Amazon.com Review

You can find digital camcorders for slightly less than the Sony DCR-TRV140, but you won't get Sony's quality and extensive feature list. Captured video proved to be of high quality, whether we viewed it on our TV or transferred it to our PC via the speedy FireWire connection or USB.

The USB connection can also be used for setting up the TRV140 as a Webcam via their USB streaming technology. It took some playing around with the Pixela Image Mixer software before we could get the device working properly. In general, a dedicated Webcam would be a better device for this purpose.

But as a digital camcorder, we were quite pleased with the TRV140. Its 20x optical zoom (and 560x digital zoom) allowed for extreme close-ups, while the Super NightShot infrared mode allowed us to record in complete darkness. The mode automatically adjusted the shutter speed during night recording, resulting in a brighter, sharper image than Sony's normal NightShot mode.

The TRV140 isn't without faults. It won't accept inputted video or play back old Hi-8 or 8mm tapes recorded in analog mode, and the battery lasted only about an hour during our tests. But you can purchase Sony's optional NP-FM91 battery pack, which extends battery life to over 10 hours.

The TRV140 has the typical boxiness of the Handycam, but it weighs only a little more than two pounds, with battery. It's comfortable to hold, and its button layout will prove quite familiar to previous Handycam users. It also comes with a remote control for handling the camera's functions from a distance.

Selling for under $500, the TRV140 is a great digital camcorder for users who intend to edit video on their PCs for distribution to the Web for or burning to CD or DVD. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• 20x optical zoom
• Super NightShot mode
• High-quality digital video

Cons:

• Somewhat short battery life
• Can't play back analog Hi-8 or 8mm

Features

• Digital8 camcorder
• 20x optical, 560x digital, zoom with image stabilization
• 2.5 inch color LCD and black and white EVF
• Features a digital photo mode
• Comes with NightShot mode and digital faders and effects

Reviews (36)

High Quality Digital8 Recording
The DCR-TRV140 is Sony's lowest level digital camcorder, but it is not low-level at all. It records picture at a stunning 520 lines of resolution and sound in PCM digital stereo. You can truly see the difference in picture quality between Digital and Hi8 or VHS-C. The Digital8 system records digital pictures on inexpensive Hi8 tapes. It's got an incredibly large 20x optical zoom. Optical zoom is the most importaint type of zoom because there is no loss of picture quality. It also has a 560x digital zoom which is less importaint because, the farther you zoom, the worse the picture quality gets. One of the most amazing features of this camcorder is the Infared Super NightShot. What it does is project an infared light, invisible to the human eye, allowing you to see in no light at all. It comes with various special effects and fade options. The FM30 InfoLithium battery allows use for 3 hours (1 hour w/LCD). It includes an i.Link DV Interface (IEEE1394) for editing video on your computer. It also allows you to have streaming video via USB. This camcorder is a good, moderately priced introduction to digital video with features surpassing those of other brands.

This Digital8 is all you need for hi-res digital videos!
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DIGITAL8 a 520 line video & hi-fi stereo!!

The DCR-TRV140 Digital8 Video camera recorder (Digital Only). This camcorder is awesome. This is Sony's introductory level Digital8 model. The DCR-TRV-140 is a low price, high value, versatile and sophisticated video cam. This is all you will ever need.

Bottomline - This is what you get; uses Hi8 or Digital8 video tape (the simple difference is a 120 minute Hi8 tape converts to a 60 minute Digital8), 20x Optical Zoom (Most important zoom which maintains hi-res feature), 560x digital zoom ( loses hi-res feature when magnified - I recommend staying with OPTICAL ZOOM ONLY!), 2.5 hi-res color LCD screen (opens 90 degrees & can be rotated 180 degrees with an auto mirror image), built-in light with 5 foot range, remote control & sensor, Steady shot (stabilizer), USB streaming, DVIn/Out - Sony iLink (BEST FEATURE - A 4 pin 2 way FireWire(IEEE-1394) for direct digital video & stereo transfer with no signal loss), digital effects, frame recording, hi-fi sound, interval (lapse) recording, SUPER NightShot ( shooting in a dark room without light), backlit feature ( allows to subdue rear light to increase foreground subjects lighting) and much, much more.

This camcorder comes with a 3 hour battery (its real life is about 75 minutes using the LCD screen. The actual battery time remaining is displayed on the LCD screen. The stabilizer eliminates the camera jitter and the hi-res digital pictures are awesome. The supplied video cables allow you to hook up to a tv or vcr. The video transfer via USB (with supplied PC software) or the awesome Sony iLink (FireWire)allows a 2 way direct digital link to a DVD recorder (ie Philips DVDR-985, DVD+RW (rewriteable) or DVD+R (one time) SEE MY DVDR-985 REVIEW).

In Summary - this is an OUTSTANDING DIGITAL8 Video Camcorder. Again this a DIGITAL ONLY unit. The DVR-TRV140 is a great economical way to move into the hi-res (520 line) digital world. Transferring to PC or DVD burner is so simple and digital pictures & hfi stereo sound is the only way to go. Enjoy.

Eject tape broke and Sony won't fix it
We had been very happy with this camcorder - until we pulled it out to take Christmas pictures of our 15-month old son and the camcorder wouldn't record. It wouldn't eject the tape, and after repeated calls to customer service, we've been told that they'll pay for parts, but the labor to fix it is just over $200. Unfortunately even though we've only used the camcorder for under 15 hours, we're outside the 90 days for labor warranty (who'd have thought the camcorder would be unusable after under 15 hours of use?).

Still waiting on a callback from customer service, but having gone up 4 levels already, it's not looking like they'll fix the product.

Think our model will be headed for the trash - and we'll be looking at anything BUT Sony for future purchases. I would definitely steer clear of a Sony after this experience.

Great starter digital camcorder
When I first started to look at camcorders I didn't know exactly what I wanted. The number of features was overwhelming and I wasn't sure which ones would prove valuable. I ended up decided on a set of core features: digital recording, reasonable size, good zoom and computer connectivity.

I finally ended up with the TRV-140 and it has been great. It is a standard handcam size, which means it fits comfortably in your hand but isn't tiny. The 20x optical zoom is very nice. I have yet to need the digital zoom and haven't even considered buying a telephoto lens.

To connect the camera to your computer all you need is a firewire card and the right cable (4 pin to 6 pin). Transferring video was as simple as connecting the cable. Windows XP immediately recognized the camera and I was able to capture and edit film using the MovieMaker software included with XP.

My only complaint is the battery life. The standard battery doesn't last very long, especially if you use the LCD. Consider picking up a second battery when you purchase the camcorder. Sony has a couple of offerings, but all are rather expensive. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, check out the compatible batteries made by Duracell or Ray-o-vac.

I bought one too
...
Its a very good camera for the price and as my old camera was a hi-8 canon Ex1 I didnt have to go out and buy new tapes either as the 140e uses hi-8 tapes. I didnt use the pixelA software as it is rubbish, instead I use Pinnacles Studio8 which allows me to download and convert my video to burn to cd or dvd between different formats. Firewire works well and all functions are simple to use. Image quality is good.

The only blots on its copybook are for me the disabled control facilities from the higher models (you can re-enable them if you know what you are doing) and the lack of DV in (again this can be fixed) finally the lack of an external mic socket...which I'm looking into sorting out...

overall...very good buy.

Ray. ... Read more

Features

• Designed for SONY DCRVX Digital Camcorders
• Premium grade but no cassette memory chip
• Package of 2 tapes

Product Description

Sony provides you with a wide range of innovative storage solutions to fit your needs and budget. Of course, Sony's hallmark quality, performance and reliability are built into every Sony storage product, so you can be sure you are getting the best solution for your needs - whether you're storing information from a single desktop or backing up a global network. ... Read more

Features

• Digital Still Mode - holds up to 1300 images at 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution
• Up to 237 images at 1600 x 1200 (UXGA) resolution
• MPEG Movie Mode - Up to 24 minutes recording time at 320 x 240 (Presentation Quality) resolution
• Video Mail Mode - Up to 90 minutes recording time at 160 x 112 resolution

Features

• 3.0 Megapixels
• USB Interface
• Compact Size
• 16 MB Memory
• 1.5 Inch Display

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's DSC-P71 combines compact dimensions with a high-performance 3-megapixel sensor and affordable AA battery power. If you're looking for a take-anywhere camera that's easy to use and produces crisp, detailed images, the P71 is worth a closer look.

Optics and Resolution
The DSC-P71's 3-megapixel sensor captures ample detail for sharp prints at sizes up to 8 by 10 inches. For a serious amateur photographer, 3 megapixels is a great resolution, providing enough detail to perform some cropping and still have crisp prints.

A 3x optical zoom lens (39-117mm equivalent) helps you to capture exactly the picture you want, and an additional 2x digital zoom (6x total) further magnifies your image. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's best used sparingly. In low-light situations (a particular weakness for many digital cameras), a focus-assist lamp sends out a small patterned beam to help the camera accurately determine distance.

