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A really high end camera, even though the technology has been discontinued.This is one of the last models Sony produced back in 2002. I purchased it to play back and digitize some old 8mm and Hi8 tapes I found stashed away. Once that task was completed, I have a nice camera to use. A bit heavier than I'm used to but it's got many features that might come in handy.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Last of the good 8mm camcorders. Sony, no doubt, has made the best 8mm camcorders for the consumer, prosumer and professionals alike. And this one is no exception. Lead by the DCR-TRV240, 340, and 740, this DCR-TRV840 is the top of the line offering for that model year. It has a larger Mega Pixel sensor, a photo option to take 1 Mega Pixel stills, and a large 3.5 inch LCD. It is comfortable in your hand, not too heavy, and the layout of the buttons is nice. It has most of the inputs and outputs you could want for this vintage of camcorder. I have owned many 8mm Handycam models, and this is the best one of the bunch. I stopped collecting after I bought a DCR-TRV350 as the quality and the features started to go down. Sold it off as soon as I could. Same with the 60 and 80 series. My favorite models are the DCR-TRV530, TRV830, and this TRV840. I like the bigger LCD's as I have shot in 16:9 and the larger screen is necessary. And with the larger Mega Pixel sensor on the TRV840, for a pre HD model it looks pretty good in 16:9, even on an HD TV. Output is 520 lines of horizontal resolution, one step back of 720p. There's something about tape based video akin to vinyl over flash for music. Colors are spot on, and all the manual settings work good for an easy shoot. Outdoor videos are really good, but you'll need the lights turned on for night time indoor activities, but still acceptable. The camcorder has an intelligent hot shoe for a low cost video light, that works well too. The menu is well laid out and easy to use. It has Super Night Shot, and a usable interval recording feature with sound. Most of the newer cams that come with this feature only take pictures every once in awhile. This one takes 2 seconds every 30 seconds with audio. Nice feature if you have the 9 hour battery, and what to leave it running. Transfer to PC is made easy with a lEEE-1394 firewire output. But a well stored tape (30 to 40 years) will out last any 50 cent DVD burned on your home computer. Buy yourself an external 4 TB hard drive for your archiving. BTW, store your tapes, any tapes, vertically, with the full spooled side down. This will save the tape from pancaking. I have 30 year old analog tapes that are still watchable and they all play on this camcorder. Regular 8, Hi8 or Digital8. All 'n All, Sony kept improving their consumer line up until the 40 series (TRV840), and then just made so-so cams until there demise. This one is a keeper for me along with my DCR-TRV530 so I always have a way to play my vast collection of 8mm tapes. Get 'em while you can. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
lightweight and easy to use sony makes a great product
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
plays all my existing analog tapes and records new one that be easily imported into my FireWire 400 Mac.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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