Camcorder Reviews

I purchased this camera over a week ago and have time to thoroughly test this camera. I have tested every feature and am ready to review. I took this camcorder on a ride to Daytona Beach for Biketoberfest and didn't miss a single item that I wanted to film thanks to this camera and the accessories I purchased. If I could give this camera 4.5 stars I would.

Video Quality: 4.5 Stars
The video quality is great -- good light or bad. There is a slight delay in the auto-focus if lighting fluctuates or if there are items close and distant from the camera. This is especially noticeable immediately after you turn the camera on. Once the camera has done its initial focus it is pretty quick. Of course, you are welcome to try to use manual focusing but it too would take you that long to switch to manual focus and then adjust the display.

Night Shot: 4.0 Stars
Night shot is better than most cameras. However, it appears as if you are shining a green flashlight into the dark. The "Super Night Shot" feature is worthless to me. The sample rate is slow and the video unfocused 75% of the time. This feature could have been exchanged for something else useful. I will say that the regular night shot is crisp and clear as opposed to snowy / grainy like other digital camcorders.

Zoom: 4.0 Stars
The zoom is steady and crisp.

Sound Pickup / Microphone: 4.0 Stars
The microphone picks up the zoom button if you "flick" it on and off rather than "ease" it. Play with it for a while and practice before you start taking video that has important audio with it. The microphone is otherwise good. It picks up all the sound you want and keeps the unwanted background sound to a minimum. If you think it needs improvement you can purchase the external microphone kit or use your own mic plugged into the external mic port.

In-Camera Video Editing: 3.5 Stars
The in-camera video editing options are nice to have if you blew all your money on the camera and don't have the $$ to spend on the firewire card to do your editing on the computer.

Included Software: 3.0 Stars
The software does the work easily but lacks some features. I recommend trying a few other shareware versions of other products before you settle into the provided software.

Recommended Updates:
Sony Handycam Camcorder Value Kit ($80) -
Includes Sony Carrying Case and an Extra Battery
The case will keep your investment protected. The extra battery allows you to keep filming while your other battery charges.

Ambico Lithium-Ion Battery Charger ($49) -
This kit allows you to plug the battery in the car charger or at home in a standard outlet. If you are going to be filming for an extended period of time, consider purchasing at least one extra battery and the charger. The Sony Kit provides the extra battery.

Sony DV Editing Kit ($89) -
This kit is called EZ Editor. The kit gives you an internal PCI two-port firewire card, a firewire cable, and Pinnacle Studio 7 SE. The software is very easy to use, and very effective. You can upgrade the software to a more professional feel for about $49 online. The installation of the card is easy, the software is simple and has a multitude of features and is 100% compatible with the camera.

Summary:
This camera is great all around. It has every port for input and output that you would want (under current standards). The instructions are GREAT. Thank goodness they finally developed a manual written in English -- and English only! Now you don't have to flip around trying to find the portions that you understand.

I know I have pushed a few accessories here. I'm not a salesman or a Sony representative. My feeling, however, is that accessorizing makes the camera. This camera is nice by itself but is much more convenient once you add the things that make your life easier.

Each person may need different accessories (which is why they aren't included in the camera package) so use the information provided here to help you decide if you need these accessories or not.

I would recommend that you take the time to step through the owners manual and test each feature that they walk you through. It will prevent you from introducing yourself to the feature at a time when you'd rather be filming. If you purchase the carrying case, the manual fits snug into the front pocket. Keep it there and reference it.

Lastly, I recommend buying a warranty with your camera. Cleanings are recommended every 6 months, this is still a new technology and the warranty doesn't cost that much. I purchased my camera at Best Buy with the warranty. I can bring my camera into Best Buy for a free cleaning as often as I like. I have unlimited repair or replacement of my product should it need replaced. I don't usually buy these warranties, but when you spend this much on a camera, consider this insurance!