To compose your images, either use the traditional camera viewfinder or the 1.5-inch LCD display (which is also used to review the shots you've taken). Having both types of viewfinders offers the best of both worlds: if you're used to using a film camera or want to conserve battery life, use the viewfinder; if you want to see exactly the picture you'll be capturing, use the LCD display.

More Features
The P71 is designed to be a simple point-and-shoot, so it doesn't have a huge assortment of manual settings. However, more advanced photographers will appreciate the manual focus mode, adjustable ISO, and white-balance settings, and well as the exposure compensation and the ability to shoot black-and-white, sepia, solarized, and negative images.

Power
The P71 uses two AA batteries--a pair of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeables and charger are included. The benefit to using standard AA batteries instead of a custom proprietary battery is that AA batteries are widely available, so missing a once-in-a-lifetime shot due to dead batteries won't be an issue. The downside is that a digital camera will kill a set of alkaline batteries extremely quickly, especially if you're using the camera's LCD display. To ensure you'll always be ready for action, we recommend getting a second pair of rechargeable batteries so you can always have one set in the camera and the other set in the charger.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the camera captures silent video clips. Most digital cameras' movie modes are limited to 15- or 30-second clips, but the P71 can keep shooting until you've filled the memory card. The limited resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, Sony's proprietary memory-card format. The included 16 MB stick holds approximately 16 images at the camera's default settings. Memory Sticks are reusable, but if you tend to take more than 16 images per outing, then you'll want a bigger card. A 128 MB stick is a great size for this camera, storing around 130 images. To transfer images to your computer, simply attach the included USB cable between your PC and your camera--your computer should automatically recognize the camera and let you move the pictures to your hard drive. If you own a Sony desktop or laptop, your computer may also have a built-in Memory Stick reader, which makes transferring as easy as reading a floppy disk.

Size
At 5 by 2.3 by 1.75 inches and 10.4 ounces fully loaded, the P71 is a very compact and portable digital camera.

Contents and Recommended Accessories
The package includes the DSC-P71 camera, two rechargeable NH-AA-D1 rechargeable batteries, BC-CS1 charger, video and USB cables, wrist strap, 16 MB Memory Stick, and software on CD.

Everything you need to get started is included in the box, but we recommend these accessories to make the most of your camera: a carrying case, a spare set of NiMH rechargeable size AA batteries, and a higher-capacity Memory Stick. Compatible accessories for this camera are listed near the top of this page. --Shane Burnett

Pros:

• 3-megapixel resolution provides ample detail for most users
• Compact dimensions make it easy to bring this camera along on outings
• Point-and-shoot operation makes it easy for even beginners to get great results

Cons:

• Movie mode lacks sound
• Proprietary Memory Stick memory card format less common and more expensive than other formats

Features

• 3-megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create prints up to 11 x 14
• Autofocus lens with 3x optical/2x digital (6x total) zoom
• Included 16 MB Memory Stick holds 16 images at default settings
• Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port
• Uses 2 AA batteries (rechargeables included)

Reviews (43)

Fast, sharp pics, lightweight, great deal
We went from our old, bulky, slow digital camera to this camera and couldn't be happier.

We used it today for pictures while we were hiking. Some pics under redwoods were a bit dark, but a little adjusting in Photoshop worked wonders. Almost all of the pics are perfect the way they are.

The controls are easy to use. The batteries seem to last quite a while. We haven't run out of battery power yet, so I don't know how long they will last. I took about a hundred pics while testing it over several hours, the battery display was still at a half. The included charger is slow, so we're going to get the starter kit. ASIN: B000066HU8 The tripod mount is metal, our old camera had a plastic one...which got stripped easily. The eyepiece helps save battery power , and also helps with taking pics in poor lighting conditions when we can't see the screen too well. The time it takes the camera to be ready after turning it on is only about the same as most point and shoot cameras. It is very quick between pics also.

Great Camera, easy to use, yet it does a lot of things
The Sony cyber-shot P71 is an exelent camera. It is extremly easy to use, and yet the things it does is endles. The camera comes with rechargable batteries and charger, an 18 mb card, a wrist strap, and software. There is one thing else that you need. A bigger memory card. There is no backing down from it. I got a 64 mb card, and it is great. I can do movies for about 30 minutes! Although it is not a camcorder, it is so much fun to make movies.I was worried about the picture quality. It turned out that I worried for nothing. 3.2 megapixels is great.All of the controls are in the right place. The zoom is better then I thaught. Since the picture quality goes down when you use digital zoom. the camera tells you when you zoom in over optical zoom, and are now using digital zoom as well. Putting pictures on your computer is easy. I have windows XP home edition, and I find that XP makes it even eaiser to se your pictures. A lot of cameras also need an expensive USB driver for the computer to read yor memory card. But the USB driver is built right into the camera, so you can just hook up tour camera to the computer. Overall, this camera is a great camera, with great pictures as well as many cool features. Its great!

Decent camera... has its drawbacks...
Sony has just about infiltrated every electronic marketplace possible and the digital camera sector is no exception. When I was researching to buy a camera, it came down to the Canon A40 vs. the Sony DSC P71. I went with the Sony because it was smaller and I didn't want to carry around the larger Canon. I wonder now if I made a mistake as Canon cameras are constantly being raved about.

The P71 being my first digital camera it would be unfair to say I was disappointed. It has a decent zoom 3x Optical and 2x digital. The form factor of the camera is a huge plus. It's very small and light and easy to carry in a jacket pocket. The LCD is 1.5" more than large enough to see images clearly. The 3.2 megapixels has allowed me to develop beautiful, clear 5 x 7 photos. Even the 8 x 10 pictures come out very well.

The strength of Sony digital cameras lies in taking outdoor pictures. The colors in natural sunlight are vibrant and clear. The pictures taken outdoors always come out beautiful - especially in areas where flowers, trees, and grass are present.
I have seen very few digital cameras that take nicer outdoor pictures than the Sony P71.

The navigation is very intuitive even if the buttons are a little small. Sometimes I find it hard to find the center "ok" button - I often accidentally slip my finger to the right or left. When going through pictures taken already, the preview images render very quickly on the LCD. The camera offer a plethora of options for shutter speed, contrasting, picture quality and resolution, as well as view.

Battery life is good. I can go through a 64 MB memory stick at high resolution on one set of batteries (and flash). Sony also provides a free set(2) of rechargeable batteries and a charger with this camera. This is a very very nice addition and accessory for this price. I bought an extra set of rechargeable batteries to keep as a spare (one set always charges while the other set is being used).

Also provided is a USB cable to hook up to your computer to download images. This is an extremely easy set up with Windows XP - just plug the USB cable into your computer and camera and XP automatically recognizes your new hardware. You don't need to install the provided software if your computer already has a default picuture viewer.

Now the reasons this camera received just 3 stars:

1) Remember how I mentioned that this camera takes great outdoor pictures? Well as great as the outdoor pictures are, the indoor pictures are as equally horrible. I don't know if it's the flash or Sony's interpretation of artificial light, but every single indoor picture is dark with an orange tint. They are clear, but the coloring is always off. It's like I'm looking at pictures through sunglasses.

2) I wish Sony would have configured this camera to leave the flash on when I turn it on. The default setting for the flash is always "off" so when you turn the flash on and the camera is idle for a minute, it turns itself off and sets the flash to the off position. This wouldn't be annoying if it didn't take the camera so long to re-initiate the flash. It takes a good 5-7 seconds to re-initiate. Furthermore, what would make most sense would be if the camera just sensed when the flash was needed and turned it on itself. That's what most cameras do.

So there you have it - a layman's review of the Sony P71. I'm not a hobbyist or a professional photographer, I just use the camera for fun to basically record memories. The Sony P71 is an decent camera. If you take a lot of indoor pictures, stay away from it, otherwise, it will serve its purpose.

Great Product
This is my first digital camera & I have been using it for over one year. I use it for both my business & vacations. It is very easy to use (especially for beginers). It is also great because there is never any film to develop (for those of us who forget to drop it off or pick it up). It has some wonderful features like color or black & white, the buttons are easy to use & the instructions are great. The viewfinder on the back is very clear & choice of image size is great.

In addition to the camera I would purchase a tripod and an additional memory stick (128MB is a great price at amazon.com). If it is still available the starter pack with case, battery charger, etc... is also a good choice.

Great camera..
This is my latest camera and I'm using it for web purposes. The picture quality is great and the zoom is also very useful. What I love about this camera? Fast when taking a new picture, great flash option. What I don't like is the noise that the camera does when you start it and the zoom moves in and out, so you can't take pictures without somebody notices you. ... Read more

Features

• Uses Digital 8 format for movies and Memory Stick for stills
• 25x optical, 18x digital, 450x total zoom
• IEEE 1394 interface
• SteadyShot digital image stabilization
• NightShot infrared system

Reviews (16)

Great, But......
I found this camcorder perfect for a 12 yr old, but I do belive the memory stick and still photos are a bit much. It has some way cool picture effects (negative, mosiac) and some great features (nightshot, 450x zoom)

It has an increddibly compact size for a camera of its capabilities. I now use it to video parties, and school productions which i make alot of money out of.

