My little advice - Beware of Sony. The quality has decreased over past years badly and customer service and technical support is very bad too. Not to mention the warranty plans and costs to fix things. I just owned a nice handycam DCR-TRV19 that died after one year of seldom use. Something that is obvious factory defect (since many people experience exactly the same problem) costs more than half of the camcorders price to fix at sony service. I advise you to have a look at http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6142-0.html?forumID=59&threadID=53316&messageID=1064984 and see for yourself how Sony treats their customers.
Once again, don't be blurred by pretty design. The inside is piece of crap.
Sincerely.

Can't see how a camcorder could be any better unless it were bigger. Easy to use (even my wife uses this one - she never used our Panasonic). We Bought this instead of the Sony DVD Camcorder because of the Good Reviews on this and the bad ones on the Sony DVD model. So glad we bought this one.

The nightshot is awesome. Definitely buy a larger battery and extra tapes.

This camera is great for a few reasons. First of all, it can deliver some pretty good images for the casual point-and-shoot consumer who wants to shoot some high-quality home videos.

It is also very good for someone who likes to have a little more control over the image. The manual focus ring and manual exposure features allow for a more customized picture. Being able to turn off the automatic white balance is also a huge plus here.

The higher-end features are where this camera struts its stuff. For instance, this camera offers true 16:9 widescreen mode. It doesn't merely put black bars on the top and bottom of the image, you actually get more real estate on the sides of the picture without losing resolution (a feature not available on much more expensive cameras such as the Sony VX-2100 and the PD-170).

I use this camera for producing short films and other video production. When lit properly, you'll be amazed by the quality of video you can get out of this baby.

As most people on the web do, I did a lot of reading, and comparison shopping, before settling on the Sony TRV38. This camera has more features than you will get to use, but I was looking for video quality, ease of use(point and shoot), and price. TRV has all this and more. True to the other reports, you need to buy a larger memory card, and a back-up battery...at least the NP50, or NP70. Once you have everything, you are ready for some neat features, and quality video.
My favorite one is the VCR feature, through which you can rewind the tape, use the LCD touch screen, and view the footage you just shot. Many people talk about low-light footage, and rightfully so, but unless you are shooting in very dim situations, this camcorder does a great job in low light. This is actually one of the reasons I chose the TRV38, over Canon, Panasonic, and JVC.
If you are buying on the web, all the vendors include extra "packages". Be carefull... a $600 camera can wind up costing you $900. I only bought the AC/DC charger, 30mmm UV filter, and a nice bag. The other items you need you can find cheaper elsewhere. Sony batteries are expensive, but there are generic, cheaper batteries that will work just as well
There is a sea of good camcorders out there, but this Sony is at the top of my list.

This is an amazing camera for it's price. It has a carl zeiss lens which is a must-have if you want your video to end up looking profesional. Personally, i like it even better than the model above this one. This one not only has a 3.5 inch LCD compared to a 2.5 inch LCD on the more expensive model, but it also has a better feel. In the model above this one, the only thing "better" is it's smaller size. But i don't like that smaller size. It makes it feel too delicate. I may be only 17, but i've been into videography for quite awhile, and i would say, this is my favorite camera, for it's price. It's obviously not as good as say... the VX - 2000 which... i think costs something over 2000. But for my purposes, and the majority of the public's, i'm sure it's the best choice.

I bought this product last year. It has stopped recording video. I can't see anything in the viewfinder or screen. Absolutely nothing.

On the flip side, it did work nicely for the year when it was working though.

Just in case, you think I am disgruntled, cynical and I am writing this out of spite, please follow this link. There are many like us.

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7594-0.html?forumID=59&threadID=53316&messageID=635769

In fact, people there have filed a class action suit against Sony on this issue.

Overall, buy it if you want to. But see you on the forum above in 1 year.

