Sony DCRTRV120 Digital Camcorder
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 12
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 On: 2006-07-03
We got this camcorder back in 2000 and it is still serving us reliably. This has captured hundreds of hours worth of tape over the past 6 and a half years and it is still going strong.
The digital 8 format has proven to be very useful because you could use regular 8mm tapes on it. There have been occassions when we were in foreign places that didnt have miniDV tapes, but did have 8mm or Hi-8 tapes for sale. Plus, it records digitally so transferring to a PC for editing via firewire is easy.
This was good technology at the time we got it but, as with any electronic gadget, improvements happen all the time. Thus, it is time to upgrade our technology so we are planning to get a new camcorder soon (probably a Sony HDV model). However, we will still keep this one to be able to play and edit our mountain of memories shot on Digital8.
by: Anonymous On: 2006-07-03
I am 12 years old. I got this camera for my birthday, its a really good camera, great quality, great effects, the only problem is that it dosent have good exposure control. When ever i put the exposure setting on automatic, and put the camera in a kind of sunny spot, the camera dosent control the exposure. The picture looks a little to bright when you plug it in. Otherwise, its a great camera because its got a great zoom distance, its big, so you cant shake it as much, and its great for kids who want to make movies, like me.
-Drew Medak
 On: 2004-12-08
I have had the same problem another reviewer mentioned. The tape will stop moving and the indicator flashes the icon for tape end even though its not at the end. This has happened to me both in recording and in playback. Then, when you try to eject it, it doesnt open all the way - it gets stuck midway so that you cant get the tape out, and you cant push the thing closed. The only way Ive figured out how to move beyond this is to unplug and plug in the AC cord while youve got the camera turned on - sometimes SOMETIMES this works, until the next time it does it. Curiously, another camera I use at work, the TRV 58 (which is the same body but only HI 8, not digital) - has done the same thing to me.
This is the second problem Ive had with this camera. When I first bought it, the colors were strange. Reds were extreme and off. I had to take it to SONY twice before it started looking okay. The images have been pretty good since then.
I used to be lucky enough to have a SONY place near by that I could take it to. Now Im asked to ship it a pay a lot just to have it looked at. Since then, Ive bought a Canon ZR 60 thats pretty decent, but I dont love it. (Loading and unloading the cassette from underneath is a pain.) Im envious of all the people who say how wonderful their camcorder is. The TRV 120 has been a pain since I got it.
What really bothers me is that, once youve plunked down the money, youre stuck with what youve got. If theres a problem, you send it away and youre without a camcoder for awhile. Then when the problems recur, its the same old story. There ought to be a lemon law for camcorders.
On: 2004-03-27
I got one of these used a few years ago after doing some research into the features and reputations of similar cameras. Ive had no problems with it.
Video quality is excellent, and it works seamlessly with iMovie, which I use for editing.
I disabled the digital zoom (which degrades the picture quality); 25X optical zoom is already impressive, especially with the SteadyShot camera-shake compensation.
The camera operates surprisingly well with low light, even without engaging NightShot.
The "digital still photo" feature on any video camera is essentially a gimmick, so Im not counting this cameras poor still-photo quality in my rating. Even the cheapest pocket digital camera will take a better still photo than a high-priced video camera -- so hey, buy a used DV camera and get yourself a cheap still camera to go with it.
Ive found Digital-8 highly convenient, because I can get Hi-8 tapes in many stores that still dont carry MiniDV tapes.
I only wish the camera were super-tiny, but hey, its not a cutting-edge supercamera -- its a good, solid camcorder. Works for me!
by: Anonymous On: 2003-12-01
I bought one of these new. I have had nothing but problems with the tape mechanism. Put a new tape in and it stops half way during the cycle. The door is half open. So much for electronic transports. Dont buy one of these. Sony wants $269 to fix this, not worth it...
by: Anonymous On: 2002-11-08
Hi! I prefer in spanish. Compre la camcorder hace 2 años y ha sido la mejor inversion. Su calidad es tan comparable con la Xl1 s de canon que es profesional, que la gente no sabe cual de las dos fue la que use. Mi hijo que estudia cine en Venezuela la usa para sus ejercicios y claro el le saca provecho a todas las funcionas. Solo tengo una critica, costo mas barato cuando la compre en Marzo de 2000.
On: 2002-07-04
I just recently purchased this video camera after deciding to upgrade from an old Hitachi 8 mm analog camcorder and I am really very pleased with this decision! This particular model is no longer being manufactured by Sony but Sony has a full line of parts and accessories for it and you can find some really excellent deals for a new or refurbished model if you do a little bit of web searching.The cheapest digital camcorder far surpasses the best analog out there so if you are considering a new video camera, consider this one. I personally do not need, or want to pay for, state of the art features that many more expensive digital cameras have. This one has all of the features that I personally find important: 1.) Really nice resolution @ 460,000 pixels (Same as the 130,140,240,310,340,520,530 for starters)
2.) 25 X Optical and 450 X digital zoom
3.) Electronic image stabiliztion
4.) 2.5 inch swivel LCD screen
5.) Nite Shot and Super Night Shot modes (you can vid in total darkness!)