However, I do think, that like the analog range, it needs a built in light, so you dont need to pay extra for it to attach to the IAS. (Intellegent Accsoeries Shoe).

Happy Buying!

Handheld Video Studio
Even tough I don't own this model, I own one very similar... The DCR-TRV103. This is the newer version of the model up (TRV310)and it has only gotten better. I purchased the camera for making a claymation movie and an action short for a class project. I spent over 200 hours working with all the footage and the firewire port is invaluable! Not only is the sound and video quality unparelleled, the speed at which it is transfered keeps you from getting bogged down waiting for the video to load. The night vision, remote control and special effects provided in the package are superb quality and easy to use. As for durablity, my camera was hit by gravel from car tires and a hail of exploding fireworks and has escape them without even a ding. The only problems I really faced with the camera where the short battery lifes on the stock battery. However, a replacement 8 hour is around $100 and is a good replacement for the 1.5 hour if you plan to film a wedding or long birthday party. Another more-minor problem was the echo-effect on the sound at a distance, however, this plagues every other camera on the market and can be easily fixed with an external microphone from radio shack. Also, the digital recording process takes double the normal recording on 8mm tapes, so if you don't transfer the video off the camera and re-record over, find a place that sells the tapes cheap. Other than that, however, the camera has worked perfectly and has produced some very high-quality video for a non-commerical video camera.

An excellent buy!
For the price, this is the best buy for the money....it takes excellent video footage...the only drawback is the battery life is short..need to purchase at least the 8 hour capacity (very expensive)...

Tons of features....and really a good buy
My first handycam was an F series bought 8 years ago. After 5 years it was broken beyond repair. I was itching to get one and finally did about a week ago.

I was surprise how far the handycam has evolved. I was the production engineer back then in Sony Handycam production line. Even spent 3 month in Sony Minokamo(where current handycam is produced... check your handycam label) in Japan for training. This is a good product for beginner, intermediate and even an expert. It has all the function you need. I think you have read all the pros regarding the handycam.

The low points for me are:

1. The supplied batteries lasts less than an hour. You'd better get another one. But it is very expensive. In fact all Sony products and accessories are expensive.

2. They eat up lots of tape.

3. For F450 model (8 years ago) the battery charger is external and you can charge the battery and still using your camera. But for this handycam the charger is external and when you are recharging the battery you will not be able to use the camera.

Other than that, everything is great. I bought a DV link card using the i-link IE3944, but the card was unusable and I return it to the supplier. Still waiting for a replacement. I would like to create a movie using this card.

Perfect for High Quality Home Movies.
This little number is a great step up from DCR-TRV310. I'm Not sure why, but the number is higher, and in my experience that means that it is way better and should cost alot more. I greatly recommend it with the 2.5in screen. Anything larger sucks the life out of a battery like, the KC Chiefs suck the fun out of Monday Night Football. You'll find the zoom is very suitable for most situations. The Info-Lithium batteries are a serious point in favor of the Sony brand family over its competitors. Knowing how much time you have left to shoot is priceless in those once-in-a-lifetime situations. In California, and sweeping quickly east, is the Phenomenon I dubbed "Green Porn". With Sony's 0-lux technology, you call literally see/film in pitch black. The ablitity to create a sensuous mood with the green glow that 0-Lux provides is amazing. It's like wathing The Nature Channel. Overall, if you don't have the money for the big time digitals and don't want junk. Then this is the Cam for you. Happy Honeymoon! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's UP-DP10 photo printer gives you the ultimate in high-quality photo printing. This unit uses sublimation printing to bring you continuous-tone results--similar to the kind of quality you'd get at your local photo lab--and is a perfect companion to a digital camera.

We found the printer very easy to use. Extremely compact and lightweight, the UP-DP10 is about the height and width of a piece of paper, with a thickness of about 2 inches. The unit takes special ink ribbon cartridges and uses unique paper that is perforated on both edges and that has blank tear-off strips on either side of the photograph (which results in a professional-looking photograph). Both the cartridges and the paper tray were simple to insert.

The printer performs laminate processing on the photos as they print--a process that prevents the photos from becoming discolored over time, a normal occurrence when photos are printed from an ink-jet printer. You can choose among glossy, textured, or matte finishes for your photos. The UP-DP10 produces amazing results, printing photos that are of true photographic quality. Just be sure to set your page setup to landscape mode if your image is horizontal, or your image will be split between two sheets.

The only drawback to the UP-DP10 is that the paper/ink cartridge sets are a little pricey. However, if you're printing only the photos you want, using the UP-DP10 could end up being less expensive than having your film processed by a lab.

The printer has both USB and parallel connections and is compatible with both Macintosh and Windows 95 or 98. ... Read more

Features

• Photo-quality pictures at home
• Low-cost 4-by-6-inch pictures
• Choose your finish--glossy, matte, or texture
• Print the pictures you want
• Powerful Adobe Photoshop LE software included

Reviews (13)

Great easy to use high quality printer
If you are looking for a great 4x6 printer go no further. This printer give you great picture that equals professionals prints. The paper can get easily on line through B&H in NYC. You just click and print, no trimming needed and the color are guarantee to last. Great deal, simple to use and give you excellent quality 4x6 pictures !

hard to find paper, paper jams all the time
Although the images are great, when you finally get it to work, the paper is always getting stuck. The paper was very difficult to find. Drivers are near impossible to find... Get the HP photosmart printer (the small one) and you will be thrilled, as I am

Great Pictures with a large hassle!!!
I got this photo printer because i love to make my own pictures, give them to friends and have the ability to make the pictures that i want. The picture quality is amazing, exactly like getting them proccessed at a photo place. The huge downfall of this product is the fact that the printer cartridge and paper is almost impossible to get. I didn't mind at first that the paper could only be gotten on amazon, but about 2 months ago i ordered more paper and ink and they kept pushing back the date until they finally canceled my order. I have not been able to use my printer for 2 months! I suggest buying someone that doesn't have such specific ink and paper needed to work it.

Best Photo Printer I've Worked With
I have the Kodak DX3500 digital camera and it's great to work with. I also have several printers, all HP. The problem with printing 4x6 pictures is that the paper doesn't always feed correctly. I have several friends who have HP inkjet printers and they all have the same problem. Can't tell you how much paper and how many cartridges I've gone through trying to get scanned photos or direct download from the Kodak to print on my wide bed HP. When I saw this I decided to give it a try, and I love it! It's very compact, very quiet and prints beautiful pictures that are photo processing quality. The greatest thing is that it is a thermal print so the pictures never fade as they do with regular inkjet. This printer uses a specialty ribbon and paper and yes the print packs are a little pricey ($15 - $20 each for 25 prints), but considering the quality of the pictures and what you save in premium photo paper it's well worth the price (and remember your memories will never fade). And if you balance the cost against the price of film and film processing, this is one of the best bargains you'll ever find!

A wonderful printer!
Seldom have I come across a product that delivers so much. This printer far exceeded my expectations. The prints are brilliant and sharp. The colors are rich. The printer is very easy to operate. The only quibble I had with it, for someone who is a klutz when it comes to mechanics, is the instructions for loading the paper tray into the printer. The manual does not say the plastic cover at one end has to come off. It took me several minutes to figure that one out. But the price is right and the product is superior to any printer I have seen. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Featuring a compact, vertically aligned body to go along with its potent 10x optical zoom, the DCR-IP5 is the first of two camcorders featuring the unique new recording format MicroMV, which records using the same format used to encode DVDs: MPEG-2.

Lens and CCD
The two central components of any video camera (or digital still camera) are its lens and CCD (the image sensor). This Sony model builds around a 10x optical zoom, which is paired with Super SteadyShot image stabilization to cut down on the shakes and jitters common to most amateur video footage. The CCD sports a pixel count of 680,000 pixels--great for video--that translates the image into around 500 lines of resolution.

Size
The size of the DCR-IP5 is actually one of the features that Sony is really excited about, and it's easy to understand why. The device is extraordinarily small; it's somewhere on the order of a half-inch to an inch smaller in its dimensions than comparable models. That's quite a hefty reduction, making the IP5 small enough to fit in a pocket. Because of the small size of the camcorder, its 2.5-inch LCD becomes comparatively larger than it would otherwise be.

Cables and Connectors
Despite the small size of the IP5, there are a number of audio and video inputs and outputs, making it a very flexible and capable machine. Most intriguingly, besides S-video, there are also composite video in/outputs--composite video provides the highest level of quality in home theater setups. For audio, stereo in/outputs are included. Of course, in any digital camcorder, you should expect to find an IEEE 1394 port, also known as FireWire or iLink, which the IP5 provides.

