The super night shot (people complain becuase it is green, but it will record in 0 lux, and seriously, who needs to record color in 0 lux?)
The night shot is great (Color in 4 lux!!!)
The super steady shot (GREAT!!! NO TRIPOD REALLY NEEDED IF YOU HAVE A DECENTLY STEADY HAND)
Memory Stick (decent pictures if you need to send on the internet?)

... The quality on still pictures cannot be compared.


Excellent Camcorder   April 5, 2002
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I purchased the trv340 about two weeks ago and couldn't be happier with the camcorder. Although I was initially concerned about shooting in low-light settings with a 1/6" CCD, my fears were quickly put to rest. The camcorder shoots beautifully in low light settings, and compared to other camcorders in a similar price range, the picture quality on the trv340 is outstanding. Additionally, the menus on the 340 are incredibly easy to maneuver through. Sony included several ports on the camcorder (most notably a usb port, so those without a firewire card can still view and edit video and pictures on their computer). Although the mic does, as the other reviewer noted, occasionally pick up tape drive noise, I haven't found it to be a problem in filming. If you're in the market for a camcorder, be sure to take a look at the 340. You won't regret it.


This is a great video camera for the price!   January 21, 2003
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

This is a great video camera for the price.

After getting a chance to play around with my parent's camera, I fell in love with the TRV340. This is my first digital video camera and I'm very happy with it. It produces great video and sound, though you can't compare it with a mega-pixel or 3CCD camera. The camera uses Sony's digital 8 format which lets the camera read older 8mm tapes. Digital quality on Digital 8 tapes is equal to that of MiniDV. So, if you've got a collection of those tapes, this is a great way to convert them into digital video. The camera is a little larger than the MiniDV cameras, but the added weight makes it less shaky in your hand. Because of the included Firewire (IEEE 1394) port, it's a breeze to transfer video to your computer, provided it also has a Firewire port. I use a Mac so I can't comment on the quality of the included windows editing software.

The battery that comes with the camera won't last very long and I highly recommend an additional battery, though they are a bit pricey. I also recommend a good, sturdy tripod, and a screw-on UV filter. This filter costs very little and will protect the lens from scratches and smudges. Another good accessory would be a boom microphone that attaches to the intelligent shoe. Sound is often overlooked on camcorders and most of them have terrible onboard mics.

While this camera has the ability to take digital stills and save them to a memory stick, the resolution is very low and the pictures don't look very good. They're somewhat disappointing.

I highly recommend this camera to anyone looking to get into digital video or anyone with a collection of 8mm tapes that they want to preserve.


Great Camera!!   December 3, 2002
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

First: To the guy who dissed bottom load cameras and tripods, try part VCT-U14, it's a not the standard square mount, but long and rectangular. If you need it really bad, Sony makes it, but it's not cheap.

This camera is awesome so far, and the smart batteries are very impressive, giving me how long it takes to charge and how much is left. The intelligent shoe is impressive, also, with the number of different accessories that can go there (including a photo printer).

As with some other reviewers, the still picture quality is lacking, but we are only talking about roughly a 500K CCD, which was equivalent to my very first digital camera, with the same picture quality. But this is not the camera to replace your still digital unit.


BE AWARE OF BOTTOM LOAD SONY CAMCORDERS   September 20, 2002
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Before you buy a Sony Digital 8 bottom load camcorder be aware of Sony's engineering flaw. When you use their camcorder on a tripod one should know that in order to install or remove a tape you have to 1. remove it from the tripod then 2. unscrew that tripod adaptor. Otherwise the tape compartment will jam against the tripod adaptor when it tries to open. A lot of wasted time and energy here! Unfortunately, I did not discover this flaw until my 30 day Circuit City return window had expired and Sony will not allow me to return it to them. Their help???desk informed me they are aware of this problem but have no fix and that this problem exists on all their Digital 8 bottom load cameras.