Memory Reviews

I'm not a Sony fan but I'm impressed by this great camera. Before buying this camcorder it was so important for me to find reviews about it on the Internet. After I got it I was thinking several times to write my own review but as usual you always don't have time for that. Then I said that's not fair. I know how important was for me to find the reviews (thanks to everybody who wrote a review and helped me reach the final decision). And I know also that right now many guys are searching the Internet looking for new reviews. So it's my turn to pay back ...
I did my research on the Internet for about one year until I decided to buy this camcorder. Actually I wanted the TRV27 and I changed my mind in the last moment because the difference in price between these two models in too big ... I don't regret my decision. The 2.5" LCD is just enough for us.
TRV25 is not very good in low light but also it's not bad too. It's just good. After reading some reviews on the Internet I was expecting actually the camcorder to be even worst in low light. It's OK but I'm considering to buy a external light.
In good light the camcorder is amazing! Very good resolution (I have a digital HDTV which lets me know immediately if the signal is not good), very nice life-like colors, extremely clear and clean sound!
I had no problem at all to hook up TRV25 on the USB port (I have Windows 2000 professional). Then I got a Zoltrix FireWire card and I couldn't see the camcorder with it. I called Sony and Microsoft and I sent an email to Zoltrix in Hong Kong (no answer back yet). They couldn't help me too much. Sony said that you don't need any special Sony drivers for TRV25. It's true but the general DV driver I had in my Win2K was bad. If you have problems with your FireWire connection you may try the following links: http://www.reactorcritical.com/faq-dv/faq-jvc.shtml and http://www.siig.com/knowledge/10050286.HTM. Now I'm fine. The Zoltrix card is working fine and smooth and the cable (comes with the card) is long so you don't have to stay with your camera underneath you desk. Price paid (for card, cable and software): $51 CDN +Tax.
My problem now is that I couldn't find yet the best solution to store the footage. Hopefully I'll be able to find the right settings in KVCD (http://kvcd.org). To store the footage on VHS tapes is out of question! From my camcorder I'm getting a nice 520 lines and if I store this on VHS I'll have at the end just 240 horizontal lines! Where is the point of spending so much money for a digital camcorder then? So far using the KVCD the colors are good, sound is good, the resolution is good (704 x 480) - much better than VCD (352 x 240) or SVCD (480 x 480) (check http://www.vcdhelp.com ). The only problem is that the image is not smooth. It looks like I'm loosing frames. That happens only when the camera is moving fast to the left or to the right. ...
I love my camcorder and of course I recommend it to anybody. If you are shopping for a camcorder go digital first and second give a chance to Sony TRV25/27 and you'll fall in love.
Good luck!

After researching for 1 month on camcorders, I finally chose the Sony DCR-TRV25 for several reasons.
1) It records in 690,000 pixels (520 lines of horizontal resolution)
2) Megapixel on still photo shots (1152 X 864 instead of 640 x 480)
3) Its size (very small but not too small so you don't jitter the camera)
4) Its ability to record streaming video (to put on my website)
5) 7 lux rating / 0 lux with night shot
6) Color viewfinder
7) optional manual control on brightness, backlight and focus

Others that I looked at had 1 or more of the feautres missing (like still photo of 640x480 or CCD pixels of 480,000).. so in the end, I found this to be the best priced camcorder for the money ...(Only difference I see in TRV27 is that TRV27 comes with some editing tools... (which I won't use anyways). I also looked at the TRV17 which had everything I wanted expect it's photo resolution was at 640X480.

Video Editing with P-III, 450mhz, 256 mem, Windows XP with firewire port was a breeze. Just install the firewire card and load the drivers.

You transfer still shots via the usb port. Its very easy to do. Just plug in the USB cable (it comes with one) and you will see "Sony Digital Camera" on "My computer" Just drag and drop your photos into a folder.

Although the color and sharpness of this camera is amazing, my only gripe is that the video and stills gets grainy with low light. So I'd suggest you buy a light for the camera if you plan on doing a lot of indoor shots (or at least make sure you have a good light source.)

I also recommend you buy 1) UV filter lens (mostly to protect the camcorder's lens) 2) 32MB or 64MB memory stick (instead of the 8mb it comes with) 3) Wide angle lens 4) carrying case 5) Extra battery (the one it comes with lasts about an hour)

Even if you don't buy this camcorder, after all my research, I would stick with Sony or Panasonic camcorders (they seem to get the best reviews)

Great camcorder. Excelent outdoor pictures and sound! Easy to use. Still indoor pictures somewhat grainy though.