Included with the DCR-IP5 are a wireless remote, an AC-L20 power adapter, NP-FF50 InfoLithium battery, two AA batteries, iLink Cable (four-pin to four-pin), AV cable, lens cap, wrist strap, and a software CD-ROM (software is Windows only). ... Read more

Features

• MicroMV camcorder
• 10x optical, 120x digital, zoom with Super SteadyShot image stabilization
• 2.5 inch color LCD monitor and color EVF
• Records in MPEG2 video format--the same format used in DVDs
• Features composite and S-Video outputs

Reviews (18)

Information Update
I am writing this information here because I found the reviews of the DCRIP-5 at Amazon.com's site helpful when I was considering the purchase of the camcorder. It is a great camcorder because it overcomes the one obstacle that people encounter when they want to record something in their life on video tape. That obstacle is the bulkiness of most camcorders, which makes using them a major preduction. The DCRIP-5 fits in a pocket. You can carry it with you anywhere with no hassle at all. It is about the size of a digital still camera.
Today I installed Pinnacle's Studio 8DV, the software that Sony recommends for use with their Micros DV camcorders. It works great and there is an update available at the Pinnacle web site to allow Micro DV users to capture video directly from the camcorder.
I recommend this combination, the DCRIP-5 and Pinnacle's Studio 8DV to anyone who wants no hassle video taping and computer editing.

What a WASTE of Money!
Bought it last year! Nice and small, but even Pinnacle Studio 8 can't handle the compression. No voice, can't burn to DVD, blah, blah, blah. You name it I had a problem with it! And now, come to find out, Sony has stopped production AND will no longer pursue MicroMV. They are moving back to MiniDV! ARGH! Pinnacle won't support their product any longer with this compatibility issue and Sony abandons it.

I bought the Canon Elura 50! Great with stills and video. Inexpensive, only 1 ounce heavier and about the same size!

As my wife called it...... I bought Beta instead of VHS! Never be an early adopter.

Mark

If you want to burn DVDs with your video, avoid this.
I have bought a lot of Sony products over the years so when I was in the market for a camcorder I foolishly just picked this up without researching it. After recording four tapes of my one year old I tried making a DVD and after 20-30 hours and using 3 programs, including Sony's Movieshaker (constant crashes) I have still been unsuccessful. I have just ordered a well reviewed Panasonic camera in DV. MicroMV is a terrible product with zero support from Sony. I won't be buying Sony again.

Warning: This Thing Does Not Work With Anything
Sony made it sound like these MicroMV shoots in .mpeg format which you can edit directly. It is in .mmv format. There absolutely no software that will edit .mmv except the crappy one that came with it.

I have one. Here's how it works. After shooting, you have to download via MovieShaker, the software that comes with it. Then, export each clip via MovieShaker to DVI or .mpeg files. Then, use whatever editing software you use to open the exported files. It takes more than twice the time and twice the hard drive space if you want to keep the original .mmv files. I had to keep my original .mmv files because by the time I'm done, the audio would be off-track. After using it for a while, I ended up just downloading the shots to ... yeah, VCR!

Quicktime can read the .mmv files, so it is obvious that those .mmv files are in fact .mpeg files that Sony claims, but NO editing software that can downloand and read DV files and .mpeg files can recognize .mmv files. It is obvious that this incompatability is deliberate.

Avoid wasting your time doing double work. Avoid microMV at all cost.

Please sign petition requesting Sony support MicroMV on Mac
5 stars when they support Macs

Please sign the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/osxmicmv/ requesting that Sony support MicroMV camcorders on Mac OS X. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony has now made capturing spontaneous photographic moments even easier with the diminutive Cyber-shot DSC-U10. Measuring a mere 3.38 by 1.19 by 1.63 inches and weighing just 4 ounces, the ultracompact DSC-U10 enables you to carry it comfortably in your pocket, your purse, or around your neck. Capturing spontaneity is a snap thanks to its state-of-the-art technology and ease of use

Optics and Resolution
With its a 1.3-megapixel CCD sensor, the DSC-U10 captures images up to 1,280 x 960 pixels--perfect for posting to the Web or sending to friends and family via e-mail. The DSC-U10 offers a fixed-focus 5mm/f2.8 lens (or a 33mm equivalent in a 35mm camera) that has no optical or digital zoom capability. It features a 3-area multipoint autofocus and four-step manual focus with automacro.

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on Memory Sticks, and an 8 MB card is included, which will store approximately 23 images. Images can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB storage-class connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Movie Mode
In addition to taking still photos, the DSC-U10 can also record MPEG movie clips (without audio) of up to 15 seconds. The limited resolution of your movies guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

More Features

• Fast start-up time and convenient slide-open lens cover
• 1-inch, 64K pixel transflective LCD viewfinder with battery indicator
• Built-in flash with through-the-lens (TTL) preflash metering and red-eye reduction
• VGA Burst mode captures up to five 640 x 480 frames at two frames/second
• Selectable soft-snap, illumination-snap, and vivid nature scene modes
• Selectable sepia, solarize, black and white, and negative art modes

Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by two rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries (included). It measures 3.38 by 1.19 by 1.63 inches and weighs 4 ounces. This package includes the Cyber-shot DSC-U10 digital camera, 8 MB Memory Stick, rechargeable NiMH batteries (model NH-AAA-DI), battery charger (model BC-CS1 NiMH), USB and AV cables, neck strap, and CD-ROM with Pixela ImageMixer for Sony v1.0 imaging software and USB drivers for Windows and Mac. ... Read more

Features

• 1.3 megapixel CCD sensor captures images up to 1,280 x 960 pixels--perfect for e-mailing
• Ultracompact body, weighs just 4 ounces
• Includes 8 MB Memory Stick
• Connects with PCs and Macs via USB port
• Powered by two rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries (included)

Reviews (13)

Not quite what I expected
Once I got this nifty little camera out of the box, I was very excited to begin taking pictures. The great thing about this package is everything you need to get started is included, so you don't need to go off buying batteries or memory stick.

This camera is fairly simple to operate. Everything is explained in the included instruction manual. For its small size, some people may easily misplace or lose it.

There are two image sizes this camera offers: 1280x960 and 640x480. I found the 640x480 to be a lower quality than I expected. Many of the pixels are visible, making a not-so-clear photo. However, the 1280x960 size seems to not have that pixel problem. Another cool thing possible on this camera is making a 15 sec movie (no audio). The LCD screen is only about an inch wide, so it may be difficult to preview your photos clearly.

this isn't a great camera to be printing with. However, if all you want is to send e-mail with them or put them up on a website, then by all means, this camera is well suited for those purposes.

This camera is a lot of FUN!
The three things I took into consideration when I was shopping for a digital camera was: size, price and picture quality. This camera met all 3 requirements easily.

Size: almost as small as the current crop of cell phones. People couldn't believe how small it was. Personally, it's a little on the thick side so I put it in my pants instead of my shirt pocket.

Price: good value for your money. More features than you'd expect from a sub camera. Comes with its own recharger and NI-MH batteries. About 13 hours to charge it fully.

Picture quality: I was actually quite surprised by the picture quality. Really. It's more than just decent or average, it's good. Movie quality however is terrible. Don't bother with it unless you are outdoors. Also, you cannot record sounds.

Bottom line: you'll be glad you gave this camera a shot. Great conversation piece too. Pop in a 128 MB memory stick and you can take up to 375 pictures at 1280x960! It's just a lot of fun!

Always 100% better than the camera you don't have with you
I have a better camera than this one. It's a Sony too, and it has 3X zoom, a bigger LCD screen, sound MPG's, more megapixels, and just generally all the bells and whistles that my 2-year-old miniature Sony doesn't have.
And yet I still take most of my pictures on the DSCU10. Why? Because it's always in my jacket pocket and it's always ready. It's a full-feature camera and it's smaller than a Snickers bar. Better still, the design is brilliantly intuitive. Slide open the cover, press the button. That's it! You can even get your Mom to use it. And while the batteries take a while to charge, it will hold the charge for weeks or even months while you carry it around. And oddly enough, it's much easier to download from than my newer, more expensive Sony. Just plug in the USB, the camera turns itself on and it starts downloading.
Unquestionably it has weaknesses. The postage stamp LCD viewscreen is of questionable utility; it's good enough for framing shots but it's impossible to see any detail, especially in daylight. The picture quality is merely adequate (it would be wise to opt for the higher-rez DSCU20 if possible). The autofocus can be unreliable and the flash is weak.
But it's always there for you when your bigger, better camera is at home on the shelf. Anyone who's serious about photography should have one of these (or the DSCU20) as a second camera.
One final note: I don't know if this is a plus or minus, but this camera seems to impress everyone who sees it. It really looks like some sort of spy camera and on one occasion I was actually accused of being a private detective by a woman who wandered into one of my shots. Even now that it's getting a little long in the tooth, people still want to look at it to see if it's a real camera, and they're still impressed when they see that it is.

wore it everywhere
got the pink one as a birthday gift, i fell in love with it cos of the color and its size. I hung it around my neck (it came with a matching grey string) wherever I went, and it never failed to grab attention from people. Its feature packed and the images are fantastic. But its a pity that it doesnt have any optical zoom.

great
Ilike the camera alot it is funky,cute,adorable i love it i have recomended it to all my friends have one ... Read more

Features

• This Sony Memory Stick(R) Reader connects to your laptops PCMCIA slot, letting you transfer files to and from the Memory Stick(R) & laptop
• It's perfect for storing your files and reusing the Memory Stick(R) over and over!
• Works With Millions Of Windows 95/98 And Macintosh Laptop Computers
• 6.4 Megabits/Second Transfer Rate

Reviews (7)

Don't buy the 3rd party reader
It worked only some of the time, usually my PC wouldn't recognize the hardware. I sent it back, seller was very accomodating. Now I've ordered a genuine Sony reader.

