast. Thanks, Mossy

Affordable GREAT camcorder 2007-08-23

great camcorder for the price! Rated "best buy" by Consumer Reports and it is. Great pictures, average sound and no remote. Please note, you cannot play tapes recorded on older 8mm camcorders.

Great Camera 2007-08-05

This is a great, affordable digital camera. It takes great film that comes out very nicely on today's high-end tv's. It also has a firewire input to connect to your pc and download your footage for editing. Looks like Sony isn't making this model anymore and that's a real shame because of the great pricepoint. I have a video production business and this is my 5th camera of the same exact model.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Unfortunately it doesn't play the older Hi8 tapes, and therefore you can't download onto your pc to burn a disk-I've tried.
If you're willing to make a bit of an investment, this product:
http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Studio+MovieBox

The MovieBox system solves a lot of problem with getting old footage onto a pc to edit and burn. You'd still need a camera that plays the old footage though, I'm thinking. I would suggest contacting the manufacturer about that. I've seen this product at Best Buy and you may find it at Amazon too.

Hope this helps. This video stuff can be VERY confusing and believe me, I've been through a lot of trial and error!

www.arspromotions.com

Sony Hi-8 Camcorder 2007-07-30

Very good camera. Excellent video and audio quality. Records on a tape but is still digital. Tape quality turns out to be better than mini DV. Many features including nightshot, different tape modes, the "Easy" button, steadyshot, etc. The only disadvantage is the camera's heavy weight and its rather large size, but I can live with that. Great camera, I think its worth the money.

Good cam, but very displeased 2007-07-26

Cant understand why they allow others to show extra add on items along with the pic of the product. I guess i am a bit out of touch but i bought this cam because i saw the accessory package picture attached with the pic of the camera, and wanted the extras with it. I got the camera with no tapes, no mini tri-pod, no long life battery, no carrying case, etc. I called Amazon and as expected i got Abdul from India to try and assist me but it is hard to understand them with a heavly accent. When i explained my problem, they sent the exact same camcorder to me, no extras. Now i am having to pay extra to get those additional items when i was lead to believe they were all included. I will be following up on this and see what they do next.

Hi8 2007-07-05

You can only play Hi8 tapes if they were recoreded on this model--so don't pick this one if you want something that can play your old Hi8 tapes and give a digital output.

the worst information and company 2007-06-29

I bought this camera because I have an old 8mm camcorder and I taped a lot of 8mm tapes, I searched for a new one which can PLAY and record on the same old format so I can use it to play my huge collection of tapes, I made a proffessional survey and I downloaded the manuals and I checked the manual of this camcorder carefully and it says in the "playable tapes section" that it plays the 8mm tapes after purchesing it I did not use it for about 6 month for some reasons, when I started using it I found that it DOES NOT play my old tapes, so I called SONY and I discovered that this model specifically does not play the Analog 8mm tapes, it only plays the digital 8mm tapes and that there are other models that plays both tapes....I tried to get some explanation why this was not mentioned clearly in the manual,...this info must be mentioned on the top and before purchesing the product since it is well known that the 8mm tapes cannot be played on any VCR, and you must have a camera to play it, I tried with sony to return the camera which is unused but they refused, I tried to explain that it is SONY fault ... but no way
so this "one" star is mainly for the company more than for the product, althought it is very stupid to make that collection of camcorders each one plays different format of the same tape "8mm", if you know how to do it why don't you make all the 8mm camcorder can play all the 8mm verions..??!!

Perfect budget cam for beginners 2007-06-11

This is a great cheap camera for beginners. Good optics, firewire for capturing and editing in NLE's like Vegas or Premiere, decent quality. I've owned 3 of these things for shooting various multi-angle stuff, would buy 3 more. (we have used them for "behind the scenes" work on our professional productions, mainly because we wanted the DV Cam look.)