I bought this camcorder 10 days before.
Earlier I had Panasonic PV DV800. I returned that one because I wasn't happy about video quality.
I liked TRV 730.
Pros :
Day light video quality is superb. Except night time it is not quite good. Mega Pixel digital photo is quite satisfactory.
USB support is very useful. You can just connect to computer and your camcorder will become virtual disk. It is pretty sleek and data transfer is fast.

Cons.
Memory is just 4 MB. I could hardly take 5 photos with high resolution. Separate Battery charger could be better. At night time even there is plenty of light, picture seems little dark.

Final Word:
There are many DV camcorder cheaper than this one. I will still recommend this based on quality. I found this digital 8 better than other DV's. Overall this is best bet.

I love this camcorder! I can get the close ups skinnaMAX can't touch. The zoom is top notch and the wide angle action catches the nips. I would recommend checking the manuel as it gives the down low you can't get just by trickin the gadget. The nightvision brings the dish to light and makes the digital quiver. I would encourage those who haven't to experience the Sony DCR-TRV730 for themselves.

The JVC GR-DV800U is a lot of camera for a modest amount of money, but, as other reviewers have pointed out, it suffers in poor lighting conditions as do many other camcorders. I'm giving it two stars because 1) JVC tech support personnel are a bit numb and less than helpful; and 2) although the product is advertised as being compatible with OHCI compliant IEEE 1394 (Firewire) inputs, it will only work with Pinnacle, Belkin and Orange Micro Firewire PCI boards. Otherwise you can't transfer it to your computer. So you may have to cough up a PCI slot and another $45 to make it work. (I have an onboard Asus IEEE 1394 and a separate PCI Texas Instruments OHCI compliant board and neither would accept and install the camera connection. My wife's computer wouldn't take it, either, getting us only a big yellow question mark in Device Manager in Windows XP.

JVC is a bit dishonest in its claims to be compatible with OHCI-compliant connections, but the camera's good and (best part) it has a MIC IN jack, which is the main reason I bought it.

I've had my JVC GR-DV800 for close to 2 months now, and I'm extraordinarily pleased. It's my first camcorder, and I don't regret in the slightest the choice I made, having tested much of the major functionality, especially interfacing with a computer. Although it appears this model is getting harder to find new, I would recommend it unequivocally to anyone considering buying it. I'd like to address some of the specific aspects I've seen downgraded by other reviews here and elsewhere on the web, as well as passing along my experiences with the more advanced capabilities, in particular, operation in conjunction with a computer.

I haven't tried using the camcorder in especially low light situations, and I guess my expectations are lower than many other users. I don't really expect to be able to take video in the dark. Without going into details, I would say the camcorder has met my expectations for shooting without a video light, although I don't doubt that some camcorders may do better in low light.

I've seen mixed reports on the supplied battery, which is a 400 mA-hr lithium, with some claiming the battery is useless after a few charging cycles. I haven't pushed it, but I seem to be able to get at least an hour of recording out of the battery (but I also bought a 2500 mA-hr model for flexibility).

Many reviewers have severely criticized the 3.5" LCD for low resolution/sharpness. It's true that it isn't "stunning", but it's extremely useable, with sort of a matte appearance, rather than the glossy appearance of, say, a Sony. Unless you're trying to do a precise manual focus, however, I don't see the LCD as a liability, and I don't assume most users sit around watching their videos on the LCD.

Most others have also criticized the still image capability of this, and all camcorders, stating that they are far inferior to digital cameras. The DV800 has a 1.3 MP CCD, and the Sony digital camera I've been using for several years is also 1.3 MP, and I've yet to be tempted to upgrade to a higher resolution camera for our family usage, since I typically don't crop and blow up my pictures. I use both the Sony and now the JVC DV at 1280 resolution, and aside from the camcorder not having a flash (standard), I've yet to notice any difference in the pictures from the two, in good light, other than a slightly different aspect ratio. Since my Sony camera only has an LCD, and no viewfinder, I'll probably tend to use the JVC DV through its viewfinder outside in bright light, where the Sony LCD is nearly impossible to see.

