Sony DCR-TRV480 Digital8 Camcorder

Great camcorder for the price

Strengths: Optical zoom 20 Plays 8mm and Hi8 tapes Lots of features

Weaknesses: Audio quality not that great, but acceptable

Summary: After much research about digital camcorders, I made the decision to go with the Sony DCR-TRV 480 for several reasons. It's predecessors had been rated a CR Best Buy in Consumer Reports, many reviews from both experts and consumers had rated it highly, and it had all of the features I was looking for in a camcorder. In addition, I have older 8mm tapes (my 10 year old Sony stopped working recently), and I wanted to be able to view and transfer them.

The 480 is a quality camcorder at a very reasonable price. I purchased it at Sears because they not only price matched it for $332.99, but also took 15 percent of the price difference off, making the camcorder about $325.

It has many more features than I was familiar with, but studying the manual is very helpful. You can also just push a button to make it an "easycam". The optical zoom of 20 is great and the picture quality is very good. In other reviews, the picture quality was rated just about as good as a mini dv camcorder. It's fun playing around with the features, and I also like the ability to connect to the computer. I burned a video CD using USB streaming, and it came out quite good. I don't have the IEEE link for my computer, but plan to buy one, as the USB streaming is rather slow, but that's to be expected.

It will take some experimenting to see what settings to use for taping, but it's fun to learn the different settings.

The only weakness I've seen so far is that the audio quality is not that great, but still it's quite acceptable. I also recommend that while installing the "Picture Perfect" software that comes with it, be sure to read the instructions thoroughly. When I did that, I didn't have any trouble with the hardware installation of the camcorder to the USB port on my computer.

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Excellent!

Strengths: Greatest strength is Playback analog cassettes, good movie quality, comes with software & overall cheaper than miniDV version with same specifications

Weaknesses: Uses Hi8/Digital8 cassette which is a Sony proprietary

Summary: I had some Hi8 cassettes which i needed to convert and I found this one is best suited for a better price. This also supports online streaming, so can be used as a webcam , stream videos and convert to movies. Excellent one!

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A few missing parts

Strengths: USB interface, FireWire interface, ability to transcode analog tapes into digital

Weaknesses: No LAN-C connector for Sony Tripod Loads from the bottom - must remove from tripod before reloading Relatively small screen

Summary: I'm replacing a camcorder that I dropped which had a 3.5" screen, and I'm unable to find a good Digital8 with a screen this large. It's impossible to find one that loads from the top - you have to take the camcorder off the tripod to load a fresh tape.

Finally, no LAN-C connector means that my remote control Sony tripod is a waste of money.

HOWEVER, I've found my previous Sony to be bulletproof (but not drop-it-on-the-concrete-proof) and I've used it a LOT over the past few years. Fortunately, it is repairable and I can now do a two-camera shoot.

The 480 is great and does what I need.

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used this for a party and works fine_ have cool fo ...

Strengths: price, look-- touch screen.. focus, can use many types of media and that media is kinda cheap.

Weaknesses: heavy, color is not good... should have cover for screen protection. charger is too big and ought to make it smaller.

Summary: used this for a party and works fine_ have cool focus. You will like it. charger is too big and ought to make it smaller.

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Great Cam for great price

Strengths: It has a lot of great features on it. I love the touch screen that it has and the remote is great for when I travel alone and want to record myself.

Weaknesses: It is a bit heavy.

Summary: I have had this cam for about a month. So far I like what I see. This is the first cam that I have bought since my Sharp VHS on was stolen. I am still playing with all the features. It also has a feature for taking digital pictures that require a memory stick which I love and I don't have to pull out my digital camera. Also it tapes great in low light. Although I wanted something a little lighter in weight, I could not pass up the price. I got it at Meijer after it went on clearance for $229, then they had an extra 40% off clearance and if you use the store credit card you could get an extra 20%. Plus I work there and get an additinal 10%. So I got a great cam for like $110!! Hard to beat!!

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