Incredible.

I bought this camera as a graduation present from high school in June of 2000. The camera never ceases to amaze me. There are so many different great options, which reassure me that SONY wont be taking this off the market for a while.

Basically, there are a few factors that made me purchase this one, as opposed to the other 3 chip models on the market. When i refer to 3 chips, i am referring to the 3CCD image sensor in the camera, which drastically improves image quality. Here are the reasons:

- Doubles as a still digital camera: By using photo mode, you can store digital photos on the digital tape. Once you are done shooting your photos, you can then plug a 3.5mm disk drive (provided) into the camera, and activate photo scan, which scans the tape for photos, and then stores them in JPG format onto the disk. The image quality is very good (800 X 600 dpi), and the camera gives you options similar to a normal manual 35mm camera, which gives you a greater creative control. If you do not prefer to use the disk drive adapter, you can simply plug a SONY memory stick with an additional adapter (not included) into the camera, or you can plug an adapter in it that accepts flash memory cards similar to other still picture digital cameras on the market.

- Price: This camera is the cheapest of the 3CCD camera on the market. I had enough money to buy the VX1000, but the only difference between the two is the resolution of the CCD's. The image that is recorded is nearly the same ... the difference is hardly noticeable. The VX1000 doesn’t have the still camera option, it is considerably larger, it does not have a flip out screen, it does not have laser link capabilities (wireless video transmission to your TV) and it is much heavier. The TRV900 is the only one that offers all of those options plus a 3CCD image sensor. So, I bought the camera, and used the remaining money to buy accessories. Accessories range from microphones, telephoto lenses, wide angle lenses, fire wire cards, batteries, etc.. There are so many cool accessories for this camera.

- Durability: I use this camera all the time. The tapes hold an hour of footage in standard mode (best quality), and the batteries now go up to 15 hours, i think. I bought an 8 hour battery, and it comes with a 2 hour. Microphones, lights, headphones, and other auxiliary equipment can easily be plugged into the camera via ports which are clearly marked under a protective rubber flap on the side of the camera. Everything on the camera is well built, and I expect to be using this camera for a very long time.

- Supplied accessories: The camera came with a 60 minute SONY tape, a shoulder strap, a lens hood, a lens cover, a floppy disk adapter, and a 2 hour battery. I think it may come with some more things, but I forget. It has a built in neutral density filter which evenly distributes the amount of light that the lens picks up. It is activated by a button near the lens, and really comes in handy on bright days.

- Creative control: Besides the corny effects, there are very cool things that you can do to adjust the colors, and light. You can manually control the shutter speed, and control the aperture of the lens. This gives you the functionality of a manual 35mm camera (as I mentioned before). There are also presets, which adjust those attributes automatically, which adjusts the light to the right level. There is also a mode that is indicated by a candle icon on the viewfinder's screen, which amplifies the light so much, that it can make dark rooms with little light visible. The corny effects that the camera does have are: Black & White, Sepia, Negative Art, Pastel, Slim, Stretch, and Mosaic. They are not really "corny", but they limit creativity.

- Outputs: You can show your audience your incredible footage a number of ways. Since the camera captures stereo sound, there are 2 RCA plugs for audio output, which are included. Also included, is an RCA plug for video, and also an S-VIDEO cable. This cable establishes a low interference connection between the camera and your TV, and provides an excellent picture quality when viewing. There is also a fire wire output, which enables you to plug your camera into a fire wire port in your computer with an additional card (not included), and edit the footage that you've recorded. The card for your computer can cost anywhere from $150 on up. It’s definitely worth it. There is also an infrared sensor on the front of the camera, which enables you to view your tapes on your TV without any connections. All you have to do is plug the laser link receiver into your TV, and point the camera at the receiver. It works up to about 15-25 feet away. It comes in handy when you are tired after a long day of shooting.

Well, those are the main reasons why I chose this great camera, and I hope others will take my advice and buy this wonderful tool. I recommend this fine product to everyone ... whether you're a professional videographer or an amateur. The possibilities are endless with this wondrous piece of equipment. Anyone who has bought a SONY product knows the high level of quality that they offer, and this camera continues that tradition. GOOD LUCK!