Great - once I found the driver software.
The Strastechnologies 3rd-party card is a bargain and worked flawlessly ONCE I figured out something that the product descriptions (even on the Sony brand) don't reveal. Specifically, if your PC is running Windows® XP (Home or Pro), ME, 2000, or 98SE operating systems, this card won't work without the installation of driver software that is not included in the package! It took me a lot of research to get the correcct software directly from Sony. To save you the trouble, here is the link: http://ciscdb.sel.sony.com/cgi-bin/swu-install.pl?upd_id=1277&PASSVAL2=SMB and the driver file is MSFMTINST210.EXE. I would have given it 5 stars if this information had been enclosed. Go for the bargain!

Great product !!
This is a terrific product for laptop computer users on the go. I was carrying around an external 6-in-1 media reader, which took up a bit of space in my bag.

This PC Card adapter is slim and easily fits in a pocket. I inserted it into an available PC Card (also known as PCMCIA) slot in my XP laptop and it installed itself and read the files on my card immediately. (Although it recommended a reboot to work, I didn't need to.)

I was concerned it would only read Sony brand memory sticks, but it has no problem reading Lexar. File transfer speed is pretty quick also... the images came in faster than when I used my external media reader.

All in, another excellent Sony product. Recommended.

Adequate depending on your needs
This is an ideal device for small to medium data transfer requirements.

I popped it into my XP laptop and the card was recognized, a reboot, and it was done. Now I can pop out the PCMCIA card anytime and transfer it among my other systems.

I popped the PCMCIA card into an old Windows NT IBM laptop, and the device was recognized on reboot.

Now I can use my memory sticks pretty much anywhere I want.

The only complaint I have with the memory stick technology is that it is limited to 128 MB (currently nothing larger in size is available). Compact flash cards are running upwards of 512 MB while the memory stick lags behind.

If you are simply managing large media files, then memory sticks should suffice. However if you need anything in excess of 128 MB you may want to consider the Compact Flash memory cards.

Use a Memory Stick like a Hundred Floppy Disks!
I wanted a rewriteable medium that 1) was as easy to use as a floppy disk and 2) could hold as much information (if not more) than a CD-RW (rewritable CD). I found my solution by using this Sony PC Card Adapter for Memory Sticks.

This adapter, which fits into my PC card bay (which most laptops have) allows me to insert -- and eject -- a Memory Stick as if it were a floppy disk. (Imagine having a Memory Stick reader built into your laptop, and you'll get the picture.)

The Memory Stick is also much more convenient (and quieter) than using a CD-RW (which needs a special drive). And since a Memory Stick can hold up to 128 MB of data, the usable capacity of the device is almost a hundred times that of a normal floppy (which only holds about 1.44 MB of info).

With Memory Sticks -- and the adapter -- I can now transfer data, music or digital image files among my PC's, or among my photo printers, PDA's and MP3's which use or accept the Memory Stick format.

The adapter is plug-and-play with all of my Windows XP laptops, so installation was a snap. I was also happy to discover that my laptop will ignore the PC Card adapter and Memory Stick during start-up, so I don't need to dis-install the adapter in order to boot up my computer (cool!).

Even though Memory Sticks are quite a bit more expensive than floppies, their reusability makes them economical. The computer reads them as just another drive or memory device, so saving or retrieving data is a piece-of-cake. Best of all, with their larger storage capacity, I'm not running out of space as quickly -- as I always did with floppies.

I love using Memory Sticks -- and this Sony PC Card adapter (for storing and transferring data). Best of all -- I hope never to have to use another floppy disk again! Hallelujah! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The unique feature of Sony's CD400 Mavica is a built-in mini-CD recorder, a clever solution that simultaneously provides affordable portable memory and long-term archival storage. The camera also features a 4-megapixel sensor, a 3x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens, a jumbo 2.5-inch display, and long-life rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Optics and Resolution
The CD400's 4-megapixel sensor captures a tremendous amount of detail, allowing sharp 11-by-14-inch prints with pixels to spare. If you're currently using a high-quality 35mm point-and-shoot, expect to see as much detail in your digital pictures as you currently see in your film photos.

A 3x Carl Zeiss optical zoom lens (34-102mm equivalent) helps you to capture exactly the picture you want, and an additional 2x digital zoom (6x total) further magnifies your image. Remember, however, that digital zoom tends to reduce the sharpness and detail of your image, so it's best used sparingly. In low-light situations (a particular weakness for many digital cameras), a focus-assist lamp sends out a small patterned beam to help the camera accurately determine distance.

To save space, there's no traditional optical viewfinder to look through. Instead, to compose your images or review shots you've already taken, the CD400 uses a 2.5-inch color display. The advantage to using the LCD to frame your shots is that the screen lets you see exactly the picture you'll capture. The disadvantage is that you can't turn off the screen and just use the optical viewfinder to extend battery life. Fortunately, the included rechargeable battery holds a relatively good charge.

More Features
The engineers at Sony have gone out of their way to make it as easy as possible to share your images online. For example, the e-mail mode stores a lower-resolution version of your picture on the disc in a separate folder from the full-size version. This compact file lacks the detail of the original, but has a small file size, making it ideal for e-mail attachments. In addition, a video e-mail mode captures highly compressed, less-detailed movie clips that are also small enough to easily e-mail. With the time, expertise, and the right software, owners of any digital camera can create these more compact files on their home computers, but Sony saves you this trouble.

More advanced photographers will appreciate manual focus, a 14-bit A/D processor that captures more gradations in color than most digital cameras, and an uncompressed TIFF mode for recording the highest-quality photos.

Power
The CD400 uses Sony's excellent InfoLithium battery system, which not only holds a respectable charge, but also displays on screen how many minutes of power remain. Both the battery and the charger are included. Because the battery is unique to specific Sony models and can be nearly impossible to find when on the road, we strongly recommend getting a spare if you're planning to take the camera on extended outings.

Movie Mode
In movie mode, the camera captures video clips with sound at resolutions up to 320 x 240 pixels. Unlike most digital cameras, the length of each video is limited only by the amount of memory left on the CD. The limited resolution of these clips guarantees that this feature won't replace your camcorder, but it's perfect for when you just want to capture a quick movie and e-mail it to a friend or relative.

Storage and Transfer
With a traditional digital camera, images are stored on memory cards, then transferred to your computer via a cable or card reader, and ultimately archived by recording on a CD-R or other high-capacity medium. Sony's CD Mavicas simplify this process by recording images directly to CD, using a 3-inch miniature CD recorder integrated into the back of the camera (hence the camera's rounded shape). These discs are substantially smaller than traditional 5-inch CDs, and only hold about one-fourth as much information (156 MB instead of 650 MB), but this is still enough space to store over 60 photos at the camera's highest-quality compressed mode. Each disc costs a couple of dollars. To transfer pictures to your computer, simply remove the disc from the camera and insert it into your computer's CD-ROM drive. Unlike images recorded on memory cards, pictures taken on a CD-R are permanently burned into the disc, instantly providing a digital "negative" for archiving your photos.

If you prefer to transfer your images in the traditional way, just use an erasable/re-recordable CD-RW disc and connect the camera to your computer with the included USB cable. After transferring the images, you can erase the CD-RW disc to ready it for another batch of photos.

Size
At 5.5 by 3.75 by 4 inches, and 23 ounces, you won't slip this one into your shirt pocket, but it's still one of the smallest disc-based cameras available. The CD400 fits nicely into most SLR camera carrying cases.

Contents and Recommended Accessories
The package includes the CD400 camera, NP-FM50 battery, AC-L10 cable for in-camera charging, six 3-inch CD-R discs, one 3-inch re-recordable CD-RW, shoulder strap, AV cable, USB cable, and software on CD.

Everything you need to get started is included in the box, but we recommend these accessories to make the most of your camera: a carrying case, additional 3-inch CD-R or CD-RW discs, and a second battery (especially if you're taking the camera on extended trips). Compatible accessories for this camera are listed near the top of this page. --Shane Burnett

Pros:

• Integrated CD recorder provides inexpensive storage and image archiving
• Big 2.5-inch screen makes it easy to preview and review photos
• E-mail modes make it easy to share your photos electronically

Cons:

• No traditional optical viewfinder
• CD drive makes the camera bigger and heavier than cameras using memory cards

Features

• 4.1 megapixel sensor creates 2,272 x 1,704 images for prints at sizes up to 11 x 14 inches
• 3x optical Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar zoom lens and 2x digital zoom with 5-area multi-point autofocus
• Stores images directly on 156 MB 8cm CD-R or CD-RW (rewriteable) discs
• Discs can be read by virtually all Mac and PC CD-ROM drives(not currently compatible with Apple iPhoto)
• Uses proprietary Infolithium rechargeable battery (NP-FM50 )

Reviews (28)

Man what a camera!
I've used this camera over the past seven months and I become more impressed with it the more I use it. The expanse of capabilities and options with the camera allows for taking excellent pictures under nearly any conditions. The manual as well as the shutter and aperature priority imaging modes allow you complete control over the imaging process. I've taken pictures of everything including northern lights at 2 a.m., my cats in near complete darkness, portrait shots of subjects in dark rooms standing in front of bright windows, and they've all turned out wonderfully. For printing, I've used both my home printer, and a professional photo store, and prints up to 10x12 have turned out perfectly with no degredation at all.

