Hi8 Camcorder

10 Responses to “ Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Camcorder from 2005 ”

1. #1 CameramanLink Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 5:21 am

   @SteveSabbai The nice thing about this camera is that you don’t need the CD! It came out at the point where analog meets digital in the consumer arena, so they equipped it with a firewire port. You’ll want to use this for transferring to PC and will get much higher quality than the USB. The cam takes a 4-pin plug, then use either a 4/6/9 pin plug on the other end depending on the port on your PC. If your PC doesn’t have a firewire port, you’ll need to get a card or use another computer that does

2. #2 SteveSabbai Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 5:56 am

   ..nice review thxu. i have this camera. after years of just sitting on the shelf i have started to use it again. now i want to upload the videos to my PC but i cant find any of the original CDs that came with the camera. is there anyway of uploading without buying a new CD software? also which port on the camera do i use to upload the videos to PC? thxu for your response…

3. #3 CameramanLink Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 6:31 am

   @vwestlife Very true. If you’re looking for a solid camcorder that makes filming easy, this is definitely the one to go with, especially if you already have a ton of the 8mm tapes and don’t need them for other footage. I’m more of a prosumer, so I’m biased against all-automatic controls, but you make a good point.

4. #4 vwestlife Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 6:39 am

   When I was first researching Digital8 camcorders, I was disappointed by how much Sony had reduced the features on the last few models, but when I got a TRV280 I was really impressed by how well it actually performs, especially considering it was Sony’s lowest-priced digital camcorder at the time. It is comfortable and easy to operate and simply has a high quality feel to it. Obviously, professionals won’t like its lack of advanced features, but for the average consumer it does a great job.

5. #5 CameramanLink Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 7:06 am

   @DrCassette OK, that makes sense. Now it’s the other way around!

6. #6 DrCassette Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 7:14 am

   @CameramanLink
   Back when Digital8 was new, the Hi8 tapes were much cheaper than the MiniDV tapes I once read. So Digital8 was the cheap way of getting into the world of Digital Video.

7. #7 CameramanLink Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 8:02 am

   @GanEdenAustralia I call D8 the transitional format because it was designed to bridge consumers into the digital camcorder era by allowing them to use their Hi8 tapes (this was the marketing strategy).
   DV, DVcam, and D8 all use the same codec and thus have the same resolution and color sampling. The difference will come down to the quality of camera doing the recording and the sensor – this camera’s sensor is not as sharp as other DV camcorders and is the limiting factor.

8. #8 CameramanLink Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 8:50 am

   @DrCassette The quality of the Digital8 is better than Hi8, but not by so much that it’s worth doubling the tape speed. I’d rather use a good DV camcorder and get the full benefit of DV rather than waste my Video8 tapes on D8. I wish they would leave the features alone WHILE increasing the quality!

9. #9 DrCassette Says:
   January 26th, 2012 at 9:25 am

   Sony increased the picture quality a bit over time, but they took away a lot of useful features. I have a TRV110,wich was part of the first Digital8 line, it’s more like the TRV65 when it comes to the features. The picture quality however is not as good as the quality this TRV280 has.

10. #10 GanEdenAustralia Says:
    January 26th, 2012 at 10:16 am

    Has a pretty decent image for D8. Interesting how D8 overlapped with miniDV. Do both formats have the same lines of resolution? I used to have a D8 but it was an early model from 10/12 years ago.

    A very different battery.

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