BEWARE of the Sony Camcorder products. I have a TRV 38 and, like many, many other people, the picture (LCD/CCD connection) went dead just after the warranty period. Do a google search on this issue and read the video forums to see the enormous problem that Sony has with these camers. There is talk of a consumer class action against Sony on this issue since it affects several of their models and they have refused to deal honorably with the problem. I will say that when it worked the camera was just great, perfect picture and easy to use. Avoid the heartbreak of finding a dead camera on your child's first birthday, as I did, and buy something else.

The DCRTRV38 is a great Digital Camcorder - as long as it works. Mine is 1.5 years old, has had light use (about 10 hours of video recorded) and has had no abuse. It no longer plays video back on a TV, and after hours with Sony support, it appears the A/V out no longer works.

I wouldn't be concerned, but when you start to search on line - you begin to realize that Sony has tons of problems with the entire line of Digital Camcorders. They don't seem to be fixing the problem, and ask for a lot of money to fix the problem - estimated at $269 for this repair (on an $800 unit).

Same problem has been occurring with ALL Sony camcorders TRV19 through to TRV38.

Sony will repair the problem free of charge.....

http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowArticle.action?section=en_GB_Support&articlesection=3&article=1128075116465&site=odw_en_GB

I, too, experienced the dreaded blank screen on my TRV38 after only a year and a half of moderate use. I did some internet searching on the issue and discovered a site that mentioned Sony has acknowledged problems with the CCD chip in certain models built before 2004, the TRV38 being one of them and are offering to fix them for free, including shipping to and from a location of your choice. I then went made use of their excellent sony.com online chat support service and asked the moderator about the free repair deal. After a few troubleshooting questions, he acknowleded I appeared to qualify for the free repair service and provided me with the following site, http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=DCRTRV38&news_id=95. They appear to be making good on a known defect in their product and are to be commmended. Now, if only the local service centers would inform customers of this deal when they bring their cameras in for repair of this malady...naw, that's asking waaaaay too much!! By the way, aside from this problem, we've been very happy with this camera and actually bought a second one as a back up in case we had problems with the first one. With 2 kids, ages 2 1/2 and 4, to record precious moments of, it sure paid off in this case.

Was very pleased with the Sony TRV 38 until I got to about the middle of the 3rd tape. I had not used it in over 6 months and the next time I went to use it the recording screen and viewfinder was dark with a few gray streaks in it. It seems to play back o.k. On researching this problem I was staggered to find so many similar complaints. This is my first Sony (and it will be the last) I had a Panasonic for 8 years before this and it is still working. I have never abused this camera, never been to a beach with it, never used it in the rain etc. In fact it still looks like brand new!

I, too, am very, very disappointed in my Sony experience. I have always treated my cameras with care and respect. (I still use my 30 year old Canon A-1.)
My DCR TRV38 was excellent until 2 months ago (and 7 months out of the 2 year warranty that I purchased...). I now cannot view anything recorded. I get a blue screen with icons. It acts like it is recording, and maybe it is, but I cannot view anything in playback. A Sony tech told me that this is different that the class action/ recall that Sony is offering on these units. But c'mon! 2 years on a $700 camera is just horrible.
I also own a Sony W-1 digital camera. Lens mechanism stuck at 1+ years. Lots and lots of others reporting the same problem. Still under warranty, thank goodness, but I cannot trust it for a photo shoot, so I bought a Canon A540.
My daughter owns a Sony P-41, not even 2 years. Guess what? Bad LCD once again. She cannot view or play back at all.
I love digital photography, but to have a thousand dollars worth of equipment fail in four months is a crime. When I would read the postings and ranting of others, I never thought I would be one to have problems. I just thought that those with problems complain alot. But it's WAY too many, on every message board, everywhere. I am so sad and I feel like the victim of a crime.
SO DON"T BUY ANY MORE SONY PRODUCTS!!!

The picture quality on the Sony DCRTRV38 is the best out of any of the 10 comparable cameras we tested... We bought one of them several years ago, and like it enough to buy a second. It's ability to capture sound is also superior to any other camera in its class (we film a lot of live theatre, and we have perfect sound even from the last row in a non-mic'd show). The only cons are that we've had to have 2 repairs over the last 5 years, and the bottom-loading is inconvenient when using a tripod.