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Pros : a) the quality of the images are excellent b) the ease of use is excellent c) the compactness of the camera is excellent d) the auto focus and auto exposure are very good e) The LCD panel is excellent, and is still quite satisfactory in bright light. Cons : a) NO PASSTHROUGH MODE. This camera cannot accept input from analog sources (like output from an old VHS-C camera or a VCR). b) Battery life is short c) No memory slot. MiniDV only.
This product is a great camcorder. Small, compact, lightweight...it is very easy to hold and operate. The recorded picture is high quality. Playback is easy to view on the LCD screen or hooked up to a TV. The sound quality is excellent, as is the 40X zoom.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This camera does about everything I need. I only need basic operations for the filming I do. The only thing I wish it had was an ability to take still photographs. If it does then it is complicated and I haven't found it yet. Now I love Sony camcorders and those are the ONLY camcorders I will use. If you are looking for a small, light weight camcorder any of the HC models will do the trick. Those of us who have used Sony camcorders for several years, there are things about the TR & TRV's I like better. The smaller the camcorder the harder it is, even with imagae stabilization to hold the camera steady, with the TR & TRV's this was not such as issue. The TR & TRV's had a little more weight to them which made for clearer steady video. The smaller HC's tend to take a bit more time to get steady but the picture quality is very good. I love the Carl lenses, the lense cover being operated by a switch and no more trying to keep up with the dang things. Overall this is a great camera which will handle most any video need.Read full review
In general Sony makes great consumer products that have quality value and can rate as semi professional with less gadgets to handle (i.e. automatic focusing, controlling shaky movements, zooming very far distances, small & light) However, this camera in above image had no battery & I was unable to close it's door to operate it. There was a mini-tape that got stuck. I pulled/forced it out. Then the door would not close. There were not enough photos showing if camera could work when turned on. If the door does not close then I'm unable to video anything. It is best to have a camera image showing an image through its lens for the purchaser to know if camera is functional.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The sound quality is what you would expect from a built in mic, but the lack of alternate audio input sources means you don't have the opportunity to improve upon this. Using the camera is practically idiot proof, and if it's not easy enough, it also offers an EASY mode which the average child can use. The battery life isn't fantastic, but you can get higher capacity batteries. These stick out further than the original battery and therefore aren't as aesthetically pleasing. I have a battery that offers about 10 hours run time, but sticks out so far as to make the eyepiece unusable. To me this doesn't matter as I always use the LCD rather than the eyepiece anyway as the eyepiece is all plastic (no rubber shield) and is uncomfortable to use. With an optional IEEE 1394 cable (not included), the unit can be easily controlled by the most powerful video editing software available for PC or MAC. The Night Shot mode works well, although of course the video becomes monochrome - however it has the advantage (or disadvantage) of making some types of fabric/clothing transparent. I discovered this one night shooting my fiancée dancing at a late night bar! The optics are top notch as one would expect of Carl Zeiss. The touchscreen LCD rotates 90 degrees in one direction allowing you to point the camera at the ground and still have the LCD facing you, and flips a full 180 degrees in the opposite direction combined with automatic LCD inversion so you can point the camera at yourself, and see the LCD right side up when doing so. You can also in this configuration flip the LCD into the "closed" position allowing for easy access to the record, zoom, and other controls while the unit is on a tripod. You can display a range of information while taping or during playback such as time remaining, battery remaining, time, date, and more - or hide all the information completely. This information can also be output to the AV outputs or hidden so that if you are transferring the video to a computer or other tape, you can have it time stamped etc., or just the raw video. If you don't have an IEEE 1394 (firewire) port on your PC, you can easily purchase a USB video capture dongle for transferring your tapes to the PC for conversion to DVD/Blu-Ray/CD or just to watch or edit on the computer. If your unit should fail, there seems to be no shortage of parts such as the LCD, touchscreen, heads and main board. The brilliantly placed strap goes across the back of your hand and snugs the camera into your palm comfortably. During charging, a quick press of the BATT INFO button lets you see the charge status in terms of %full charge, and recording time available at it's current level. It has a standard 30mm thread for additional lenses and filters, and since adapters like 30mm to 37mm adapter rings are cheap and readily available, the range of options is large. I recommend having a cleaning tape handy at all times, but only use it if you are actually having problems as they can dramatically reduce head life. There is a built in lens cover the closes at the push of a lever, and if the unit is in record mode and it detects complete darkness, the idiot proof firmware will suggest that you may have left it closed on the LCD or viewfinder. A variety of visual effects filters are also built in. This camera is worth the retail price, and at eBay prices, it's an incredible deal.Read full review
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