Several recommendations if you buy this camera. Don't waste your money on Sony's cd-r disks. I've used verbatim, memorex and k-hypermedia cd-r with no problem. They're certainly much cheaper, and they all hold 185 MB while the Sony's only hold 156 MB. I would also suggest that you buy the Sony external flash for the camera. While the hot shoe will accept other brands of flash, I've been very impressed with the improvements to my pictures since buying the sony flash. I would also recommend buying a small (3-6") expandable tripod that will fit in any case. This allows you to set up longer exposure shots for dark environments, as well as for using the timer function on less than ideal surfaces.

If you're looking for huge storage (and archive) capabilities, excellent images, and complete control over your picture taking (minues the zoom limitations), then this is certainly the camera for you. Everyday I think it is worth the price I've paid, and with a new baby in the house, being able to take several hundred pictures in the first few days and email the "best-of" off to the grandparents is certainly a plus.

Got mine 3 days ago!
It is simply a marvel of technology and represents good value for money considering that it comes complete with a superb long-lasting Lithium-ion battery pack, International 110-240V 50/60Hz charger as standard for when you're travelling (you still have to buy adaptors to fit the sockets in other countries), and 156MB+ storage capacity on the CD-R/ CD-RW for about [price]. The camera and its' extensive features are easy to use after only a few hours of ownership. Slip the 3"CD-R or CD-RW into most CD-ROM drives and immediately access your photos in Windows Explorer without the aggravation of cables and card readers. The only blemish is the meagre 3X optical zoom. For anybody in Europe where this camera sells for about [price] before adding 15 to 20% sales taxes to give an average retail price of about [price] , this camera is an especially great buy.

But the Sony is BIG! OK, it can't be any smaller than the 3" CDs it uses for storage. But somewhere in Sony's system of R&D, having established that they had a superb product concept, nobody then passed on the design to the Sony boffins who specialize in miniaturizing everything. The result is simply that you have a great camera but which is simply GIGANTIC compared to anything else out there!

I should have spent more and bought a Fuji Finepix S602 with a 1GB IBM microdrive. Anybody want to swap?

Fragility, portability, durability
As an avid photographer, I wanted a digital camera that had the complicated lense features of a regular SLR without the complications of the various storage disks/cards/drives that plague most other digital cameras. This camera looked like the one. It burns to a mini cd, and therefore the orginal images are available immediately on disc without software or cords. It has mini video functions as well as other high tech possibilities.

Nice idea, but it failed. This camera is still relying on new burning technology, so the camera is still extremely fragile and definately not portable. I've had the camera 10 months and I've had to fix it three times. First the burning lense broke... any slight shake or bump will cause it to go off course, making the entire camera non-usable. As there is no harddrive within the camera, if you cannot burn to cd then you cannot take pictures. Then the photo lense got jammed (over the course of a month--so photos picked up a blur after a little while) and was unable to function, although I was still able to view pictures. After paying to REPLACE both parts (in excess of $150 each) the burning lense broke again after two months.

If you're planning to only take the camera out on special occasions, fine, but if you're planning on doing any sightseeing with it, putting it in a bag and taking it anywhere, it won't hold up.

love this camera
This is the best digital camera I have ever used. I have even bought a spare camera (MVC-CD400 it is sitting quietly in its box) just incase I where to ever break it beyond repair ;)

Ya its that Sweet!!!

Brandon

what a great gift
This camera was a gift. I don't know much about digital cameras except that whenever I have used one, the pictures always seem very grainy. I never understood why people would use them over regular cameras, except for the online uses. Having said all that, I must now admit that I love this camera. The picture quality is excellent, and I love being able to see my pictures on the computer and choosing which ones I want on paper. My only complaint (minor) is the view screen. When you are outside, it is difficult to see what you are aiming for. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Need portable power? The MPABT1A provides a stand alone power source for Sony's DPP-MP1 mobile digital photo printer. Now you can print your photos on the spot and show them to friends or create instant photo albums. The NiMH batteries come with a quick charger and a battery case, fitting perfectly into your DP-MP1. The MPABT1A also comes backed with a one-year limited warranty on parts and a 90-day limited warranty on labor. ... Read more

Features

• For DPP-MP1 Mobile Digital Photo Printer
• 4 rechargeable NiMH AA batteries
• Each battery has 1700 mAh capacity
• Includes Quick Charger and soft case
• Small and lightweight

Features

• 0.8-megapixel sensor captures 1,024 x 768 images for sharp 4 x 6 inch prints
• 3x optical plus 2x digital (6x total) autofocus zoom lens
• Stores images on standard floppy discs
• Compatible with Macs and PCs
• Uses rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included)

Product Description

Now you can create, edit and archive home movies and digital photos while storing and accessing data from one disc. DVD+R discs capture all digital data brilliantly and are large enough to hold oversized digital movie files. ... Read more

Features

• Record speeds vary
• DVD+R disc for creating and storing digital video, audio and multimedia files
• Stores up to 4.7GB or more than 2 hours of MPEG2 video
• Compatible for playback with most DVD players

Features

• DVD digital camcorder with 1-megapixel imaging
• 10x optical, 120x digital zoom with Super SteadyShot image stabilization
• 3.5-inch touch-panel color swivelscreen LCD display
• High speed USB 2.0 interface for computer connection
• NightShot 0 Lux infrared system with color mode for recording in total darkness

Reviews (20)

Point, Shoot and View
No muss no fuss, just put the disc in, shoot your video, finalize and boom... You got a home movie, ready to play on most DVD players. I have 4 DVD players at home (one in computer) and they play back on them all. Not tried the USB 2.0 interface yet, but editing on computer is easy, no waiting for the entire video to playback, just to get it into the computer. Drag and drop the files to your computer, edit with most video software and burn to a full sized DVD if you like.

Has all the items you come to expect from Sony, nightshot, steady shot and such. Heck, is even smaller then my old MiniDV unit. Very good deal overall, love the camera.

DVD camcorder isn't for everyone
the DCR-DVD300 sits atop the recently released line of miniDVD camcorders from sony. other models in this line are the DCR-DVD200 and DCR-DVD100. the main difference the three camcorders in this line are LCD size and CCD resolution:
- DCR-DVD300: 3.5" LCD, 1MP CCD
- DCR-DVD200: 2.5" LCD, 1MP CCD
- DCR-DVD100: 2.5" LCD, 640K CCD

pros:
- records dolby digital stereo.
- carl zeiss lens.
- 10x optical zoom.
- video quality almost at par with miniDV camcorders (at slower recording modes).
- Super SteadyShot image stabilization system - and sony's system really helps.
- three low light shooting modes: Nightshot, Super Nightshot, and Color Slow Shutter.
- big, 3.5" LCD display.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB 2.0, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- USB 2.0 support for fast downloads.
- the convenience of DVD navigation - simply select the scene and you're there!
- supports analog-to-digital conversion.
- hot accessory shoe with lots of optional accessories.

cons:
- expensive - as with most sony products, you pay a premium, plus you pay for DVD convergence.
- average low light performance.
- no memory stick support; if you want to take a still picture, it is saved on the DVD.
- mic picks up DVD spinning noise in quiet environments.
- finalizing a DVD takes upwards of 10 minutes, and it can be a confusing process.
- don't expect much from the still images recorded, even at 1MP resolution.
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- no manual focus ring.
- getting video into editing software (e.g. Final Cut Pro) is harder than it should be.
- not Mac friendly.
- poor battery life with included battery so add $$ to your budget to buy a higher capacity spare.
- compared to current release camcorders, this is a pretty big one at 3.1 x 3.8 x 5.6" weighing 1 lb 9 oz.

this is a nice, solid effort by sony and i give them points for dvd convergence. however, in my opinion, the DCR-DVD300 is too big and not easy to use. it's expensive for the feature set but the alternative to this dvd camcorder (a miniDV tape camcorder and DVD recorder combo) is even more expensive. i already have a dvd recorder so for me, a smaller and easier to use miniDV camcorder makes more sense. if this is your situation as well, i would recommend a panasonic gs-70 or sony's pc-105, both miniDV camcorders. otherwise, if you want a finalized DVD straight out of your camcorder, consider the DCR-DVD300.

a final note. if you have decided you want to record directly to a DVD, which camcorder should you buy? DCR-DVD300 or DCR-DVD200 or DCR-DVD100? only one hundred bucks separate these three camcorders (street price). for me, a hundred bucks is worth it to get the 1MP CCD and the big 3.5" LCD.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

Bought to record new born, but no recording media avaliable!
Watch out before you buy this or any of the other Handycams. At the time I am writing this, no stores have the 1.4GB dvds that they use to record. Even Sony doesn't have them. Make sure you can find a supply of thier recording media before you buy any of these products. I bought the Sony DVD-100 and I am stuck. The Handycam comes with 1 DVD-R so when that is used up your done. Think about this before you purchase a $1,000.00 camcorder that you will be only able to use for 30 mins until more disks are available. A fact I wish I was aware of while I was making my decision to purchase it.

cheap dvd disc that works on dcrdvd300
I just wanted people to know that you can use a non brand name disc instead of the costly sony ones. I buy mine at shop4tech.com it only cost 3.60 each instead of the 8.00 ones at the stores and sony.com . just search for mini dvd for camcorders and they have three brands to choose from. Could someone email me at courtnhu@aol.com on how to print still images without buying a photo printer, for ex. bringing it to the photo store for printing since it does not come with a memory card.

