Sony DCRTRV260 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom
See it at Amazon.com for $279.99Average Customer Rating
(3.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(4 out of 5)awesome camcorder
well let me start off by saying i am not a family guy, i bought this camera purely for college, meaning alot of night shots, alot of abuse and other things related to college...of course being in college price was a big deal since i am always broke.
i got this camera at a very good price ($275) and so far the camera is proved it's worthyness! i've taken it everywhere outdoors, indoors, sports events, race track use, etc etc.
The night shot is very useful and it works very well and the easycam option enables me to do everything with the touch of one ot two buttons.
it is not backward compatible true, but i don't have any older tapes from an older camera. This camera is therefore perfect for a first time camcorder user who wants price, functionalty and quality all in one.
all in all it is a very good camcorder
(3 out of 5)If You Want Digital8, Get The TRV-460 Instead!
Someone stole my DCR-TRV240 camcorder, so I thought I'd purchase a DCR-TRV260 so that I could play my old Digital 8 tapes and continue converting my VHS tapes to digital. Big mistake! On the plus side, the TRV260 is somewhat smaller front-to-back than the TRV240. On the minus side: (1) The TRV 260 lacks the ability to make digital copies of VHS videotapes that the TRV 240 had. That is, the A/V jack is only "out," not "in/out." (2) There is no audio input jack or headphone jack, so you can't connect an external microphone or listen to the audio that you're recording. (3) There's no "Intelligent Accessory Shoe" so you can't connect an extra video light or a shotgun mike.
Since the DCRTRV250 mentioned in the February-March 2004 Amazon reviews is apparently no longer manufactured, if you're in the market for a new Digital8 camcorder, get the TRV 460 instead for $50 more. It has "Analog-to-Digital Conversion with Pass Through" (i.e., "Convert and/or record any analog NTSC video source to digital video via the analog inputs," even in real-time - which was not found on the TRV-250). In addition (and less important to me), the TRV-460 has the ability to record still pictures on a Memory Stick (instead of on the D8 tape), a remote control, and a "Touch Panel" LCD screen. The TRV460 still doesn't have #2 or #3 in the paragraph above, but at least it's closer to what I came to expect from the 240. When I receive my 460, I'm going to take all my analog and D8 videos and digitize them to a format readable by computers into the foreseeable future since VHS and D8 are both moribund. Buy the DCRTRV460 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder from Amazon.com!
(3 out of 5)BEWARE! No Remote Control Capabilities!
As For Overall Quality, I Am Satisfied With This Camera, However I Will Be Returning It Because, Not Only Did It Not Come With A Remote Control, When I Inquired Further I Was Informed That The Camera Does Not Even Have An Input Jack Where A Wired Remote Can Be Used, Nor Does It Have The Infrared Components Necessary For It To Be Compatible With A Wireless Remote. I Can Not Accept Not Having A Remote, So I Will Be Returning The Item. I Have Used It For Two Weeks And I Am Satisfied With The Cam Other Than The Lack Of Remote. If A Remote Is Not Necessary, This Would Be A Good Choice. I Had An Older Model HandyCam Before And I Used The Remote All The Time Not Only When Recording Video, But Also When Playing Back The Video And Transferring The Video To VHS.
(3 out of 5)NOT backward compatible
This model is NOT backward compatible with old analogue Hi8 tapes. That feature is not available until the 460. I was told at the store that it does, but I was not able to make it happen, and the people at Sony confirmed that it does NOT play old tapes.
So, if you need to be able to play them, you'll have to spend the extra $50 and buy the 460.
(4 out of 5)Great camcorder for the price.
This camcorder is a great deal for the price. It has excellent night shot capabilities as well as a built in light that works great outdoors. It's lightweight and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. Great buy!