As far as operation of the camcorder with a personal computer, I've found the JVC to work extraordinarily well in all modes with Windows XP, after an initial intensive debugging of the FireWire (IEEE 1394/i.Link) capability. (I have a very long thread on the Dell Community Forum documenting this process.) JVC supplies Pixela USB drivers and an application (ImageMixer) that makes good use of those drivers, within the limitations of the program. JVC, like most DV manufacturers, relies on supplied Microsoft drivers for operation over the 1394 bus.

In still camera mode (Memory mode), with a memory card installed, and when connected to a computer via USB, the JVC requires no custom drivers. It looks like a removable USB disk drive, and all images are accessible as JPEG files for copying from or to the camcorder. For retrieving video or using as a webcam over USB, the Pixela drivers must be installed, and they present a separate Video Capture and Audio Capture device. With Image Mixer, I could capture 320x240 video (Video CD) from the camcorder, either by playing back a DV tape (in Video-Play mode) or as a webcam (in Video-Auto or -Manual mode). I couldn't get the camcorder to work reliably for video over USB with the other applications I had available, so I don't know if resolution above VCD is possible over USB. DVD resolution is 720x480 @ 30 frames/second, for a data rate of almost 30 megabits per second (Mbps). USB 1.1 is limited to 12 Mbps, so unless the JVC USB implementation is 2.0, DVD-quality video transfer isn't possible over USB.

Moving on to operation over the IEEE 1394 bus (FireWire), here is where the full video capabilities of the camcorder are possible. It is possible to download still images from the memory card over 1394, but it's much more convenient to use the USB disk mode for still image operations. Contrary to another review on this site, I don't believe there is any inherent limitation in the JVC 1394 implementation that limits it to working with particular 1394 interfaces. That limitation appears to be in the Windows XP drivers, and isn't particularly specific to given camcorders, as documented in many places on the web, including my thread elsewhere. After switching to using the Microsoft 1394 bus drivers, instead of those supplied by the interface manufacturer, my JVC has worked flawlessly with my 1394 interface, which has a Texas Instrument chipset, and it also worked flawlessly with a Dell laptop with a built- in 1394 interface with TI chipset, as well as with the built-in DV interface of a Macintosh iMac.

After the initial debugging cycle, I have downloaded lots of video from my camcorder's DV tape over the 1394 interface, produced video that I burned to DVD, which played back and looked great on my 27-inch TV, and copied the edited video back to a DV tape in the camcorder (all using Ulead Video Studio 8.0, which I will be reviewing in the software section of this site shortly).

In short, the JVC GR-DV800 has done everything I've asked of it thus far, and with its flexible input and output connections, and availability of useful accessories, including lenses and filters, I consider it to be a great product.

the "palm of your hand" has also mastered an amazing piece of technology here with the GR DV800U. Companies followed the lead of JVC and competition generated fantastic graphics/pixel imagery. This camcorder delivers a must in everyone's home. It picks up details you have never seen. So versatile not only is this mini-digital a camcorder it is a VCR, a Computer Cyber-Cam, a digital camera, a television, an e-mail capable device that has enough plug-in features such as s/video stereo sound 540+ lines of resolution digital still as high as 1600x1200 with a super high band processor this camcorder is thus far the most amazing one I have seen. The software and features combined will easily have you set to tape load edit and produce your own pro movies!!! This is 21st Century technology in the palm of your hand............undoubtedly underrated due to their lack of advertising. However, with such perfected leadership in the video industry there is little reason to advertise. This keeps cost low as competitors like Sony charge for their marketing costs . JVC charges you simply for the GR-DV800U technology and it is superb!!!!

After comparing this digital video camera with built in digital still camera with numerous other competing cameras that were five hundered dollars higher or lower in price range, I found it to have the best features for the lowest price. It has great video, and best digital still resolution of any competing model (but it is poor compared to full time digital cameras and 35mm film). Very stylish!!!

Flash for stills, numerous low light, back light, and special video recording settings make it a great all around digital video camera for parties, weddings, etc., at a home use level.

