Reviews for Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: light weight, great balance in your hand, easy to quick start, fantastic video

Weakness: none yet

I wanted to pick up a reasonably priced video camera in the same format that I have been using for the the last 13 + years, and still be digital, with some bells and whistles, Great sound, beautiful video, specially in low light areas.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: Backwards compatible to 8mm tapes for playback, allowing you to seamlessly convert your old tapes to DVD with a computer or tabletop DVD recorder (using Firewire). Impressive 20x optical zoom.

Weakness: Kind of loud when in operation. Expensive to buy replacement batteries. Useless camera if you want to take still shots.

If you're looking simply for a digital camcorder, I would probably look elsewhere (MiniDV). The fact that this camcorder accepts Digital 8 tapes makes it quite large compared to digital camcorders using other tape formats. However, if you have a bunch of old 8mm tapes that you want to convert to DVD, this camcorder is a good value for just that purpose (camcorder abilities notwithstanding). All you need to do is hook a Firewire cable into the built-in Firewire port and connect it to either a computer Firewire port or a tabletop DVD recorder Firewire port. I also use it as a camcorder, but again, it is quite large for that purpose. Bottom line--I wouldn't purchase this camcorder unless I had 8mm tapes I wanted to convert to DVD. If you just want a digital camcorder, go MiniDV.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: Backward Compatibility, low price / great value for the money, Nightshot, Memorystick up to 1 gb

Weakness: A little large compared to the newest models, somewhat heavy compared to new models.

This is a great entry level to mid level Digital Camcorder. I bought this camera mainly because I needed a cheap quality camcorder ASAP and I had a some old analog 8mm tapes and a huge collection of VCR tapes and other analog media I wanted to digitize and transfer to my computer via firewire. It performs well in all the above categories. I love the ability to record directly to the memory stick, although only in 320x180 @16Fps it’s still a great feature. You can record to the tape, then record from the tapes to the memory stick and plug the camera into a computer and voila you have instant Internet quality digital movies. The quality of the digital movies on Hi8 (as opposed to the better quality MiniDV) is good and more then adequate for 90% of TV’s out there. The digital to analog converter allows you to record from an analog source like a VCR and digitize the recording to the tape. From there you can export them to you computer and burn them to a VCD or DVD. Once my analog collection is digitized I can say goodbye to rewinding tapes that degrade in quality over the years and with use. For the 350$ I paid for it the Digital to Analog to Computer feature on top of the compatibility with older 8mm analog recordings was more then worth it. It was like getting a camcorder, digital still camera (640x480 only, again internet quality) and memory stick reader for free. I really like this camera and am quite happy with it.

96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: good optics decent sound, backwards compatible, great value

Weakness: uncertain about long term support for digital 8. Number one weakness is support for Mac os 9.2 Image mixer is a lousy program for mac. Very fuzzy docs regarding use of the firewire (i-link) port

Overall quality is strong -it is a sony after all.

As usual format is an issue. Bought this camera largely because of a large existing stock of 8mm tapes

My biggest complaint is that it is sold as being PC/Mac but I have not been able to get the camera and my g4/9.2 to talk at all. Sound from the built in mic's is fine for close up but not for doing your kids x-mas comcert.

Manual is better than some but could still use work

Please some one let me know of a good bit of software that would let me edit video with my mac

Overall a good machine but external support could be better :

71% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: Clear pictures

Weakness: Memory stick slot won't hold memory stick

It would be perfect if there any way to make the memory stick stay in place after I put it in the slot! It keeps poping out that I have to use a piece of tape to hold it in place! Besides, the pictures taken by this camcorder which are stored in the memory stick are not shap enough to print out (4 X 6 size).
Any way, I still like this digital camcorder because it let me transfer my old 8mm video tape to digital one. Thanks

50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony Handycam DCR-TRV350 Digital8 Camcorder

Strengths: Has all the bells and whistles; good lens; smooth zoom; single shots to m stick handy (almost mandatory). good product. Excellent component(sticks, battery)interchangeability with Sony Cybershot.

Weakness: Imagemaker Software and software support really bad. CD R/RW only drive supported,not dvd/cd or any combo drive. Software supported by broken English.

Neither Imagemaker or Sony sensitive to complaints. Sony returned one semi-sympathetic E-mail with no help offered.
Imagemaker solved one problem but not the one that would allow a CD to be created directly from the camera's tape - two different NEW computers.
May not buy another Sony product as they are not meeting my expectations any longer.

40% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

TRV 350 Review

Strengths: Greta picture quality and backward compatible. Light option is very useful

Weakness: Big and little heavy

Great camcoder for the mid level users. Great picture quality and sound quality. Work very well even in less light. Little bit of blue color comes when used without light. No other color appears and looks like block and white pictures. 20X optical zoom is very handy.

Size is bigger when compared with other camcoders.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Sony DCR-TRV350 Camcorder First Impressions Review

The second of the two Digital8 camcorders which Sony announced at the 2003 international CES was the DCR-TRV350. Besides reducing the Digital8 line by more than 50%, from five camcorders to just two, my first impressions say that the DCR-TRV350 is a good entry level camcorder.

Read Full Review

Sony DCR-TRV350 Camcorder First Impressions Review

The second of the two Digital8 camcorders which Sony announced at the 2003 international CES was the DCR-TRV350. Besides reducing the Digital8 line by more than 50%, from five camcorders to just two, my first impressions say that the DCR-TRV350 is a good entry level camcorder.

Read Full Review