This cam is digital 8, which is different from 8mm and miniDV. 8mm is analog, miniDV is digital and a little higher quality than digital 8. Digital 8 is still fine, what makes it nice is that it's pretty cheap. (If you're obsessed with quality, go for a miniDV.) And if you're serious about shooting a movie, you want a Panny DVX100b. (If you're serious about shooting a movie in HD, you want a Panny HVX200.) Be prepared to spend some cash ;D

I also shot a couple of short films with one of these cameras in my early days, performed just fine if you carefully light your scenes and make sure camera exposure is on manual adjust. Also, don't rely on it's built in audio if you're gonna shoot a film, trust me you want a pro XLR mic on a boom/shotgun mic and an external DAT or other type of recorder for your audio. (in your NLE, don't forget to adjust your colors/contrast!)

:)

One of the best cameras out there 2007-06-03

This is a great camera. 2007-05-14

I purchased this camcorder and it's the best replacement for your old HI-8 or Digital 8 camcorder. It can still record video with your old HI-8 or 8mm tapes, as well as playback for watching your tapes so dont worry about the backwards compatibility (I was a bit skeptical about this as people said it could'nt do playback, but it can. Plus it still has Nightshot (a.k.a Nightvision) and it has a light on the front that you can also use for night time video taping. and the "Easy" camcorder button locks out certain controls for easy recording for those who might not know how to work the camcorder, due to the camcorder having so many buttons.

As for connectivity this camcorder is really good for that depending on the ports your computer has, it comes with a USB cable and a special software for capturing video by USB. Or you can buy a 4-Pin to 4-Pin i.link (IEEE 1394) cable if your computer has a 4-Pin i.link port, or if your computer has a 6-Pin port you can buy a 4-Pin to 6-Pin cable. it's connectivity is really good for me because my computer has 4-Pin and 6-Pin i.link ports and i.link is the best because with i.link your computer recognizes tons of different camcorders without any software at all, I like this because I like to put my videos on my computer and edit them with windows movie maker. which is a great editing program, just find out how to use it good and you'll be able to make good movies you should try it. (Sony i.link can also be known as APPLE Firewire for Mac).

And it comes with an A/V cable for hooking it up to your TV so you can watch your videos on TV. Anyways, the resolution of this camera is really good especially for it's price, I would highly recommend this to anyone who has had a previous HI-8 or Digital-8 camcorder.

NOTE: for i.link cables look up "i link cables" on Amazon. I would
recommend either Sony or Belkin or check out this one which is also a good i.link cable that my friend got:
[...]

Missing Item 2007-05-13

One item was missing from the set, the AV connecting cable for Stereo. Hope you can send the item to my address soon.

Great quality for your price 2007-05-13

I think this is agreat product for the price. The quality of picture compared to my higher model SONY Digital-8 which I bought when they first became available in the late 90's (4 times the price of this one). I compared their quality side by side on the same monitor/TV and they are very different. On the down side wha I miss is that I have o have the LCD screen open while I reach and play the tapes in the replay mode. I find this feature frustrating. The zoom is also very quick which can work as a postive or negative. SO it takes a little of getting used to. I recommend this model as I bought it since my older one stop working and I still have many family Digitla-8 tapes that I would like to watch from time to time.

Good replacement camcorder for Digital 8 2007-05-07

Purchased because my original Digital 8 camcorder was on the fritz. This is a great replacement and I purchased it to transfer all of my existing Digital 8 tapes to disk as the format is being phased out. As it turned out, it was cheaper to purchase the new camcorder than to pay to have all tapes transferred. Now if I will only get to them...

Image quality is good for Digital 8. If you do not already have a library of Digital 8 tapes, I would explore one of Sony's Mini DV, DVD or HDD camcorders instead. If you have a library of tapes, I would convert them to disk ASAP as the format is going away...

VERY GOOD PRODUCT! 2nd sony VC i've owned 2007-03-13

overall an excellent video Camera (VC). This is my second sony and will most liekly buy anohter sony when this one wears out or becomes obscelete. records digital on the digital 8 tape. I'd probably go ahead an get a DVD recorder or HDD recorder, except the price on thsi was much more reasonable and I kenw what to expect from Sony's DCR line of VCs. Would recommend to anyone who's looking for a basic VC to record those events in life... and children too...