Down side is poor digital stills in comparason to digital still cameras on market. It also uses a Multimedia card which is not supported by no computer needed, photosmart printers such as HP photosmart printers. Also, included software works but is bare boned and basic.

Side by side with sony models, the DVM75u was a far better value for me. I must admit, the overall quality of the sony video picture for discerning viewers, and I mean techno-phile junkies, is slightly superior. But I could not give up the built-in digital still camera resolution superiority with flash and an extra five hundred bucks for a difference only a professional could point out, and memory sticks are just offensively expensive. Great for video, gets by for stills. You'll need to purchase a digital still camera for photos.

I work for an ad agency in Los Angeles ...and I used to lug around too much heavy and bukly equipment until this baby came around. One day I went out with the location scouts and director to scout for possible filming locations. Here I was with a Digital8 video camera and another Nikon DX-1 digital camera to film and photograph locations, then the director and then the location scouts come strolling up with these little Palm Pilot looking things in their hands and I was like wheres everything else? All they said ws its all here. So after a day of walking around with my ... I ditched my video camera in the car. I started to use one of the scouts JVC Mini DV camcorders and was increadibaly surprised at the resolution and quality even for stills. The cameras were all stock except each of them carried 2 128 memory cards other than that everythign was great. What surprised me was theat such a little package could deliver the quality it did. Easy to heek up to a PC in our editing room too just plug it in and your ready to go. This is by far one of the best MiniDV Camcorders out there now.

Perhaps I'd give this 4.5 stars, but I'm happy enough with it to round up and not down. Vids are crisp and vivid. They transfer great with FIREWIRE/pinacle/dazzle 80 (unlike Sony w/ it's less frilly included editor). Only downside is the still pics for a camcorder are fair, it's not a mega-pixel cam like Sony's. For this reason some reviewers prefer the Sony, here's why I don't.
#1 If your desktop doesn't revolve around Sony's exclusive (& stupid) MEMORY STICK (and most of yours don't)then you have to buy one just to use all the so-called convenient features it brings.
#2 The CCD is much clearer and better.
#3 NIGHT VISION? so what! JVC's NIGHTALIVE frame rate may be slower but it actually captures color in low light! Even if you NEEDED to tape your kids sleeping in total dark, it makes them look GREEN and hollows out their eyeballs! - Yuk!
#4 Do you really care that Carl Zeiss makes the lense? Perhaps it makes a diff with film photography but not with Sony's CCD resolution.
#5 It's heavier, bulkier, clunkier (too many outside buttons) and less stylin than the JVC.

I recently had mine stolen, after tinkering around with comparible Sony's I'm going right back to buy another JVC GR-DVM75!

I have had this camcorder (my first and only) for nearly a year. It was a great entry to home video.

I was very pleased with the picture quality and it is easy to use. I have tried the EIS feature(electronic image stabilization) and it really works and the effect on picture quality is barely noticeable.

Editing on a computer with the IEEE1394 interface is fun (and IEEE1394 interface cards for desktop and laptop PCs can be had very cheaply - I bought one for each.) The camcorder can even print the finished movies back to a blank MiniDV tape for archiving and for displaying on NTSC TVs.

The built-in microphone has very poor sound quality - voices sound very tinny. I wish it had a way of connecting an external microphone. And I wish a second, larger battery wasn't so expensive - it is hard to shop around for a third-party battery as the online catalogs rarely mention this model of camcorder.

Shop around for MiniDV tapes - good brands can be found for around $5 but I see them many places over $8.

The battery charger included with mine doubles as an AC adapter and works on many electrical systems round the world (just get a travel plug from your local hardware store.)

This digital camera has everything you need. Don't waste your money on those overpriced gadgety cameras, when all you need is something to capture good quality digital video.

I've played around with quite a few DV cameras, and almost all of them were impossible to figure out. Too many buttons. This camera only has the necessities. My only complaint about the ergonomics is that the record button could be placed better. I usually take my thumb off of it after I hit record, so I have to go searching for it when I want to pause or stop recording, so a lot of my video has a visible jiggle at the end where I was fumbling for the record toggle.