Sony DCRDVD300 MiniDVD Handycam Camcorder
The price $880.00 you can purchase at a store for you.com ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Capture those special moments with the DCR-TRV18 MiniDV camcorder. The new MiniDV camcorder from Sony creates high-quality visuals, thanks to the 800,000 pixel CCD (which gives a horizontal resolution of up to 500 lines) and the Carl Zeiss 10x optical zoom lens. The Super SteadyShot mode will make sure your visuals stay still, even if your hand doesn't.

Using the USB streaming feature, the camcorder can also function as a Webcam. In addition to this, video footage can be downloaded directly to a PC via a USB port. This material can then be edited on your PC using the supplied software. Once edited, your masterpiece can be shared with the whole world via the Internet.

The DCR-TRV18 includes the ability to record straight to MemoryStick. As with the DCR-TRV340, you can create movies by using MPEG; your recording time is now only limited by the size of MemoryStick.

Add to these already impressive features a 2.5-inch 123,000 pixel LCD screen, manual focus, 120x digital zoom, playback zoom and Super NightShot mode for filming in very low light and you've got yourself an impressive camcorder. ... Read more

Features

• MiniDV camcorder
• 10x optical, 120x digital zoom with digital image stabilization
• 2.5-inch color LCD; color EVF
• Records still photos onto tape or included Memory Stick media
• Uses included InfoLithium battery; also includes adapter, wireless remote control, stereo AV cable, lens cap, USB cable, MGI Photo Suite/VideoWave/USB CD-ROM driver

Reviews (14)

Sony DCR-TRV18: exceptional quality, a great value
At 25 Mega bits per second, MiniDV is the digital video format of choice for amateurs and professionals alike. Shoot your movie, transfer it to the computer then burn it on a DVD. If you're like me and want to make lots of quality home movies and still skip the costs of burning DVDs, a good choice is to store your movies on regular CDs as SVCD... The MiniDV tapes offer top-of-the line video & audio quality yet they are very small (tape width: 6.35 mm).

The question is: which MiniDV camcorder?
Important factors in my decision:

* A quality camera lens. DCR-TRV18 is Sony's least expensive camcorder that comes with the famous Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens!

* CCD size: look for a camcorder with a 680K CCD or larger. That larger pixel matrix gives you steadier shots and more horizontal lines.

* Low-light operation: went out after dinner and videotaped rows of flowers in the local park - the camera compensated very well for the insufficient light, the video came out great. Sony camcorders shine when it comes to operating in low-light (compared to JVC and Canon). DCR-TRV18 also has a "Night Shot" mode for videotaping at zero Lux (darkness). I used NightShot to record people dancing at a wedding reception.

* Analog pass-through: many camcorders do not have inputs for transfering older analog tapes to MiniDV or to the computer. With DCR-TRV18 I was able to copy older S-VHS-C tapes, playing in my analog camcorder, to MiniDV tapes.

I bought my DCR-TRV18... and I love it! Like I mentioned before, I edited my movies, added scene transitions and text then burned the MPEG-2 files on regular compact discs (40 min SVCD) to view them with my DVD player.

If you need to take digital pictures, consider buying a separate digital photo camera ... rather than a camcorder/photo camera combo (these combos could only take low-resolution photos at the time of this review).

Good MiniDV, but there're better and cheaper camcorders
This entry-level MiniDV is very easy to use, and very comfortable to hold. I am very impressed by its picture and audio quality when I play my movie on TV; though I think the color balance lacks depth and a bit light when I compared it with TRV-25.

This camcorder allows you to capture picture and MPEG Movie into the provided 8MB Memory Stick (USB Streaming Only). I would not recommend either, since the still pictures are very poor(680k pixel), and 8MB memory stick is not going to capture any long movie either.

If you want to edit or upload your movie on your computer, I would suggest purchase a firewire card as it provides much better quality than the USB option. The provided Sony software is very easy to use. (Love those video e-mail!)

If you're a big fan of Sony, I would suggest spend a little more to buy the TRV-25/TRV-27, which provides better picture quality and have megapixel. If price is an issue and you don't mind if it is not a Sony, try the Canon MiniDV.

Bad tape technology
Before you buy, think about the cost of the DV tapes. They are about $6 each, retail, and EXTREMELY fragile. One broke in my camera, and damaged something when being taken out. This was a $70 repair, while it was still under warranty. I don't know how much it would have cost after warranty period was over. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy a camera with a sturdier, cheaper media, and from a manufacturer that respects its warranty.

The Best Camera for the Money
I am a student filmmaker of fourteen years. Previous to my purchasing of this camera, I had been using my mother's PD-100P. (My mother is a film producer). I needed to stop using her camera because it annoyed her that I knew more about it than she did, and because I needed the convenience of being able to use a camera without supervision and whenever I wanted. Being parents, my mother and father forced me to do my research on camera's, and made me earn all the money for it, instead of spending money I already had in savings. From the beggining I knew I wanted a Sony. Everybody in the business talked about how they were the top of the line, the best in every dimension. Still, I looked at Cannon's, Fuji's, Panasonic's, and just about every other make. After my gigantic search, I finally decided to go with this camera because of picture quality, format, Firewire (i.Link), and because of the cost and size. I can tell you, I made the right choice.

A few days after purchasing the camera, a friend of mine (who owns a Cannon) and I got together and did a two-camera shoot for a class production. When I brought the tapes home to edit, I was amazed at the diference in picture and sound quality. Even though we were mostly the same distance away, my camera picked up better quality, denser, and overall more dynamic sound than the Cannon, which I had been told had better sound than the Sony. Of course, the Sony also had much better and more detailed pictures as well. Overall, I was amazed at the quality.

One more thing to mention that is a definit advantage over other consumer camera's that most people overlook: the Intelligent Acessory Show. (IAS) The Sony line of camera's are the only ones that have hot shoes (the devices that you plug in get power from the camera). Most other brands feature cold shoes (the devices you plug in have to get power from another source), meaning you must carry extra cords around whenever you want to plug in an external feature, and you have to make sure that there is always an outlet nearbye.

The overall features of this camera make it the best buy for "the money" out there.

OVERVIEW

Pros:
-Size
-Format
-IAS
-Firewire
-Picture
-Sound

Cons:
-Only one con that I have found, and it is so minor, I didn't even mention it in the main portion of the review. The hand strap is slightly uncomfortable.

I hope this helps you decide which camcorder to buy.

Great Camcorder, Great Price (for Sony), Great Features
OK I've only had this camcorder for a couple of days, but I spent the better part of the last month conducting extensive online research on what camcorder I needed to buy. Here were my constraints:

1) Did not want to spend more than $...
2) Did not need great still picture quality or capability as I already have a Sony F-707 (an outstanding product by the way).
3) I wanted a camcorder that used the same type of battery as my still camera.
4) I wanted a camera that was good in low light.

5) I wanted a camera that was compatible with today's computers.

I looked at hundreds of different websites for a camera that met my needs. I already liked Sony (even though their customer service isn't the greatest) so after looking at other brands for a short time I decided to stick with Sony brands. I debated waiting until next month when Sony releases their new line of camcorders, but I ultimately decided to go ahead and purchase one now (mainly because I have a new born on the way and she's not going to wait until April). If you do the research you'll find that Sony's new models, TRV-19, 22, 33, etc. have better still picture quality, they all have touchscreen LCDs, and thier low light quality is better than previous lines, but I think that's about it.

The bottom line is the TRV18 is a very competitively priced product (for Sony). It has most of the features as the TRV25 and 27 as well as the new line. It operates well in low-light. I like the fact you can slow down the recording shutter speed to capture more light in low light conditions. The video becomes slightly choppy, but it's OK if you're filming slow moving or stationary objects. Night shot is another great feature if you don't mind your video looking like a special ops movie. I tested the transition features and they are OK. I haven't tested the still quality, but I can't imagine it's very good. If you're wanting to buy a camera that takes high resolution stills, look elsewhere. There are many things I still want to try and do with the camera, but I don't regret buying this model. It meets my needs perfectly. ... Read more

Features

• Plugs directly into the computer's USB port
• No special adapters or cables required
• Up to 1.5MB per second transfer speed
• Plug and Play USB interface requires no driver software (except with Windows98)
• Security Zone software lets you partition and password protect the data you want to keep private

Reviews (7)

bitter sweet electronic lemon
Yes, it works with XP and true to its USB 2.0 heritage it is fast too, however...

