Product Description

Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world.Sony's CCD-TRV318 Handycam camcorder, with a built-in video light and SteadyShot picture stabilization system, makes it a snap to take great-looking videos that you'll want to keep and share. And you won't believe how affordable it is - with its extra large 2-1/2" Color SwivelScreen LCD that lets you see what you're shooting with ease, and other advanced features that make it easy for you to show off your creativity!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11218 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Model: TRV318
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• Hi8 camcorder with 20x optical, 560x digital zoom
• SteadyShot picture stabilization system
• 2.5 inch color LCD and black and white EVF
• NightShot infrared mode for lowlight shooting; built-in light, easy dubbing features
• Comes with NP-FM30 InfoLithium battery; Stamina power management system

Amazon.com Product Description
Sony's compact, affordable CCD-TRV318 Handycam camcorder, with a built-in video light and SteadyShot picture stabilization system, makes it a snap to take great-looking videos. It features a 20x optical zoom, 560x digital zoom, a black-and-white viewfinder, and a 2.5-inch color swivel LCD.

Image Stabilization
Sony's SteadyShot picture stabilization smoothes and steadies your images without degrading picture quality. Sony does it with motion sensors--a more accurate system than many other camcorders on the market.

Optics

• 1/6-inch CCD with 320,000 gross pixels
• 20X optical zoom
• 560x digital zoom
• f1.6-f2.4
• Focal distance: 2.5-50mm
• Shutter speed: 1/60 t 1/4,000 (AE mode)

More Features
Now you can capture video even in total darkness. Sony's NightShot system uses infrared light to capture images invisible to the human eye. You can shoot subjects such as a sleeping baby from up to 10 feet away in total darkness. With the optional HVL-IRC NightShot light, you can even capture images from up to 100 feet away.

Sony's Stamina power management system and InfoLithium battery give the TRV318 incredible operating time. To keep tabs on battery life, Sony's AccuPower meter displays the number of minutes remaining--right in the viewfinder

Hi8 Format
In a world increasingly dominated by digital, Hi8 offers a refreshingly good format to shoot in. Despite the press that MiniDV, Digital8, and the new MicroMV have been getting, many people still prefer the tried-and-true Hi8. Hi8 offers the highest quality outside of digital and is a good choice for everyday shooting. As long as you just want to document your family's life, and send videos to grandma, you aren't really giving anything up.

Size, and Contents
The TRV318 measures 3.63 by 4.00 by 7.88 inches and weighs 1 pound 12 ounces. This package includes the TRV318 camcorder, power adaptor/in-camera charger (AC-L15), InfoLithium rechargeable battery (NP-FM30), mono AV cable, lens cap, and shoulder strap.

Customer Reviews

Best available for your average user
Buying a camcorder can be difficult. Do you want VHC? 8mm? Hi-8? Digital 8? Mini-DV? Then there's whether or not you want to be able to take stills, have firewire output to a computer, image stabilization, etc.
One can easily find themselves saying, "All I wan't is a basic camcorder to record random things." If that's you, this is your camcorder.
Though the picture is not digital, Hi-8 offers a nice clean picture that gets the job done. And since you can plug right into your TV or VCR, transfer to video is simple without having to store all your old tapes like you did in the VHC and VHS days. Being a Sony, you can expect a great zoom that let's you get nice detail from a good distance away. Add Steadyshot, probably the best image stabilizer out there, the ability to manually adjust your lighting, nightshot, and you have the ability to record in any situation.
Having sold Sony's for over a year, I can tell you the number returned due to dissatisfaction was minimal. Same for broken or damaged camcorders.
Bottom line is this. In the TRV-318, Sony makes a great camcorder that's not only easy to use, but able to take a nice clean video. And as long as you don't care about capturing the light flicker off a snowflake, you'll love it too.

Best Hi8 (or 8mm) camcorder
Personally I think you should get a MiniDV digital camcorder. Namebrands like Sharp and JVC now have very inexpensive MiniDV models, so it's time to move to that format.

If you really need an 8mm/Hi8 camcorder -- for example, in my case I needed one to play back my large library of 8mm tapes -- then this Sony is simply the best. It costs a bit more than a couple other Sony models as well as some offerings from lesser companies, but you get what you pay for. This Sony is not only high quality but has tons of features, such as image stabilization, NightShot, and 20x optical zoom. You can hook it up to your PC as well. You should also know that its CCD sensor is 460k pixels, more than any other model in this price range. The result is vibrant images.

Just what I was looking for!
The SONY CCD-TRV318 I bought a month ago has surpassed my expectations. It is very compact, but with the Steadyshot feature, is easy to stabilize even at 20x zoom. The clarity of the image is excellent and the color reproduction is outstanding in a wide variety of lighting situations. The only enhancement I have indulged in is a wide angle lens which, although inexpensive, works remarkably well and adds to the versatility of this camcorder. I am extremely pleased with the size, convenience and performance of my TRV318!