I just installed this card to upgrade our 1999 Dell V350 which originally had 64MB. Make sure to read your manual as to which configurations are supported. Mine said it supported 128MB + 64MB, however our computer actually came as 32MB + 32MB which wasn't supported according to the manual, even 128MB + 32MB wasn't listed. I didn't try. I just installed the 128MB card by itself. Clicking in the card is easy if you follow the instructions and click at the edges and not in the center of the card.

After that, hooked the computer back up and it feels like new again! Plus it only took 2 days to get here. Plus we finally got DSL. Now we'll never get off the computer.
Definitely worth it for the computer. Will deal with the carpal tunnel syndrome later.

I recently upgraded my 64MB computer, a 4 year old Gateway, with just one of these and can not believe how much better my computer runs. I plan to install another 128MB in the near future. Installing only takes about 10 minutes and my computer runs like a new one.

Specs on HP Pavilion called for 66 MHz frequency memory sticks, but this dropped right in and worked fine.

Viking makes a good reliable product, at the lower (value) end of the price scale, making it a good purchase value. I use it on a digital camera, and transport it to a laptop. Also makes a good replacement high-capacity floppy disk between laptops. Why should I pay 2x as much for more well-known CF memory when Viking probably manufacturers it? Highly recommended.

I use CompactFlash for most of my digital cameras, and I've become a fan of the Viking brand. However, I still buy by the dollar-per-meg calculation. Currently, this number should always be less than 1. It is curious that the prices on these cards may fluctuate by as much as 20% in one day! I suggest you find the card you want and track it a while. This particular card comes with a great extra at no extra charge: it includes an adapter for your laptop's type II/III slot, a nice touch. [BTW, 'lagniappe' is N'awlins for 'a little extra')

This 64 MByte CF card is a great value since it includes the CF to PCMCIA card adaptor. Many other CF manufacturers want this much for the CF card alone! I bought this CF card for use with a new Canon S-110 for storage of high-res photos. But I also use it for storing MP3 files in my Casio Pocket PC, and now with the PCMCIA adaptor I can use it in my laptop too!

This is my first Compact Flash purchase outside of the CF card that came with my Kodak DC215 Zoom camera. I can get 115 pictures with this size CF card, at the highest quality and largest size -- that alone pleases me much. I should note to other first timers that you may need to format the card when you first pop it in your camera. The card otherwise has given me no problems.

This isn't the first Viking Components memory card that I've bought... and it certainly will not be the last! I purchased this card for my new Panasonic PV-DC2090 Palm Cam... it is the perfect addition for the second card slot. I was pleased with the amount of storage capacity for the price... nearly twice as much for the same price as other brands. I've never had any problems with any of the Viking products I've used. Viking always comes through with Superior Quality at the BEST price. The bottom line - this is a great deal!

I got this card free when I purchased the Kodak DX4900 - no problems at all.

Good points:
-1 touch backup -- everything's automated. You just hit 'backup' to backup your ENTIRE handheld, or 'restore' to restore your ENTIRE handheld and it's done. No worrying about compatibility conflicts. You may have apps that may not be compatible with your Visor, but it wouldn't affect the function of the backup module
-It's thorough -- EVERYTHING gets backed up, including but not limited to all PIM data (can't speak for outlook users, as I don't use it, but my guess is that that's also covered), various settings in the "pref" icon, applications, as well as all its data. Examples include your ToDo entries, entries you've made in Bankbook3 (banking software), and even your saved game sessions and high scores from games like Space Trader and SubHunt (for the games part, hotsyncing only restores the actual game only. You'll need to start all over from scratch).
-Works right out of the box -- no extra drivers or updates are required. It's true plug and play just like the vast majority of Springboard modules
-Has limited but nice user error checks -- the only ones I know of are:
>being able to recognize that it (the module) is working with a different handheld/user, so you won't accidentally wipe out your (or someone else's) data on the Visor or backup module.
>being able to recognize that your request to backup stuff is much smaller (like files are missing) than what's already backed up. Good example to illustrate this would be when I deleted whole categories of bank records I didn't need anymore. Before the backup started, it ran a warning that I'll be losing a lot of info on the module if I went through. Deleting all the info was purposely done, but it's still nice to see such checks take place to safeguard your data.
-Fast restores -- Despite the slow backup process (described below), restoring takes considerably less time.
-I've had mine for over 3.5 years, since I had my Visor, and switched to my Visor Neo over 1.5 years ago. I haven't done a lot of restores, but it has been just as reliable, if not more as Palm Desktop and my handhelds.