The quality of the video is superb. It gets a little grainy in low light, but no worse than any DV camera I've seen below $900.

Oh, one thing to note. This camera doesn't come with a DV tape to get you started. So, you better put a 3-pack in your shpping cart before you check out. I'd recommend a second battery, too.

This camera doesn't have an analog pass-thru, so you can't use it to transfer your old 8mm videos to DV.... but that's something you'd do only once anyway, right? Why spend the extra bucks on a camera that can do it then?

This is a great deal. If you are the bare-bones type, get this. You'll be pleased.

For an entry level miniDV camcorder, this one Rocks.
Easy to use & extremely light.
Buy the Pyro firewire card, and you can get great video to your pc.
For the price you pay, it doesn't get much better.

Just passed one year warrant period, the eye piece viewfinder didn't work anymore. It seems that the sensor for the foldable screen went bad. Sent back to California Canon service center, and was charged for [money]. The customer service agent was very arrogant about Canon quality, and showed no sign of concern for my problem.

Recently half of screen became distorted during replay. Don't want to waste another [money], so tried lots of cleaning and changed the tape from TDK to Sony. The problem seems to be under control.

If it goes bad again, I will trash this junk, and buy a Sony.

My main draw to the Canon Optura Pi was the optical (rather than digital) image stabilization. Canon is the only camcorder manufacturer that offers this feature in this price range. The image quality is excellent, although the camera calibration can take some getting used to. Experiment with white balance settings, etc. until you find something that works well. The LCD screen is a little too bright, but otherwise looks good. This camera integrates flawlessly with my Macintosh G4 and iMac DV computers. My only complaint about this camera is that occasionally the picture can become blocky and behave erratically. However, I have discovered that this is a problem with ALL DV camercorders and is due to flaky DV cassettes. So, choose your tapes wisely! In every instance of picture glitches, the problem has corrected itself within a matter of minutes. As I said, this is probably the best camcorder you can get in without spending $2500 or more

I did a lot of research on digital camcorders. Unfortunately...didn't help much with my search. So I would like to help the site by telling everyone that the Canon Optura Pi is the camcorder to get. It is very difficult to find a camcorder with all the features that you need withouth spending $+ for it... It has excellent broadcast quality video. A superb progressive scan mode that allows you to snap high quality stills while filming. Awesome low light shooting without the need of nightvision. And lots more!! There are very few camcorders that can compare to the Optura Pi, but none of those camcorders can compare to the price. The Sony PC-110 and the JVC GR-DVL 9800U are similar camcorders but costs a lot more. This is one of the most overlooked camcorders in the market. But if you don't want to spend a lot and want the best possible camcorder, the Optura PI would be my #1 choice.

Have done lots of shoots with a digital still camera, so ventured into the digicam world 3 weeks ago. Seems like Optura 20 has some potential, but the menus are cryptic and the manual is terrible- constantly refers to terms that aren't explained, diagrammed, or indexed. I know what I want to accomplish, but Canon routinely frustates my ability to do it. After 3 weeks, cannot view a still picture recorded onto the card, but not positive I've even taken one.

Microphone is sensitive to low noise (good thing), but on playback the sound is overpowered by motor noise unless you're recording a rock concert. Very distracting, so add $180 for their accessory mike.

Wide angle close-ups are amazingly detailed, but images quickly lose their fidelity as you shoot more distant objects (like a house from across the street). Wide angle is a very relative adjective here; it's still a narrow field of vision, and Canon's wide adaptor is only a .7x (for $160!). I bought a Sony .6x for $39 that did well, and a fisheye that took in about the same breadth as our field of view.

Button for shooting stills is directly under where your thumb fits, so my first attempts at video recorded only stills (I think... see above).

Jury's still out on a looong recess with Canon's Optura 20, just glad I didn't pay more than $719 for it.

