Sony Handycam CCD TRV318

I bought this camcorder as a gift for my sister, so she could record her kids playing sports, family gatherings, etc. I needed something dependable, economical and of high quality. After a considerable amount of research and online reviews this Sony Handycam won out. My sister has used it numerous times and loves it. I highly recommend this camcorder. Great price too!!!

Just wanted to put my two cents in. The camera is excellent, especially for the price. The negative reviews are misleading as they have nothing to do with the actual camera, but instead about their experience with the buyer, etc...Everyone who has actually used the camera seems to love it.

I bought this camera to convert my 8mm tapes to DVD. It does an adequate job but I started getting an error message and the tape would hang. We tried everything from blowing it out to using a vacuum in case something was impairing the tape. I finally went online to search for help. I found a site that said give it a good bang. Several people said this worked and sure enough it worked for me too. The error message disappeared and the tape is moving flawlessly.
The other disappointment is that my old camera had stereo sound and this one is monaural, so I've had to bump up the sound using my editor (Pinnacle) to be able to hear the sound unless it is really loud. I didn't get a manual with it but there is one available online at no charge.
I've only used it once to tape. It seemed fairly easy to operate but like any equipment new to you there is a learning curve to learn the features and be able to utilize them easily.

The camera does what you need it do. The only drawback is the limited way in which you can connect to other recording devices(s-video).

this Camcorder is Reliable, Rugged, and will work well in Low-Light environments. The TRV 318 is an Excellent way to Videotape in all Light environments, and is an affordable way to enter the Digital Video world. We use 8 TRV-318's in outdoor Environments conducting Research, and we have found if you keep the VCR portion Clean, it will give you trouble-free Service.

This was perfect for me, i frequently video recitals for my nephew who is the director of a dance studio and i use more than one machine, this is perfect with the remote, i can now do it myself and get what i want without the help i have difficulty finding. thank you very much!

I’m very happy for this purchase. The camera works great, is light weight and
very good in low light areas. Battery lasts almost two hours and maybe I consider upgrade with longer life battery.

This Camcorder is very good for general use, especially for family events.
The most important thing is, this camera is very easy to operate.

The camera was purchased to replace a Sony CCD-SC55 Hi8 Handycam where the tape mechanism had stopped working. The repair estimate was $300 so I searched for a reasonable replacement that I could use to transfer family tapes to DVD. The TRV-318 appears to have been a good choice. The optical zoom is twice that of the SC55 and the camera takes infrared movies in the dark. The viewfinder is B&W and the color LCD screen is not of the detail of later cameras but acceptable. It does have an S-video output that provides a good signal for recording. All-in all a good camera.

The camera is an excellent tool to save the best moments relatives.
hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I needed it. Camera wasn't as stated. I returned within the 7 day return policy. It took M. Patton over 3o days to return my money. I sent out more than ten e-mails asking for a response. M. Patton is a really bad person to conduct business with. I was almost forced to fly across the country and knock on their door...

About ebay...I understand you have an incredible business...no warehousing....no real cares...but it is really frustrating on a consummers end when you just sit there with no phone...and collect money with no real customer service...shame on you.

I have not used it yet. I was going to send it back because it was different that what was advertised.

camera was an analog replacement for an older one since we have lots of the old analog tapes. the unit was in mint condition as adversised.

REAL COOL DUDE STRAIGHT UP DUDE GIVE HIM 100% SELLER
REAL GOOD SHAPE SELLER BROUGHT IT SO I COULD SEE THE REAL VAULE.

I couldn't belive the fast shipping , great service I was happy over all with the product itself. Great product from sony the Nightshot feature allows you to video in complete dark!

An hour after winning this camcorder I read some dissapointing news about this camcorder model. Seems it likes to throw up an error code which is very annoying. Sure enough, I used this camcorder on 4 seperate occasions,3 which ended in the error code popping up. Once was while I was trying to dub, and all in a very short time. This is the worse camcorder I ever had and I strongly
recomend a not to buy item! I went to Best Buy and bought a Canon Hard drive camecorder with HD, I love it! Sony has really down graded to not even the middle of the pack. low end with a high price!

Seller responds very promptly, item arrived on time and in good condition. Price very good.He also added me a case worth over $20.00 But I have not been able to use item because a piece came off it and I am unable to fix it.And no manual. I tried to get manual from internet in vain. I think my situation is unfortunate but the seller I should think is excellent.