Good for price and easy to use 2007-01-14

Got this for my dad for Christmas. My brother then went to Europe 1 week later and took it with him. He had no trouble at all. I don't know if we find it easy because we both own the analog Hi-8 version of the camera and this was just an easy transition for us or if it is just easy to use. It does not play the old tapes from our analog recorders which we knew buying it so don't say nobody told you when you get yours and can't play back the tapes! No problems with video or audio either. Overall it is a great camera for the price.

camcorder 2007-01-12

It's really nice, however can't play the old analog version of 8mm tapes. That was the real reason we purchased this model. That was our lack of tech knowledge. It produces a nice picture.

Get a mini DV Cam instead 2007-01-12

Mini DV cams are better, and should cost about the same. This particular camera has poor quality video and it is a pain to get video transferred to your computer. The software is glitchy, so you'll probably end up downloading drivers yourself. Find a different camera.

A bit frustrated 2007-01-11

We just got this camera after much research. The camera is easy to use and we like it but frustrated that it doesn't do some of what was advertised. For the most part tho for the price and all it is fine. Just read all the directions and don't be to disappointed if it doesn't play your old 8 mm tapes and a few other things like that.
I wrote to Sony and they said that this model doesn't do a few things. SO MAIN POINT HERE IS READ AND READ AND KNOW WHAT IT IS.

I liked the service we received thru Amazon. No problems there

videocam 2007-01-11

I purchased the videocamera thinking I could watch my old tapes also. This videocam does not do that. I had to return it.

excellent! 2007-01-05

I have 2 month with my camcorder and it's very nice, good stereo sound and great quality of video, the nightshot plus it's excellent to record fireworks because keep the real color. so far i don't have any complain it was the best way to spend my money

Tengo la camara desde hace 2 meses y me parece buenisima, tiene buen sonido estero y gran calidad de video, el sistema nightshot plus es excellente para grabar fuegos artificiales ya que mantiene el color real. Hasta ahora no tengo ninguna queja y pienso que fue la mejor manera de gastar mi dinero

The good and bad 2007-01-04

The camera operates good, but I thought it was suppose to be new. It looked a bit used and was cracked on the bottom. It does work, but unfortunately all the packageing was tossed out.

Nice 2006-11-10

I have had this for a couple days, but I must say it is fairly dumby proof. This is my first camcorder and I was able to figure it out and start taping in under five minutes. It is a good starter camcorder as well as a good bang for the buck.

Good choice 2006-11-06

I really enjoyed using my camcorder. It's so small and lightweight and the picture quality is very good. Maybe for lack of experience, the zoom function felt a little awkward. A picture tells a thousand words, but a camcorder, well it was the next best thing to taking my mother who was unable to travel along. She agreed when she saw the tape.

Good Product 2006-11-04

You get what you pay for. The camera is easy to use and gives a good quality picture.

Excellent alternative to mineDV camcorder 2006-08-16

I wanted to purchase a digital camcorder to record family events, parties, kid's performaces at school, etc. Until now, I was using 9 year old 8mm Sony TR86 camcorder that at the time of purchase was very basic...no LCD, no stabilization, etc. But at that price (it cost over [...] then) that all what I could afford. And I can tell you for 9 years, this camcorder was servicing me very well but now my son needs that camcorder to record his school's projects.
I decided to purchase miniDV camcorder that would do something very basic that I used to do with my old camcorder and the price would not exceed [...] (I wanted to spend more on Panasonic GS500 but to shell out extra [...] were not in my budget plan) So...I completed my one months homework and found that new moderl of JVC D650 should be a perfect match for me. When I purchased that camera for [...] and brought it home, I could not believe how bad it was shooting videos inside the house. All videos were like they were done at the basement without any source of light and when I compared JVC's video against my 9-year-old Sony, I returned JVC the same day.
Then I came accross the website where it was saying that Digital8 camcorders shoot not worse picture than miniDV and I started my new advanture to find perfect Digital8 camcorder. After only one evening behind the computer, I new for sure that it will be Sony TRV280. So far, I have this camcorder for only two days but I can tell you, it is AWESOME camcorder. It is not as light or small as miniDV camcorder but it shoots excellent video both inside and outside the house. Nigthtime shooting mode is excellent to pick up objects even in the total darkness.
Colors are rich and full. Sound is incredible clear. I used to record in Mono with my old camcorder so 16bit stereo sound recording is a big step up for me. Also Digital8/Hi8 tapes are much cheaper that miniDV ones. I searched e-Bay and found several dozen of selers that offer 10 Sony Digital8 tapes for only $23 including shpping.
The battery is kind of small but this is not a problem as I will buy a larger capacity battery anyway soon.
And one more thing...I only paid [...] for that camcorder.
As a conclusion, I am very happy that I choose this camcorder. Let everyone say that miniDV is a future and than 8mm format is a dinasour but I like my new dinasour. I am higly recommend this camcorder.