This is my first camcorder and although I am by no means a dummy, this is making me feel a little bit like one. I immediately took it from the box and started using it. Most products I can pick up on like that, not this one. I have been looking over the owners manual and am now finding it pretty easy to operate. I purchased this to film my son and family outings. It has alot of features for video editing etc.. I will probably never use but they are there. Overall I would say it was a good purchase. The image quality is great and if you want a 4x6 still it is great for that too. The night shot is unlike Sony which is what I am used to. There is some sort of delay so when you move the camera it takes a second for the image on the screen to catch up. I don't know if that is from me not using it correctly or what. There is a built in light so you can't be sneaky with it in low light conditions. I would spend the extra money for the 20 over the 10 for the color view finder and other options. I ultimately didn't go with the Sony TRV 38 because of canon quality and recent things I have heard regarding Sony service and the lack of aftermarket support products. All in all a good camera.

I have owned this camcorder for six months now, and have found no fault with it. Before buying it, I was concerned about negative reviews regarding motor noise, low light, and body size. Fortunately, none of these has caused me a problem. The surroundings have to be completely silent to hear the motor; I have yet to have a problem with low light, and I like the feel of the body. I particularly like the ease with which I can take a still photo with only a minor interruption in video recording. I wanted the 16X zoom for sporting events, but I found it also useful at a recent graduation. While seated, I find I can hold the camcorder adequately still, even at 16X zoom, but a tripod is always useful. In the presence of a live orchestra, the audio quality is outstanding.

I purchased this camera a week ago around [$$$]. There were other electronic stores advertising this camera for around [$$$]. The next closest deal I found for a camera of this size, with 1.3 megapixel still picture and mini dv technology was around [$$$]. This camera is a steal!

I've had it for a week and what caught my attention initially was the quality of the construction. This camera is solid. The controls are well laid out and anything you need is at your fingertips. I have tested the still picture and mpeg to memory card features. Downloading the images and mpegs to the computer was as easy as easy could be. Although I haven't printed any stills yet, I was surpised by the superior picture quality as it showed up on the monitor. The mpegs are a little weak, but if you need superior video on your computer, buy a firewall cable. It's not included, but at this price you should have plenty of money left over for accessories.

Of the two negative reviews of this product, one refers to it's high price tag, no longer a factor at over [%] off. The other isn't even reviewing this camera.

The only negative I can find is I wish they included a dv camera to computer focus regarding the video in the same way they include instructions and features for the memory card. I.E. I wish they included the firewire. I know, WAAAAAAAAAA. This camera is two cameras in one, and two compact cameras at that. If you want to take pictures and videos of travel or everyday life but don't want to be bogged down by two cameras or bulkier cameras, this is the one for you.

I have had this camera for over a month now, and have been using it in a variety of conditions, from candle-lit Christmas dinners to scenic outdoor settings, some of which from a moving vehicle. The Optura 200MC has been holding up quite well and pleasantly surprised me in many ways.

The sharp and clear video is very impressive, even under less than optimal lighting conditions such as typical indoor settings. Although the image becomes somewhat grainy when lighting conditions deteriorate, remember that no camera performs well with poor lighting. The camera's automatic settings do an excellent job most of the times but fortunately the Optura leaves you with plenty of manual control to experiment and enjoy creative freedom. I was also impressed with the still image quality, especially for a camcorder. Mind you, many dedicated digital still cameras will take better pictures but I really appreciate the convenience of being able to take both high quality videos and decent stills, and only have to carry one compact machine.

The sound from the built-in mic is good and comparable to other camcorders. As with most other up-rights, the mic tends to pick up some motor noise when filming in very quiet environments, but creating some "white background noise" such as a radio or TV playing softly, or adding an external mic should alleviate this problem.

I really like the way the Optura 200MC feels in my hand, not in the least because of the comfortable grip belt which can angle to accommodate your grip on the camera. It definitely lacks the awkward feel so many other up-right camcorders possess. The camera is neither too heavy to hold it up for a long time, or too light to keep it stable. Buttons for manual functions (such as exposure, focus) are located on the back of the camera, which makes them easy to locate while recording. The camera body is made of magnesium except for a few plastic covers, and seems well built.

