SONY TRV 900 stands the test of time

I have owned a SONY TRV900 for over 5 years since September 1999. I keep it clean and dry and occasionally run the Sony cleaning tape through it. It has never needed serving or repair. The pictures are phenomenal. Absolutely beautiful, clear color thanks to the 3CCD design. No artificial enhancement or detailing. Very natural, especially on close-ups of people.

The steady shot is extremely effective. IF you're a decent cameraman, you can hand hold a shot zoomed all the way in without objectionable shaking. Built in stereo mics are quite good. Recorded picture absolutely looks like good broadcast television.

Unfortunately SONY discontinued this model and replaced it with the far less impressive TRV950. Main drawback of the 950 - not nearly as good in low light.

The 3.5 inch LCD view screen is super sharp and the color eyepiece screen is also superior to most others out there.

Side load tape is a plus. Loaded with many manual features - unfortunately most are menu driven.

This is a modern classic. For those looking to buy a great used miniDV camera, this is one to seriously consider. Read the other reviews and see if they don't bear out this opinion.