My second D8 camera 2006-08-03

This review is really about the Sony D8 cameras. I've just ordered this camera after my original one was stolen. I bought my original D8 back in 2000 and took it all over the world. It was thrown into backpacks, taken to the beach and had the dust of three continents in the viewfinder. Throughout it all it performed flawlessly. In six years I never took it in for servicing, though I kept meaning to get it cleaned I never did. I took hundreds and hundreds of hours of video and never had a glitch. My wife is a choreographer and I've filmed many dance performances and this camera often took better quality images than the professionals hired for the job.

My little camera was rugged, dependable and took great video. Overall I would have given it a six, if possible, except for one thing: the format. Now that my original camera was stolen I am left with hundreds of tapes that I hope will be playable in this camera. I did find a video transfer service that will transfer my D8 tapes to DVD for $20 each, but not many support D8.

So, by all means, get this camera. If it's at all as well-built as my first one it will last for a long time. Just make sure that for every tape you film, make a DVD because the D8 format is doomed and will soon become the betamax of digital camcorders. Personally, I'm buying this one just to get the rest of my tapes transferred over, and I'm buying a hard drive camcorder for my ongoing taping.

Can't beat it for the money 2006-07-06

This is the second camcorder I've purchased. Learning to use it and getting decent footage was a breeze compared to my old VHS-C camcorder. The battery life is decent and the picture quality is very good.

I would buy one again.

Solid camera 2006-05-23

I got this camera for college, because we all know that sometimes a video is worth... well years of laughter. This camera is amazing. The sound quality once you get it on decent speakers is amazing for a camera this expensive. Even more impressive, I plugged the camera into my computer via the Firewire cable (the USB cable is for web cam only, sorry if you don't have a firewire adapter, go buy one) and my computer auto recognized the camera, opened windows movie maker, and asked me if I wanted to import. Needless to say, it was seamless integration. The quality is awesome, the sound is awesome, the videos are hilarious... it is WELL worth the money. And as for Sony going down the drains, I don't know about all of that, but I can tell you this camera is awesome.

Not Hi8 nor 8mm compatible! Be careful! 2006-03-20

I wonder if more buyers had the same issue, maybe I misread the information available, but this camera is NOT compabile with the Hi8 nor 8mm formats. You can use tape with Hi8 and 8mm specs., but you CANNOT PLAYBACK any Hi8 nor 8mm tapes with this Digital8 camcorder. Be careful about it!

awsome picture 2006-02-28

I bought a samsung dv camcoder it was the worst i got the trv 280 got it for $219.00 and with ilink to use to record your videos to your pc in super high quaility better than usb 2.0 u should buy a firewire with this cam to get the most out of it bought a firewire card with a ilink cord and ulead editing software on ebay for 99 cents and 9.95 shipping and handling on a buy now and it works great
and firewire card go for 40 bucks for just the card

A SOLID VALUE! 2006-01-25

After one month of use I have been pleasantly surprised by this camera from Sony. At around $260 I think it's the best value around and the best combination of performance and price that you will find. First you might think that a camera this low priced would not have much in the way of bells and whistles but you'd be wrong. Enhancements and effects life fade in and out, titling, dubbing; effects like stretching, sepia tone, pastels; photo mode, and various recording modes give this camera a lot of bang for your buck.

The camera is quite easy to use, and a comfortable fit and feel at under 2 pounds. it records quite well in low light although not fantastic in the dark, but again for the price it does very well. I didn't buy the optional battery pack since it's about 25% of the cost of the entire camera and for me that would lower the overall price value of the camera. Runs all my VCRs and my 14 year old had it hooked up and recording onto VHS in no time. Great value

Missing Documentation 2005-12-19

I have no way to get the move from my camera to my computer.

