First, my dislikes about this camera is

1. Black/White electric viewfinder - but the view is bright and clear
2. Don't expect to take great clear 35mm quality still pictures. The print quality is a bit grainy. You are better off buying a separate camera for still pictures; but at times, it adds excitement having a still shot here and there on your video recordings.

****Now, the good stuff*** this is why this camcorder is rated a 5 (Best) ****PICTURE QUALITY

This is the best video picture quality camcorder that I have owned. I previously owned a Canon UC20 with 410,000 pixels (great picture quality). This Sony DCR-TRV730 has at least 1,070,000 (according to the manual) pixels, which produces great color, clear and sharp video quality video recordings.

***Minimum Illumination needed is seven Lux/ zero Lux NightShot modes***

I was most impressed with the "Infra-Red NightShot" capability. Again, clear, sharp pictures. I put this camera through a test and I did not use my optional "HVL-IRH2 Video Light" - by recording in a room (with people inside the room) that was very dark - all lights were out and no sunlight. I was amazed with its quality and the clearness. The built-in infrared light was sufficient for a 20' X 30' size room. Note - NightShot will produce monochrome color. When I turn on my optional "HVL-IRH2 Video Light" (which has the capability of using its infrared or halogen lighting) the distance shooting was even greater and brighter, sharper picture quality. I advise purchasing an optional video light for inside recording, so you will get brighter, truer color and clarity. Even without the video light, normal room lighting still produced nice quality, clear video pictures. With the NightShot turned off and no optional video light, you will need sufficient room lighting in order to have excellent picture quality.

***Built-in 18X Optical /500X Digital Lens***

I also purchased the optional Sony .7x 37mm Digital Camcorder High Resolution Wide-Angle Conversion Lens (VCL-HG0737X). This added additional width and depth to my recording. The built-in lens did not have sufficient "width" for my recording in small close areas inside my home.

The supplied Infolithium battery pack with the Accupower meter system is rated for approximately 2.5 hours of recording. I was only able to get approx. 1.3 hours due to the way I take pictures - I work the camera - focusing in and out and using the fade mode, giving my video more of a professional appeal. I also make use of the Still Picture mode and use the Memory Stick to save those still pictures. I then transfer the pictures onto my computer. This battery communicates with the camcorder. It tells you how much remaining power in the viewfinder and on the back of the LCD display. Great tool and accessory.

Super Steady Shot Picture Stabilization System allowed me to take smooth looking video even when I had the shakes. I put the camera through another test -- I recorded a picture while riding in an old vehicle with poor shocks absorbers - if it was the excellent sound quality, which allowed you to hear the bumps and dips while riding, but the picture was flawless.

***8 Different Picture Effects***

This camera also allow you to change the picture affects to Black and White, Sepia, Negative Art, Pastel, Solarization, Slim, Stretch and Mosaic. This just adds pure fun to the video recordings.

This camera also allows me to still view my old 8mm tapes. I now record using Hi8 mm tapes.

Overall, I would not trade in this camcorder for another brand. This camera produces crystal-clear Digital8 pictures and CD quality sound. This camera allows an amateur photographer to feel and produce professional quality pictures.

You will also need to purchase another/stronger battery packs for those extended recordings. If you plan to record your Childs school program or take a family trip to Disney World/Land, you will definitely need a stronger battery. I suggest the "NP-FM70 or the NP-FM91 InfoLithium battery pack. Depending on your purchase they are rated between 5.5 hours to 10 hours estimated recording time. You should also purchase an optional video light, such as "HVL-IRH2"...and an optional wide angle high grade lens, such as the Sony VCL-HG0737X...I got a Great Deal...


Nice Camcorder once you get to use and know it better.   December 5, 2001
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

I tried posting a review for this TRV707 last week, but apparently it did not show up. I will try again... I had mentioned my concern of what I thought was poor low light performance of this cam. It also takes poor still photos but I don't care for using it as a photo camera (I have dedicated Sony digital cameras for that purpose). Nevertheless I gave it 4 stars since everything else about it is excellent. Actually the low light video performance while dark is very amazingly noise free! There are hardly any snowy digital grainy pixel specs or noise in the dark scenes as compared to my 8mm! So I guess that is what folks mean when they are saying this cam has excellent low light performance. If that is what they mean, then yes it does have very low noise. But the scenes can be very dark in 100 watt light bulb lit rooms.
I bought the sony 3 watt flash/video light and it helps to brighten up the dark room scenes so that videos come out brighter. With this, I can highly recommend this Digital8 format camcorder. It probably is the best one out there right now and it is as good in video quality as the PC110 miniDV camcorder. Just don't get it for still pictures! For Videos it is very good to excellent. I do think that the colors are a bit washed out looking and not at all like I expected the vivid Sony saturated colors to be. But it is acceptable to me.
Battery life is about 55 to 60 mins recording time on and off using the color LCD. I don't mind the sharper looking black and white viewfinder, it saves on battery juice too.
Cameras tape transport does make some motor whining noise in operation but never is heard in my videos so not a problem. I do notice that the built-in stereo mics are not balance too good on my unit though... If I speak into the right mic, sound comes out correctly on the far right channel. BUT, if I speak into the left side mic, the sound comes out as if it is in the middle of the scene and not to the far left side. Seems the directional mixer of the mic is not working correctly. I have not tried external mics to see if this bug goes away. So am concerned if I can get accurate stereo panaroma sound recordings from my TRV730. Also flash still pictures come out with a "Blue Cast" or "Blue Tint" to them. Seems someone at Sony these days has a bad eye for color WB adjustments, since all of the high end Sony digital cameras (F505V and F707) have these "Blue Flash Syndrome" defects in them also and had to be sent back for a firmware fix. Other than these quirks, this camera really is one neat piece of engineering marvel. If you can live with the quirks I mentioned above, this camera will not disappoint you!
I love the ability to play my old 8mm tapes and to now archive them to digital realm in my spare time! Love it!


