Sony DCRTRV260 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom

well let me start off by saying i am not a family guy, i bought this camera purely for college, meaning alot of night shots, alot of abuse and other things related to college...of course being in college price was a big deal since i am always broke.

i got this camera at a very good price ($275) and so far the camera is proved it's worthyness! i've taken it everywhere outdoors, indoors, sports events, race track use, etc etc.

The night shot is very useful and it works very well and the easycam option enables me to do everything with the touch of one ot two buttons.

it is not backward compatible true, but i don't have any older tapes from an older camera. This camera is therefore perfect for a first time camcorder user who wants price, functionalty and quality all in one.

all in all it is a very good camcorder

This model is NOT backward compatible with old analogue Hi8 tapes. That feature is not available until the 460. I was told at the store that it does, but I was not able to make it happen, and the people at Sony confirmed that it does NOT play old tapes.

So, if you need to be able to play them, you'll have to spend the extra $50 and buy the 460.

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This camcorder is a great deal for the price. It has excellent night shot capabilities as well as a built in light that works great outdoors. It's lightweight and fits nicely in the palm of your hand. Great buy!

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This has proven easy to use, and it does a great job of capturing memories, including sound, and even does a good job in low light conditions.

I bought an extended battery and recommend doing so with this or any other recorder. However, as others indicated, this unit doesn't seem greedy for power.

Recently, I searched the net and found a shareware program, which allowed me to load the tapes straight to my hard drive using the same cable I use for my Cannon Rebel (USB) and other devices. From there, it's just a matter of learning the ropes and editing according to my preferences.

I gave this four stars only because there are better cameras out there. However, for the price, this one is hard to beat.

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I have a DCRTRV280 camera that I had some trouble with, so I wanted to replace it with a refurbished model. The 260 is the immediate predecessor of the 280. The units are very similar in all ways but two. The 280 has a record and stop button (and you can focus on this screen) on the mini picture screen; for the 260 you must use two other adjustments. Both cameras (for me) give excellent pictures, even if the lighting is not perfect. I like being able to rewind a recorded scene and view it immediately. Also you can hook directly up to a TV and see it (the cords are provided for a direct link to TV). The 260 is not the easiest to use for recording and focusing, but you learn quickly if you read the manual. (That's why I only gave it three stars for ease of use.) Both units are quality Sony, but I like the refurbished for the 90 day warranty. The battery that comes with the unit will hold up for at least an hour (the amount of time for the tape length). Buying a better or extra battery is also an option, and the batteries are pretty reasonable if you check around the net.