The camera came with a USB cord, so I thought it would be a easy as pie.

I Plug in the camera, started the move editing software I got with the camera, tried to stream the movie to the software.

NOTHING!

I read the paper manual that came with the camera.
the paper instructions say I should refer to the
Sony camera "First step guide" that is on the CD for downloading the movie to a computer.

THERE IS NOT SUCH DOCUMENT ON THE CD!

I did find an instruction guide for the mover editing software that was on the CD (free software with the camera purchase).

It said that the software was not compatible with my modle of camera. What the heck did they give me the incompatible software.....that is just stupid.

Then it says I should use some other software (not free?) to capture the USB streaming to a file, then load that file into the movie editing software they gave me.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

I wasted a lot of money on this movie crapy camera.

"First step guide" that was suppose to be on the CD is available.
Their web page was of no help. They said the same thing, Looked for the guide on the CD that came with the camera.

I then Emailed tec support, they said I should have gotten 2 CDs. (I only got one) I have to BUY a replacemnt CD to get the missing "First step guide".

I am not a happy customer of the Sony camera company.

FOR NOW, THE BEST & MOST AFFORDABLE DIGITAL CAMCORDER 2005-12-07

After doing hours of research on the internet (and I do mean hours and even days) EXTENSIVE research, I have found that, for the money ($259 from Amazon w/free shipping & also getting the Amazon Visa Card for an added discount), this is the best deal as far as digital camcorders go available today. It is certainly the cheapest priced digital camcorder I could find brand new, and the best built camcorder, especially when compared to the many mini dv's available (they look like they could break if you look at them the wrong way)! I had a friend who had a mini dv camcorder comment on their delicate nature, and her mini dv camcorder also quit working after only a few months of normal use (think about the same price range as digital 8 now--not more costly mini dv camcorders).

The Sony digital 8 camcorders may be discontinued soon by Sony (at least that is the asumption from what I read), but I have read more positive reviews (at this price range) for the Sony digital 8 camcorders than any of the comparable mini dv camcorders IN THIS PRICE RANGE. I purchased a Samsung (JUNK JUNK-AVOID) mini dv camcorder from Sam's Club prior to purchasing the Sony DCR-TRV280 from amazon.com, and I was more than disappointed in the performance of the Samsung mini dv camcorder. The picture from my old RCA Autoshoot VHS-C camcorder produced a picture much better than the Samsung could. I couldn't believe how horrible the quality was on the Samsung mini dv camcorder! This was difficult to tell in Sam's Club as all of their camcorders are in a very bright area of the store.

Also, I think blank tapes (8mm/high 8) will be available still for several more years, and this Sony digital 8 camcorder suits my purposes quite well. The tapes can be erased and reused many many times with very little loss of quality, if any, when well taken care of. I must state the opposite of most people when asked "should I go for mini dv or digital 8?" I say go with digital 8 if you're a "point and shoot" person like I am. Consumer Reports also states that these digital 8 camcorders are amongest the best buys in digital camcorders available today. You have to remember too, that Sony is a big name with a big reputation of producing great quality electronics.

Oh, another thing, how many digital camcorders can you get hours upon hours of use out of a single charge on one battery? Check out the optional batteries that are available with these digital 8 handycams. The NP-QM91D is the longest lasting (6 to 12 hours on 1 charge!) Also compatible with this digital 8 handycam is the NP-QM71D and NP-FM50. BEWARE of generic batteries, however (I found out the hard way!) Sony makes many of their newer models to detect the generic batteries and cause the camera to shut down and not charge the battery. I just sent back a generic NP-QM91D that was only $37.50 (Sony brand is around $149 new). Just stick with the Sony brand name infoLITHIUM batteries only. I re-ordered and got the NP-FM50 for $44 from amazon.com (Sony brand). It will give 2 to 3 hours recording time, which, when combined with the battery that came with this camcorder, will be about 4 hours of battery time. This should be plenty for most users. The batteries also recharge remarkably fast (except for the first two batteries I mentioned. Those require an optional "fast charge charger" to get them to charge quickly).

By the way, the Samsung mini dv had many complaints of low battery time (40 minutes or less). I think Sony makes the longest lasting batteries, and I have done a lot of research on this! I hope you will take my word for it, and check out this digital 8 handycam yourself!