Sony TRV730 Okay, but not good in Low Light!   November 29, 2001
Well, after buying this TRV730 based on all the rave reviews from everyone (mostly) I am a bit disappointed to find out that no one was keen enough to accurately tell prospective buyers about the very POOR low light capability of this model. For the sake of me, I cannot make decent videos using my normal indoor lighting (100 watts or more incandescent lamps) in the room(s).
The LCD screen shows the pictures much brighter than they really are when I upload them to the PC via the i-link (firewire) digital port into Adobe Primier or Ulead's VideoStudio software.
Sony seems to have turned up the video gamma, brightness and contrast inside the camera for playback, because the videos look brighter when I play the tapes through the TRV730 itself connected to my Sony TV via the composite video output of the camera. Digital upload to PC do not look anything near what shows up on the TV composite output, so Digitial copies will be very poor and DARK because of this! My older Sony 8mm analog cams do much better than this in low light and the colors look better too. The Colors on the TRV-730 look pale and washed out. Not at all like the vibrant "Sony colors" I have come to expect from Sony cameras in general. What happened Sony?
The good points people have raved about are true... I just had to enter my experiences to tell the bad points that most people are not telling (or they are beginners and just don't know [...]) Sorry. Does'nt anyone else see this problem or is it just my camera that may be defective? Those are my only gripes (bad faded colors, bad low light sensitivity). Low light pics are not noisey, but just very dark, too dark to see!) ... Oh one more thing, yeah the lense is not so "wide angle", it is like it is always zoomed up on the scene. So beware wide angle lense freaks. This is not good either.


One touch recording with intuitive controls, great features!   November 11, 2001
 35 out of 37 found this review helpful

What makes this camcorder nice is the fact that it is very easy to use. You can keep this as simple as you like, or you can spend some time and learn the more advanced features -- but they are optional and learning them will not get in your way of making great home movies.

With no knowledge of camcorders and a basic understanding of how to connect the power to the cam so that you can charge the battery, you can start making movies.

Video quality is superb and the sound recording works very good. When compared to my old analog tapes the quality of a digital recording is amazing.

Once you master the basics (which is all you ever actually need to know) you can advance at your own pace and learn how to fade in and out and add great titles. Sony provides a number of easy to use titles that overlay on your recordings, or you can make your own.

The instruction booklet is thick with detailed explanations of what, why and when - but the first few pages use pictures and simplicity to explain how to use this unit right out of the box.

One great new feature: Sony has made it easy with scroll wheel that also depresses and allows you to navigate many menus with only your thumb.

I connected my TRV730 directly to my new desktop using the Firewire cable (included with your camcorder!) and loaded the software (Studio DV) that came with my computer (HP Digital Video Desktop System) and within minutes I was controlling my camera from the computer. There is also a USB port if you do not have Firewire capabilites.

I was able to upload several hours of old movies up and into the computer with no problems at all. This unit is backwards compatible (the TRV130 and TRV830 are NOT!) so you can view all of your old analog based recordings.

These new Lithium ION based batteries are great because you can charge them anytime you like without affecting the "memory" and you can charge the unit without ever removing the battery.

I have other cameras that use the first generation lithium-ions and found them to be great batteries that lasted and lasted. These next generation ones are simply smaller with the same amount of power.

Nightshot works great in low light conditions and SUPERnightshot makes it possible to record in virtual darkness. I walked outside on a pitch black night and zoomed in on the license plate of a car across the street and it read perfectly. No way could I read that plate with my own eyes and I have great vision.

The Steadyshot is seamless and works well. My last camcorder (the analog one) did not have this feature and you can tell the difference in my recordings. When you are zooming in, the effect of Steadyshot is increased.

The bottom line is that this camera has a lot of nice features that make it worth the price. The most important feature is that it is easy to use and the controls are intuitive so you can start using your camera as soon as it is charged.

I am a pro-Sony consumer and have spent thousands of dollars on various Sony items. I do this because they WORK and when they don't, Sony stands behind their products with a warranty.

You REALLY don't need those expensive in-house warranties sold at Circuit City and Best Buy, despite what you may read in other reviews. The only decision you should be making is where to save the most money.


Great thing to possess   November 7, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought this camcorder 10 days before.
Earlier I had Panasonic PV DV800. I returned that one because I wasn't happy about video quality.
I liked TRV 730.
Pros :
Day light video quality is superb. Except night time it is not quite good. Mega Pixel digital photo is quite satisfactory.
USB support is very useful. You can just connect to computer and your camcorder will become virtual disk. It is pretty sleek and data transfer is fast.

Cons.
Memory is just 4 MB. I could hardly take 5 photos with high resolution. Separate Battery charger could be better. At night time even there is plenty of light, picture seems little dark.

Final Word:
There are many DV camcorder cheaper than this one. I will still recommend this based on quality. I found this digital 8 better than other DV's. Overall this is best bet.