It's big and bulky so its only reasonable to keep it like lose change in your pocket, but then, by 30 days it will have cracked it in two.

Oh yes, the design is really slick but the cover does not reattach once removed, so put that in the bin since you are going to lose it anyhow.

And on a cold winters night what better thing to keep you warm than a SONY micro vault, yes sir, this device is gona get hot and suck the life from your laptop battery.

Not designed for keyrings (not that any other flash drive is either).

Fine at first and then....
I used this thumb drive, provided by work, after working with a smaller (64mb) fujifilm one I had purchased myself. I was amazed by the untility of the thumb drive concept and thought a larger one would only be better. Retiring the fujifilm I transferred all of my files to the Sony. It functioned perfectly for several months leading me into a false sense of security. Until...

One day at work the drive would not recognize as it should on a laptop. I tried it out on my workstation and it still seemed fine, big sigh of relief. I brought it home that night and plugged it into laptop and got an install screen for a security device. I tried installing it but with no success, and now it doesn't function on any computer. It seems that something internal to the drive had set the entire drive as a security device. I tried every thing I could find, eventually installing drivers from the original manufacturer(not sony as labeled, prolific technology makes it) Apparently there is a fix that involves reformatting the entire drive, but it's not a simple process. I just left it as trash and moved back to the fuji. All of the files are gone and not recoverable, including the latest draft of my grad school thesis.

Horrible Product
It decides to mount as a security device. Not as a drive. Sony offer absolutely no help in fixing this problem. They are not accesible and could care less about this problem. Sony has shamed themselves with this product and disregard for those of us needing to resolve the issue.

I now have an $80 stick that doesnot function and no way to fix it.

DO NOT BUY THE MICRO VAULT PRODUCT!
THIS IS A HORRIBLE DEVICE. IT IS NOT USB 2.0 COMPLIANT. IT IS VERY VERY SLOW. I TRIED EVERYTHING!

WinXP and USB 2.0 Mini-Drives Poor Performance - CAUTION!
This is a generic review of Windows XP's support of USB 2.0 mini-drives that are attached to USB 2.0 hardware ports. If this is not your environment, then please pass on this review. Otherwise, you would serve yourself well to share my experiences and testing. The rating of most of these devices will either be a 5-star or a 1-star depending on your environment, so I gave it a 3-star. (There was no problem with any of my 2.0 mini-drives when I tested them on WIN98 with USB 1.1 ports.) I'm not picking on any particular manufacturer.

I'll go right to the bottom line and tell you that I've found that these drives may perform VERY poorly in Windows XP SP1. They will appear to perform well, compared with similar USB 1.1 drives, but only if you are copying a very small number of very large files. They will perform incredibly slowly compared to their USB 1.1 brethren, if you reverse the scenario and copy a directory of say 500 or more very small files.

I'll provide the solution now and then tell you about some tests I've run. THE SOLUTION: Format your mini-drives as "NTFS". (THEY DO NOT COME FORMATTED THAT WAY!) If you do, they will perform very well on USB 2.0 ports under WinXP SP1. It does mean, however, that you won't have portability to a WIN95, WIN98, WINME system (if you want high performance in WinXP).

If I've still got your attention, read on please.

I own an Iomega 1.1 Mini Drive and have purchased and returned two Lexar JumpDrive Pro 2.0 devices, a SanDisk Cruzer Mini, and almost returned my newest, a PNY Attache 2.0. I've also had a dialogue with someone in a forum who issued a similar complaint about his Sony MicroVault 2.0 device. I kept the PNY to have something to test with as I probed this issue.

After considerable experimentation and a frustrating 20 or so hours on the internet, I made my discovery!

After reading an Amazon reviewer boast that he copied a single 135MB file in under a minute, I decided to try that myself ... and it copied quickly, considerably beating the performance of my Iomega 1.1 device. Astounded at this, I became curious about whether WinXP had an issue with FAT and FAT32 on these devices.

I created a benchmark of a directory containing 508 icons totalling only 1MB of data, occupying 2MB of disk. Formatted at the default FAT or FAT32, the copy took an incredible 2 min. 56 secs., and I could read each file name as Windows revealed them during the copy. I decided that, before returning the PNY, I would format it as NTFS "just to see what would happen". It copied in 2 or 3 seconds!!!!!

To prove to myself this wasn't a freak event, I went back to my earlier benchmark which was a client's web site having a root folder weighing 44MB and containing 1800+ files. It had previous copied to my Iomega 1.1 Mini Drive in 1 min. 34 secs., but on my Lexar JumpDrive Pro 2.0 and the SanDisk Cruser Mini 2.0 the times ranged between 5+ mins. to just under 10 mins. On the PNY 2.0 device formatted "NTFS", it took around 52 secs.

My final benchmark was a folder containing 3 files, weighing 44.5MB. They copied in 46 secs. to the Iomega 1.1, in 23 secs. to the PNY 2.0, and in 19 secs. to the Lexar JumpDrive Pro 2.0.

To lend a bit of credibility to these tests, I should tell you that I had taken the Lexar 2.0, the SanDisk Cruzer 2.0 and my Iomega 1.1 to a demo computer at Best Buy and the results were consistent. That machine was a Compaq Presario with 6 "Certified" 2.0 ports with WinXP SP1. So it's unlikely that my personal environment was unique.

I hope those of you who buy the MicroVault or any other 2.0 Mini-Drive benefit from these comments; at least until Microsoft fixes the problem one day. ... Read more

Features

• Dye-sublimation technology with over 400 x 400 dpi resolution
• Prints 4-by-6-inch photo in just 90 seconds
• Prints directly from Memory Stick media cards
• Accepts 4-by-6, 3.5-by-5, and sticker papers
• USB interface; PC and Mac compatible

Reviews (16)

Sony Digital Cam Photo Printer is AWESOME & USER FRIENDLY
I found the sony digital cam photo printer online by accident while holiday shopping, read the reviews and decided to make the purchase. The product is a good value, cost wise, and is so easy to operate and the pictures are superb! I've only used the product twice- just recieved it 5 days ago and I haven't hooked it up to my pc yet (but that wasn't the point of my purchase anyway because I have an inkjet photo printer and printing software) but have used it on my home tv and the software program is just great- right from the TV I view all prints, can add text to the print, change the print to B&W, adjust tint, brightness etc and print however many prints of each photo I want. I even printed out an index photo of all the pics on my memory stick- awesome. The picture quality is so much better than inkjet prints and you can't tell the difference between these and professionally printed photos. The quality is remarkable. I highly recommend this product to both experienced and inexperienced digital camera users- it's great to have a device like this on hand to print pictures out immediately to share with others (modern similarity to poloroid cams in that you're able to share immediately right from your home TV or others- did I Say how easily PORTABLE this is-but SO MUCH MORE) The reviews here helped me so I'm hoping I can help someone else in making a decision.

an excellent printer at a low cost
I bought this printer a week ago and am extremely satisfied with its quality. The photos come out in about 90 seconds, and are impossible to distinquish from photo-lab prints. Pictures were taken with a Sony DSC-P5, a 3.2 megapixel model. I've read complaints about photos not coming out so well on this model... I imagine they are not using a Sony camera. It's got a memory stick reader for a reason =)

This printer is all you need, and its the cheapest one offered by sony right now. I did some research and all three currently offered printers use the same printing technology (dye sublimation), it's only the features that effect the price. The $500 model has an lcd screen, the $250 is extra tiny but can only do 3x5. this $200 needs a television or your computer, tho.

Cons: noisy whine while machine is off. doesn't come with usb cable for computer hookup (manual claims using a computer disables the "fine print" option).

Photos are the best this printer is great
pictures look real this printer is excellant

Great little printer!
I bought this printer in January 2004 with a Sony Digital camera. I was amazed at the color and quality of the prints that come out of this little printer. I started out using the printer connected to a TV. Very easy to set up (connect one cable, select video on the TV) and start using. Since then I've purchased a USB cable and connected it to my PC. Connecting it to the PC (running XP Pro) was a snap - not as fast as connecting to a TV, but not difficult using the User's Manual. You do have to install printer drivers, but the installation wizard was trouble free. The printer paper packs are not cheap, but I love being able to print what I want, when I want!

Best And Affordable Dye-Sub Printer
This printer is awsome, its only 200 bucks, which is a good price for a dye-sublimation printer. This baby prints lab quality prints im telling you. My only wish is that Sony would make a version that can print up to 5x7, that would be so great. Even if you dont have a computer, with this you can hook it right up to your tv and use the effects and print. It can print 3x5, 4x6, and little mini stickers which are cool. The stickers are just like the ones you can make out those little booths that charge like 4 dollars. You can make your own much cheaper with this, its awsome! ... Read more