Bad points:
-Backups are relatively slow -- I have about 5.9MB of used memory on my handheld, and each backup session takes almost 4 minutes. This figure is better on the Original Visor or other Visors with less used memory, but it's still going to be pretty slow compared to hotsyncing. Some of you may replace hotsyncing with backup modules for various reasons, but I'll bet that you won't be backing up on the module that liberally. This takes much more patience, not to mention more battery power.
-All or nothing -- Mentioned in another review as well. Restoring/backing up the whole handheld is generally the ideal thing you want, but suppose you accidentally delete an app, or it'd be easier to just restore an old version of some set of records rather than manually undoing everything. You'll get those modifications you done to be undone, but so will everything else you've done since that time, like new appointments you set up or new phone numbers you recorded since then.
-Kinda bulky -- In the age of high capacity SD/MMC cards and DVD +/- R/RWs, one would scoff to see only 8MBs in such a plastic cartridge. There aren't many other backup modules for Handspring though, and the smaller SD cards mean u just lose them easier.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS?
-People on the road, going through extended periods of time without having access to a laptop or desktop to synchronize their info
-People who have, foresee, or are worried of their desktop AND handheld crashing. (For me, it was using Win98 SE, loading a bunch of 3rd party games and apps, and having to reset both of them often)
-People who find forty to sixty-five dollars a small price to pay for losing extremely critical data
-People who REALLY want to keep their high scores (expansion flash memory cards are another alternative)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
-Unless you're handheld is constantly bugging out (in which case you should consider getting a new unit that's more stable), than it'd be wise to keep that and the module apart for as much as possible. Specifically, if you're out on the road and keep the module plugged in, you'll be defeating the purpose of utilizing a backup module if your handheld (and the backup that's plugged into it) gets stolen, lost, or falls into a wishing fountain and shorts out everything. Technically you >could< restore from you're desktop, but the whole idea of having a backup is so that we wouldn't have to place all our trust in our desktop AND handheld right?
-If you feel you have a solid, stable PC and/or handheld, then you could easily get away with making backups every 2 weeks or once a week. If you just added a lot of important data to your handheld, then backup right away. Otherwise don't bother. The slow backup process will seem much less painful if you cut down on the number of backups you need to perform.

-Obviously, apps and files only on plugged in expansion cards aren't backed up, but those files on expansion cards would be backed up already in the case that you lose handheld and desktop information.
-In case it's not mentioned, this product has 8MB of memory, so it'll work for every type of Visor handheld except for the Visor Pro. For original Visor users, you don't get to save 2 - 4 profiles on there. Only one just like the rest of us.

Look, you know you need this if you own a Visor. Just buy it already and give yourself some peace of mind.

Here's my testimonial: I bought the backup module nearly a year ago and never had to use its restore function. I would just back up every week or so and go about my business. Then I cracked the screen on my Visor somehow and couldn't use the stylus for any data entry. Handspring sent me a replacement Visor (for $85 and they shipped it the next day) and I simply plugged in the backup module and I was back on track without missing a beat. I keep a ton of applications (Pocket Quicken, Dietlog, Fitsync, Noah Lite Dictionary, Avantgo, Vindigo, etc.) on my Visor and thankfully I didn't have to reinstall any of the software.

The convenience of the backup module means I will probably remain loyal to Handspring for the duration, especially if I ever upgrade from my Visor Deluxe to the Edge or Prism. Transferring all of my stuff from one Visor to another was simply a breeze with this backup module.

very helpful. When you're on the road and have to hard reset (happened to me), this is a life saver.

Lexar Media stick works just fine. I'm just glad Lexar makes these so I don't have to pay the "Sony tax" for their proprietary format!

A note regarding this issue that the same size Lexar stick held less photos than's Sony's...I don't have a Sony digital camera--my Finepix uses SmartMedia. But I have noticed that taking photos at the same resolution doesn't necessarily mean they are all the same file size! For instance, I just opened a photo folder and the "high" was 804K and the "low" was 752K, with others falling somewhere in-between. A highly complex photo with lots of colors and contrasts is going to be larger than say, a picture that is half "blue sky." This could very well explain why there were fewer photos on the Lexar memory stick.

I use this stick all the time in my Sony Clie, and have never had a problem.

I purchased the memory stick after pricing the Sony brand. I got my money's worth. If you want to save money for the same quality as the Sony brand...get this Memory stick!