The BEST! 2005-11-22

We have went through several camcorders trying to find one that was good quality at a low price. This one is awesome! It's easy to use, the battery lasts and even says how many minutes of recording time you have left (we had problems with other camcorders and short battery life). The picture is very crisp and the sound quality is great...I am very impressed and happy with our purchase! Honestly, if anyone were shopping for a camera in this price range, this is the way to go...and I speak from experience after returning 3 others already!

Fantastic Camera 2005-11-16

This is my first Sony Camcorder product. My previous models were Panasonic VHS-C and a Canon MiniDV. The Sony Digital 8 and other MiniDV cameras are DIGITAL format. Sony uses 8mm while the other use 6mm. Digital 8 is Sony's standard and if you have ever seen Beta compared to VHS you would see that Sony standards are excellent. If a salesman tries to tell you the quality of a Digital 8 is like VHS - they are lying or either not informed.

I ended up purchasing a new camcorder since my cats chewed through my Canon Power Cord. The Panasonic did not connect via Firewire (iLink).

So for an early Christmas present I was given this camcorder - I got to pick it out. I chose this one because it feels robust and it feels like quality. Many of the miniDV's on the market feel cheap. The viefinder tilts up unlike most MiniDV's today. So this works well if you need to close the LCD and look through the viewfinder while it is on a tripod. As well, this camera sports controls on the LCD, Nightshot - which is excellent by the way!!!! There are many features I want go into detail on, but they are listed on this page. The only thing I wished it has was a microphone in port so I could use an separate microphone. The built-in mic works great though.

It connects to my Mac Mini with NO problems. I read one post from a reader about how it wouldn't connect to their computer. There are so many possible reasons why it wouldn't work that I will not go into detail. Suffice it to say, when I first got my Canon it would never work on my Windows 98 machine with a Firewire card. However it worked fine on my Apple Powerbook and my former Dell laptop with Windows XP. So sometimes it is just the OS, the technology and grimlens in the system.

Sony is quality and I do feel I received a quality product. I highly recommend it. You will NOT be disappointed. Controls are put in a logical locations and the battery is a simple "snap" to get in - unlike my old Canon.

[...]

Great camera, but service is horrible. 2005-11-01

I purchased this camera for my wife, with the intention of transferring a lot of our videos to my computer and then to record DVDs. This model supposedly supports this capability through both a USB connection as well as Sony's "i.Link," which is Sony's term for the IEEE 1394 standard, also known as "Firewire."

The USB streaming works fine - except there's no sound transfer.

The i.Link connection is supposed to be pretty good, so I shelled out another $40 for their i.Link cable (which really should come with the camera, but it doesn't). Well, it didn't work - at all. My computer refuses to recognize the camera even though it reports the IEEE 1394 port as working normally.

So, I thought, no problem - I'll just contact Sony support and see if they can help me with a solution or fix my camera. After running through all their proposed solutions and determining that the camera is the problem, I'm told that Sony can repair it.

FOR $216! The damn camera only cost me $300 to begin with. Why should I deal with this? They sold me a DEFECTIVE product and then expect me to pay for repairs!

Granted, I purchased it 6 months ago and the full warranty was only for 90 days, but I had never used the "feature" before. My understanding is that the limited warranty now covers parts only and not labor. From what I can tell, the $216 is a flat fee for repairs, no matter what the problem is. Though I'm not a technician, I can't imagine that replacing this part would take more than 15 minutes of work. If I were outside the warranty period, this fee would be $269.

Why even bother offering a warranty?

The camera works great in all other respects. If you're not looking to transfer your movies to computer, then by all means, go ahead and get this camcorder.

I have not decided whether to get it repaired or buy a different brand. I can tell you that I will not buy Sony ever again.

Great product, easy to use! 2005-10-24

The product is light weight and easy to use. I'm not really electronic saavy but found it to be simple to use immediately. Would recommend to friends and family!