Is there anything I didn't like? Well the Optura 200MC isn't cheap for starters, and I wish the powerful white LED to illuminate your objects could be turned on in any shooting mode to add that last little bit of manual control, but then I'm being pretty picky. Personally I don't really miss the accessory shoe on the Optura 200MC, as adding accessories to a small camera such as the Optura makes it too bulky for my taste. Also note that many video lights have a limited reach and just turning on an extra lamp when filming inside usually gives a much better result, not to mention less drain on your battery!

Overall, I have been very happy with this camera, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality digital camcorder.

The price you see now on Amazon and other Amazon providers is way out of whack for what this camera is available for from other sources. I considered the Optura 300 and the Elura 50, but I already had a major investment in BP-500 series batteries and chargers. I also use an Optura Pi and a Rebel Digital. Be aware that the 300 and the 50 use other model batteries that are much less available and less robust than the 500 series batteries. I am a big believer in optical stabilization but that is becoming less important nowadays due to excellent electronic circuits.

Getting to the camera, I also do not miss the accessory shoe as I bought this camera for two reasons. The battery compatibility as I mentioned and its small sized ergonomics. As other reviewers have mentioned, the rotating hand strap makes the camera comfy and very handy. My wife can throw it in a purse or I can keep it in the same bag as my digital rebel. And that's the point. Along with the Optura 300 and Elura series, this is a go virtually anywhere miniDV cam. The person that is comparing (and comparing poorly) the GL2 to this cam misses the entire point. 2 different cams for different purposes. I doubt that if you are considering a GL you are even looking at a compact cam. The GL and XL series cams are much much better than any of these.

If you want a compact camera with optical image stabilization, with typical Canon engineering, optics and quality, this would be an excellent choice. But shop around for a deal because the Optura 300 is also very good (some would say better) and the Elura 50 is a budget minded compromise if that's what you need.

I was looking for something small I could carry in a pack or a pocket. This gadget fits the bill. It's so tiny and cool to use, people are always astonished when they see it. It's useful for taking quick pictures and short videos (the resolution isn't great but it's good enough for email and web pix). The MP3 player is a great bonus. I use it to listen to audiobooks. I would highly reccommend it for anyone looking for a small multi-use gadget. It will never replace my Canon digital camera but it's a nice extra.

This has been a perfect buy for my wife and I. She wanted an easy-to-use, easy-to-carry digital camera. Well, I found exactly what she wanted, plus a digital camcorder (it records/plays MPEG4 clips), an audio recorder, and a MP3 player --all for the price of an entry-level digital camera!!

The video editing software that comes with this baby is not ideal, but it handles the basic tasks of viewing and deleting files. I also wish I could use the device as a webcam. But other than that, I've had so much fun with it, including recording instructions for my wife on how to use it!

this is the coolest thing you get four great things in one, although i cant print out the pictures because my mom lost the product key

a retard could figure this out it's so easy,but if you are going to buy this buy an extra card for recording because they dont hold very much. well, you should still buy this because instead of buying those expensive video camera, or mp3 players, or digital cameras it's all in one and VERY COOL

I evaluated a number of camcorders PC105, DRV38 and DRV22 when I came acroos the HC40 at the store. I fell in love with the look, the feel, and the great small size. It is not a vertical design, and it fits very nicely in your hand. I purchased it and brought it home.

The first thing my wife and I noticed when we powered it up was how washed out the screen looked. The salesperson said it would look that way on the screen but that the colors would look perfect after downloading the video to my computer. That was not the case - it was just as washed out on my computer. In fact, the video looked worse than the 30sec clips I can take with my Canon S230 digital camera. I went back to the store and returned the camcorder.

I was still intrigued and wondered if I had just gotten a lemon. So I went to a different store, where the saleperson said a number of customers had mentioned how washed out the screens look (especially reds & yellows - flesh tones look out of wack). I asked him to arrange the HC40 and the TRV33 side by side since I discovered that the TRV33 was also small, but not as small as the HC40 - we were astonished (along with other customers watching our impromptu demo) at how poor the HC40 screen looked. The TRV33 blew away the HC40 and it wasn't close by any means. It had much richer colors and captured the colors much more accurately than the HC40.