6.) Backwards compatability with my 8 mm and Hi 8 tapes
7.) Firewire (IEEE1394) output
8.) LANC interface for editing on pc
9.) Last, but not least, a reasonable price! It has lots of special features that I dont use such as different fade options, titling and special effects but these also can easily be created by editing on your pc. As a side note, Sony has put together a nice editing package called EZ Editor to go with their digital and digital 8 video cameras that contain the firewire card for the pc, the I-link cable for the cameras connection to the pc, Pinnacle 7 Studio editing software and a thick users manual. It is so easy and so much fun to edit videos on the computer adding music and titles and voice overs along with different fades. I believe you can also edit analog video as well. I am very happy with this camera and with the quality of the video that I am taking, especially at the price I paid! It is well worth the money and a high quality Sony product.
On: 2001-06-28
I am only 13 years old and I purchased this camera because me and my friends wanted to make movies. I use it every day and have had it for 8 months! It can be used for stop motion animation with clay and legos at 8 FPS and is 30 FPS during normal record. The remote is great for seting up the camera and then starting it when your also in the movie scene. Slow Motion is cool to and the Night Shot feature is great! Night shot has a 10 Foot range out side and from personal experience it has over a 50 foot range inside because it can bounce off walls. Night Shot is even better with the night shot upgrade attachment (Sold Sepretly, boost to 100 feet outdoors and over 300 feet indors!) Also in playback mode the buttons light up orange, a bug plus! Also the 25x OPTICAL gives you close ups at great quallity. For example you can zoon into someones PUPIL from 10 feet away with that much zoom and then 450x digital degrades quality but is helpfull for those far away shots. Super Steady Shot is great image stabilization to! The Carl Zies lens can focus at only .5 CM away! If you press your finger on the lense you can see your fingerprint clearly! Photo mode is great and so is the 100 min battery life! LCD screen degrades life by 10% when on. The 480 min batter (8 hour) lasts a long long time and is sold sepritly .... Has IEE 1394, S VIDEO, LAN (For pictures) and RCA COmposit cables for output and RCA Composit cables, S VIDEO and MIC input ports. Also a HEadphone jack and inteligant accesory shoe. YOu can search for pictures, dates, and times on the film and has 14 picture effects like negative and Pastel. 2.5 inch color LCD screen and manual/auto focus and exposure. So many more features I cant list. Has been a great buy and VERY durable (Has been dropped at 4 feet, fallen in puddles, ect). GREAT BUY!
On: 2001-01-22
Digital home video is the wave of the future, and this camera truly expresses it. This camera comes close to perfect. It offers EXCELLANT picture quality. The quality is so good I compare it to twice the quality of a full size VHS camera (no not VHS-C). This camera has everything you need. An explanation of the features: Video format: Digital 8: Digital 8 is a digital signal recorded onto a High Band 8mm tape. There is less degradation as the film is played over and over because its all Digital. Audio: 16 bit PCM Stereo: This meaens that even with that little microphone on the front, youre getting much better quality than with a 8mm or hi8. And it records with 2 channels instead of 1. Maximum CCD Resolution: 460,00 pixels: Thats a freaking ton of resolution for a home video camera. Thats more than anything youve probably ever used. Other things this includes: Super Nightshot 0 LUX: This enables you to shoot in perfect darkness at a better distance than normal nightshot. The camera emits two infraed beams from the front of the camera. This beams scatter and bounce of objects. The camera detects the beams bouncing back, using them to see. i.link DV Interface: This is the new standard for high speed transfer of information, usually digital video. This way you can plug into your computer and edit with it, with out having to sell the farm on equipment to turn analog into digital. 450x Digital Zoom: This means you can zoom in 450 times what the camera normally sees. Perfect for football games or looking for people far away. Auto Focus: The camera focuses it self, so you dont have to do any focusing to shoot S-Video Output: Amazon.com claims it isnt there, but it is. This enables non-digital transfer of very high quality video, your DVD player probably uses this feature. There are other features, but there are too many to mention! Over all this is an EXCELLENT camera. It lives up to the name Sony.
On: 2000-12-12
I had bought this handycam on my daughters birthday.I am very happy with performance especially with digital effects and supreb zooming technology.
On: 2000-12-02
I bought this camcoder 1 month back and am totally satisfied with the quality of the video - even which are taken indoors on cloudy days.
by: Anonymous On: 2000-10-10
I bought this model almost after it hit the market and totally satisfied. Very easy in use.Allows to use your old 8mm tapes. So,if you look for a reliable, high quality digital camcorder - put Sony DCR-TRV120 as #1 on your list.
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