Sony DCRTRV740 Digital8 Camcorder w/ 2.3" LCD, USB Streaming, Memory Stick, & Mega Pixel Video/ Still

The TRV740 can also be used as a digital still camera, recording megapixel stills onto the included 8 MB Memory Stick, or it can record MPEG movies. MPEG movies usually are much smaller than DV footage, and can more readily be e-mailed, or posted on the Web.

Sony put in a 15x optical zoom and paired it with Super SteadyShot image stabilization. Image stabilization is a handy technology that helps to eliminate the shakiness associated with high zoom levels. The only way to avoid shakiness completely is to utilize a tripod, table, or other stable surface. The 2.5-inch LCD is the best way to frame your shots, although you can use the black-and-white EVF to preserve battery life.

In addition to the normal slew of ports (IEEE 1394, S-video, Mini AV) that have made their way onto TRV740, there's also a USB port, which, with some included software, offers some interesting functions. Specifically, it allows you to use the camcorder to capture stills, or "broadcast live video with audio," according to Sony, which seems to indicate you can use the TRV740 as a Webcam. There is also one very important port on the TRV740: a mic input. Not only do most camcorders have poor built-in microphones, but also they are often situated too near the tape mechanism, meaning you get the annoying throbbing sound of the tape pulled through the heads.

The DCR-TRV740 comes with a power adapter, InfoLithium battery, 8 MB Memory Stick, remote control, two AA batteries, AV cable, lens cap, shoulder strap, USB cable, and software CD-ROM.

I would have given the camcorder a 5 star rating except for these annoying things that I hope Sony will fix in future models:

1) The tape mechanism IS as noisy as folks say. It IS detectable in the playback IF you listen for it. I can live with this is since the audio record quality is so nice and sharp. My guess is that this noise is due to the tape been driven at 1.5x to 2x the speed of Hi-8.

2) The supplied battery's life is about 60 mins with LCD usage so this will drive most people to buy an additional power pack. This is common across camcorder lines, but still annoying.

3) The 2.5" LCD is not as detailed as the Sony's MiniDV version. While it is acceptable, realized that this 2.5" LCD has 61K pixels and the Sony MiniDV line has almost double the number of pixels.

4) Megapixel or no megapixel, a camcorder's digital stills are rarely as good as a "decent" digital camera. Since I have a 2.1 mega pixel digital camera, the quality of digital stills on the TRV740 is useless to me.

5) Wide angle shots are not as wide as the old TRV95. One would almost need a wide angle lens to properly capture an indoor gathering. However, the wide angle lens is another $$. Again, due to the limited zoom on DV camcorder these days for preserving picture quality (lens), this may be common across other camcorders. I can only wish for 28mm by default.

Okay, I feel bad ripping on the camcorder for so long, overall, I am happy with the TRV740 and I look forward to using it to preserve years of memories.


Sony didn't put their most into this camera   October 21, 2002
paparazzi83 (Honolulu, Hawaii)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful

First of all, let me say that the bottom-loading thing is terrible. It has more downsides than ups! I mean, the way they have you open the deck exposes the entire tape assembly! Sony has said this is done to make the camera smaller- with D8, you can't get smaller. Anyway, back to the camera.

The DCR-TRV740 is not quite a well-defined camera. It's older brother, the TRB840, has many feautres that the 740 skimps on. One major dissappointment is the low-resolution 2.5" screen. The screen is not only small, but also has about half as many pixels as the MiniDV cameras have on their LCD's. So, you can understand that the picture you see while shooting may look dissapointing. As far as the CCD, yes, it's Megapixel, but what good is the resolution when the pictures don't look any good? I had a DCR-TRV310, which in 640x480 mode took better stills than this! The low-light quality of this camera is worse, as well. I think that the use of a small 1/4.7" CCD is to blame. It just doesn't capture as much light!

The real problem is that there seems to be no real reason to buy this camera unless you need D8 and can't afford a DCR-TRV840. The manual features are downright terrible- most of the controls must be accessed throught the menu, even the automatic stuff(a very bad move by camcorder companies)! And to press the buttons on your cam, you inevitably move the camera. The camera does have a nice fast rewind/fast-forward speed, so if you own a lot of D8, Hi8, or 8MM tapes, and need a camera to play them back, this will do.... I returned my camera and am going to get a real D8 Playback device, the GV-D800. And then buy a MiniDV camcorder.

CONCLUSION: This camera is OK, just don't expect anything magical out of it. Not even the Megapixel resolution saves it. Just not well thought out- I think the camera designers should actually use the cameras they make!


Great Camera   September 18, 2002
Rusty Neff (White Salmon, WA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I bought a Sony DCR TRV740 this summer and have been very pleased with it. It was my second D8 camcorder and is a nice step up from the DCR TR7000 it replaced.

I used the still photo function recently at a boat race and was more than pleased with the results. The high resolution stills come in a 1152x864, which results in a pretty good picture.

Video quality is good. The ccd in the 740 and 840 produces a really nice looking picture.

I can't hear any of the tape drive sound that others claim to hear on their recordings.

The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is the need to get a larger battery is you plan on shooting much away from a power cord. A larger memory stick is probably in order if you intend to use the still photo feature.


Sony DCRTRV740   August 25, 2002
Richard A. Eckert (Kealakekua, Hawaii United States)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I read the reviews about this camera and was a little hesitant because some of them mentioned it was noisy.
I bought it anyway and was pleasantly surprised that it was not that noisy.
I am quite a picky person about such things and I'm surprised someone could be dissatisfied with the camera because of the whirring.
If you thought about not buying it because of that, don't worry.
I just recieved mine so I still have to put it through its tests with the computer and so on. I just thought I would respond to the issue of the whirring noise.