If you're seriously considering this camcorder, I highly suggest that you put it side-by-side with another Sony not in the HC series and see what you think of the image - I, along with everyone at the store who watched our demo, obviously give this camcorder very, very poor marks for the image.

I gave this camcorder 2 stars b/c the rest of the camcorder seems great - great asthetics, strong ergonomics, nice features like a built-in lens cap - but the poor image defeats to purpose of all the great features especially at this price.

I needed a cam to make some movies of my new daughter. I wanted something compact so that I would never hesitate to carry it around. I also wanted to make sure it was easy to use and took great video indoors. This narrowed my choices down to the Sony PC-105, TRV22 and the Canon Optura 300 / Elura 50. Except for the TRV22, all were the vertical style which while small, were awkward to use (the Sony being the worst with its horrible zoom control). The Canon's also do not have the IR-illuminated night shot capability. So, I was all set to buy the TRV22 especially since it has outstanding low-light capability when I tried out the HC40. The HC's form factor is just so great, I couldn't pass it up. It to me seems as small as the PC105 but is the much more hold-able horizontal style everyone prefers.

So I bought both the TRV22 and HC40 and compared them at home. Yes, the TRV22 does shoot noticably better in low light conditions, but practically speaking the HC40 is good enough for me, and the form factor more than makes up for it. I'd give it 5 stars if 1) its low light ability was as good as the TRV22 and 2) if its auto focus responded a bit quicker.

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The DCRDVD201 camcorder is a pleasure to use because it is not difficult to operate, has many great features, and probably its best feature- it is very small and lightweight.
It does not take hours of user manual reading and fidgeting around with the camera to begin using it, and ocassionally referring to the manual to use its more complicated features is all you need to do.
The steady shot is always on and makes recording and viewing easy. The super night shot works well also, but unless your nocturnal, it doesn't get used too much.

The image mixer software that comes with the camera is not as self explanatory as the camera is, but with a little extra effort and time, the program is versatile and capable of handling all your editing needs.
The hype over the DVD camcorders is over done. Unless you buy and use the expensive little DVD-+R's to record onto, and have nothing to edit, there is little benefit to recording directly to a DVD. But if you use the DVD-RW's so you can edit, erase, and re-record, you are going through the motions of putting the video on your computer anyway; which you can do with miniDV or another recording format. In short, the DVD's that you record to is just temporary storage, if you, like most people will edit your recording before putting the video on a final DVD-+R.
I say all that to say- suprisingly, the picture quality is argueably not as good as miniDV and if you are going to have to transfer your recorded material to a computer to edit and finalize anyway- you may want to save yourself the extra $500 and buy a camcorder that doesn't record onto DVD-+R's.

Have had this camera for a few weeks now, and I must say the image quality is impressive. We originally had a DCR-DVD200 on backorder since Christmas time, and recently found out that it was discontinued by Sony (as well as the DVD100 & 300), making way for the new DVD101 & 201. Glad I waited, for these new models are over 25% smaller than their predecessors, and hopefully Sony has addressed some of the earlier complaints customers had about the previous models, improving on the features/qualities.

Besides the sharp image quality, the stereo sound is superb (in my opinion), however the spinning noise of the disc in quiet environments can be noticable in your recordings. The "Pixela" software that comes included seems to be a little too basic, and found using the free Windows Movie Maker is much better, however you can only make VCDs with WMM. I have tried some trial versions of DVD editing software (Ulead's Videostudio and Movie Factory), but so far they don't seem to support this camera, or at least the 'Dolby Digital' audio, rendering the captured videos silent. Anyone recommend a certain program to use that works with this? Those seem to be my only complaints.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this camera, and recommend it for the ease of use and image quality.

go to havingit.co.uk

there u can order a amlost free sony dcr-ip7bt 1300$ camcorder

it really works belive me...

at this site u can find the camcorder under cameras

so sign up.....