Do NOT buy this camcorder!!! 2005-09-12

The Sony camcorders have a defect where the screen goes black on the recording mode. This only occurs after 1-2 years of owning the product - once it's out of warranty! I purchased mine about 1&1/2 years ago and used it a total of 5 hours and mine now has the so-called "black screen of death". I have "babied" my camcorder, so it is in perfect condition. Sony has so nicely offered to repair it for $291.00 plus shipping. I might as well buy a new one! There have been hundreds of people with this same problem, but Sony is doing and saying nothing about the defect. The sad thing is that this was a great camara. It was easy to use and relatively small. If you do decide to buy one, I would definately recommend the extended warranty.

Sony Camcorders fail in 2 years 2005-08-28

There is currently a known issue with many of the Sony Camcorders. This is being called the "black screen of death".

What happens is that the camera works great for 1-2 years then the CCD goes out like a light. The camera will not take video again.

Sony is evasive if not downright deceitful about this issue when you call tech support. The fact is Sony does not stand behind their product. If this happens to you, Sony will not own the defect and you will be out hundreds of dollars.

There is a lengthy thread on CNET on this issue. Search for Sony black screen.

Wishing you luck in the purchase of your (not Sony) video camera,
Scott

Fantastic deal -- (does not support Hi8 format) 2005-06-01

As the other reviewers have noted, the TRV 280 is a very good deal as a full-featured Digital8 camcorder. I have to warn prospective buyers not to believe any source you have read that suggests the 280 supports the analog formats (8mm and Hi8). It does not. If you need to import old 8mm or Hi8 tapes to your PC or Mac, get the TRV 480. I learned the hard way. My son is the benefactor of my error--as the happy owner of the TRV 280.

The BEST top bang-per-buck value in digital camcorders! 2005-05-16

This is easily the best value DIGITAL camcorder out there today, hands down. 'Digital8' is just as good as 'MiniDV' in terms of resolution and picture/audio quality. Why pay more for MiniDV? For under three 'Benjamins', you get reliable digital video and audio quality with over 500 lines of resolution, and a proven medium (Digital8) whose videotapes cost half as much or less than MiniDV tapes. The video quality in low light is also excellent, with a low light switch and feature that works great. And size-wise, the camcorder is not much larger than a MiniDV unit. It is feature-rich and comes with all the accessories you would need, including a charger, battery, lens cap, A/V cable for connection to your TV, a USB cable and software for connection to your PC or Mac. The owner's manual is one of the best i've ever seen, with very intuitive diagrams and easy to operate instructions. And the battery level meter and 'time left' indicator on the LCD view panel is very useful and amazing in it's detail and usefulness. Folks, this is one serious digital camcorder that is available 'for a song'! Great job Sony!!!

UPDATE 1/2006: 'Consumer Reports' listed this camcorder as a 'Best Buy', and mentioned that Sony has the best 'repair free' history out of all camcorders! Proof that this is a GREAT bargain! I wrote my original review of this here last year.

A Perfect Family Camera 2005-04-30

For under $300. you get a camera with a lot more than anyone would expect. Besides VERY good camcorder recordings, it also takes good snapshots. I've only owned mine a few days, but I'm already wild about it. Unless a person must have professional quality in a camcorder ($3,500+ and maybe a lot more), the DCR-TRV280 is a good choice - it is certainly a good buy.

Great camcorder 2005-04-07

My husband and I were looking for a good camcorder that was functional but not too expensive. THIS is it!! For $300 we got a great camcorder that you can also take still shots with. Lots of features and very very easy to use. We have had it about a week, not really used it for lots of videoing, just getting used to it. But the quality of the recordings are great, the light is VERY BRIGHT and it picks up sound good too. We both give it 5 stars. It was just what we were looking for.

Great value camera 2005-03-14

I bought this camera for family videos and I wanted the ability to edit on my Apple Powerbook in iMovie. This camcorder is great for that. The video is very good, the tapes are cheaper than MiniDV, and the camera has a solid feel to it. If you want something smaller or more pro, you want to go with MiniDV probably anyway, but for home use and some basic editing and such, this is a great camera, especially for only $300.

Awsome! (for the price) 2005-02-24

For $300, THIS IS AWSOME! The + are: 20x zoom, USB connection, Effects, Titles, Lights, Small price, Nightshot plus, Stereo sound. The - are: Low lighting inside without all lights on, Low picture quality without computer editing. You can also play back video on your TV. Hope this review was usefull