Spend a lot, get a lot more. Although it was a tough choice to spend the money when I purchased my TRV70, I have no regrets. My camera is DA BEST!. After I figured out the Still Picture recording is best taken when not recording video simultaneously, I never looked back. There are so many features to mention but I don't use. The key things to consider:
- Bigger lens, means better image
- Good size CCD is a treasure; otherwise 3 CCD is next option
- Manual focus override; in photography, this is VERY important
- Backlight control; it's a great override in low light conditions like opening up your camera aperature
- Manual disable of on-board flash; continue taking pictures when flash is not allowed
- Touch screen LCD is sweet, don't listen to button fanatics
- Steady Shot works.... when camera is light, more chances of jarring movements, so here its really important.
- Memory stick convenience ... buy larger capacity, more over time.
- Battery Status; Info-lithium means no guessing game. By several small batteries, charge them, and carry them a-l-a Rambo.
- Don't install Imagemixer software. Instead, use Sony's Screenblast Movie Studio 3.0. You'll be happier.
- Don't skimp on footage. Take lots of footage. It's easier to edit, than to say... I don't have enough!

It's unfortunate, Sony is discontinuing the product in 2004. It's a great product! I'm ready to buy a second one so I can get the same footage from another vantage point. Silly, two people using different cameras. :-)

this is a power packed camcorder!
pros:
- other than the sony trv80, this is the only sony miniDV camcorder that has a 2 megapixel still camera built in.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, bluetooth, mic input, etc.
- has a built in pop-up flash for taking stills.
- carl zeiss lens.
- steady shot and night shot.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.
- progressive shutter system.

cons:
- this camcorder is bigger than i would like. you can get smaller camcorders like the trv33 or the pc105. granted, those have less features, mainly still camera capability (2.0 megapixel vs 1.0 megapixel).
- bright 2.5" LCD screen: but i definitely prefer the 3.5" in the trv80.
- as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
- the included 8MB memory stick (for a 2 megapixel still camera!) is unacceptable. you'll need at least a 64MB memory stick with if you want to take full advantage of the higher resolution pics you'll be taking.
- although bundling the camcorder and still camera together means you only have to carry one piece of equipment, it also means that if one breaks, you have to replace both.
- as an alternate to this bundling strategy, you can get a trv33 or pc105 and get a 3 megapixel still camera for about the same price.
- no built in video light but you can get one less than a hundred bucks.

all in all, a very nice camcorder. nice work sony.

This is my fourth camcorder, and first digital camcorder. I bought it to record my child's soccer games to make a DVD to send to college coaches. It recorded steady sharp video in all lighting conditions, including heavy overcast, light fog, and night games under stadium lights. I also bought the remote controll tripod, which makes it much easier to start/stop recording and adjust the zoom (the remote control zoom buttons have the correct sensitivity, as opposed to the camera zoom control as noted in a review below). The only problem I had that caused the loss of a few minutes of video was that the camcorder started displaying "Cleaning Tape". I packed the tape (fast forward to the end and rewound) and recorded over the bad section. I now pack the tape again whenever I insert a new one in the camcorder

First one I purchased worked great... My sony P7 recognized it and my San Disk reader also read it. Immediately ordered another one.

2nd one was a bust. Reader would not recognize it. Sent to amazon.com for a replacement.

3rd one was spotty. Reader sometimes read it, sometimes not. Sent back for refund.

It should be mentioned that in all cases, my P7 (and my Clie for that matter) read the sticks. It was only the reader which had problems recognizing it-- which leads me to believe the readers are a bit picky when it comes to the sticks they accept. (I know the reader itself isn't broken because I have two of them, and both had the same problems reading.)

Also should be mentioned that my SONY brand memory sticks flawlessly every time-- by my cybershot, my clie, and my San disk reader.

So, if you are not using a reader, you should be fine. If you are using a reader (especially the SAn disk reader) I'd stick to Sony. The Lexars are cheaper, but what's the use if it doesn't work?

I've seen memory sticks in stores but until you actually hold one, it's hard to grasp just how small these things are. They compare it to a stick of gum but that's actually overstating the size of the thing. These are TINY. I popped it into my VAIO and was transferring data between the laptop and card immediately. I use it now as my primary data storage source for my personal files. The price on this thing is amazing. I'm hoping they come out with a 1GB version in the near future but for day-to-day use, this thing is amazing.

I own Sony Memory Stick and bought this one at amazon[.com] for it's very attractive price and mail in rebate offer. Other than the name of Lexar on the Stick, I see no difference in quality or performance when I use it with my Sony DSC-S85 Digital camera.

Thanks Lexar for saving me [$$$] bucks compared with Sony's similar stick.

Added on Sep 21, 2002: It's almost 10 month since I got this one and I use it almost every week and still is working great like a new one.

I needed a card reader for the proprietary XD memory used in my digital camera so I bought this reader. It is a great value for this price because it reads 8 different formats of memory cards. Great if you use several formats of memory cards or have friends with other cards.

It hooks up via a USB docking station and is backward compatible with the older USB standard. It also comes with a short USB connector if you do not want to carry around the docking station. It just plugs and plays in Windows XP. It creates 4 removable disks in my computer for each memory format because there is 4 slots and each slot fits 2 different memory formats. This makes it possible to move data from one format to another very easily with some obvious limitations.

Overall a Keeper

In my opinion this is the best memory card reader you could get. The price at Amazon is a good deal, plus with the free shipping you won't make a mistake. Here is the summary:

Pros:
1. It looks elegant. The colour combination of silver and black makes it look like a serious tool you could display even in an office environment.
2. Comes with a bonus stand to enable the display at an upright position. Saves space in a cluttered environment.
3. Comes with another USB cable to you could position it horizontally (flat) on a table. You will have to keep the stand, in this case.
4. USB 2.0 speed which means faster transfer speed.
5. No drivers needed if you use the latest Windows XP or Mac OS X operating system. I use the Mac and there is nothing to install.
6. 8 in 1 memory card reader. Try finding that in othe products at that price and design. You connect as much memory cards that could fill the slot and they will appear individually in your desktop. This means you can transfer files between memory cards without having to transfer and use your desktop as a holding place.
7. Each slot has its own individual lights to indicate correct installation and file activity transfer.
8. Light and portable.

Cons:
1. Light - plastic construction. Feels fragile, but I guess SanDisk knows better on making it sturdy.
2. The cable for the bonus stand is long, but the extra cable supplied to lay the product flat is short - and I mean short! This is a plus for those who bring this with their portable computers and don't need the extra long cable. A big minus for those who wish to forego the stand, but decide to use with their desktop on a desk. You will need to connect it to a hub if your USB plug is nowhere close.

All in all a great buy for the price.

I got this reader to read my Compact Flash, IBM Microdrive, Secure Digital, and XD cards. I've had it for a few months now and it has transfered all my image and video files from all my cards without any trouble at all.

The nice thing also is that it doesn't require any drivers - just plug it in and it's ready to go. Has lots of pretty LED lights too!

It adds 4 drive letters to your computer. Unfortunately they only have generic names ("Removable Disk" in WinXP). The manual tells you which slot each drive letter refers to, though. It also came with some bundled software (Adobe Photoshop Album) but I haven't tried it.

The docking base has a cable that is approximately 42 inches long. It also comes with a USB cable that's like 3 inches so you can hook up the reader to a laptop without using the docking base.

It's definitely a very handy reader. The fact that it can read 8 types of cards seemed like overkill to me at first, but when I got a new camera that required Secure Digital cards, I was relieved that I didn't have to purchase an extra card reader.

Kingston - very fast and reliable service. Shipped right away 2 day shiping was free.

I have two of these cards, and use them primarily in a Canon 10D digital SLR camera. I have had absolutely no problems, either writing data to them or extracting files later. The medium capacity card is very convenient for most digital camera users. For the Canon 10D, a 6 mega pixel camera, maximum JPEG file size at the highest quality setting averages about 2.5MB, and typically about 90 images can be saved to the card. Using the card in a lower resolution digital point and shoot camera, capacity would of course be many times greater.

The card performs reasonably well even when taking a series of images in rapid succession, say four or five in two second interval. With a digital point and shoot camera, transfer speed should not be an issue. Kingston's reliable, competitively priced card should meet the needs of most users.

I purchased this card @ Dell with rebates for less than tearty backs (errors on purpose). So far, it works flawlessly. It reaches close to 1MB/s read rate when used with USB 1.1 card reader. Dpreview.com tested this card with Firewire CF reader and it read data at rate of over 4MB/s.

Highly recommended as all Kingston products. I am thinking about buying another 256MB from Viking to use as "spare tire" since I shoot at highest resolution and best quality with my A70. I can fit around 170 pictures (JPEG) on 256MB CF card.

Additionally, CF card with reader can be used like floppy except its capacity surpasses 1.44MB by a lot.