No more missed moments!

I had wanted a camcorder for a long time. Having 3 small children, there were so many occasions I wanted to record. Unfortunately, I couldn't borrow my Dad's camera every time.

So, when my husband I were in Wal-Mart one day, and he stopped to look at the camcorder display, I got very excited. It took a while to choose, but we decided on the Sony HandyCam. Granted, this decision was about 90% based on the fact that it was about the cheapest camera. But, this camcorder has so many great features, I was quite surprised it was so cheap.

First off, some basics.

The CCD-TR818 uses a Lithium battery. It lasts quite a while, longer than the average Hi8 tape on which the camera records. It also came with all the necessary cables to connect to your TV or VCR. With these cables you can either watch your tape on your TV, or copy your tape onto a regular VHS tape.

Now, some of the neat features.

This model has NightVision. While it only works up to about 10 feet, it gives a whole new perspective to recording. I was able to record my son getting on the school bus on his very first day of school this fall. Since it was still dark, I was able to record it using the NightVision feature. I would never have been able to record this moment without that feature.

Another fun feature is the 20x digital zoom. Even though the picture quality diminishes as you get closer and closer using the digital zoom, it allows you to record something very far away.

I also like to use the Title function on my HandyCam. It is so funny when watching old home movies from my childhood. We sit there and try to remember, "What was this?" Now, with the title feature on my camera, I can title the section, "Alex's 1st Game" or "T-Ball Practice" Granted, the biggest downfall to this function is the limit of characters in the title. When your children have long names, you have to shorten words, like, "Arthur's 4th B-day" But, that is one downfall I can more then live with.

As with most technological products today, there are many more fun features, like the different faders and such, but to write about every feature would make this review as long as the owner's manual.

Now, here's something they don't tell you in the manual that I found to be remarkable. The microphone on this camera is amazing. I was taping my son's T-ball game and it was very windy out. Now, with any camera I used in the past, when the wind was blowing, you couldn't hear anything on the tape. This time, you could hear every word said, not just in the crowd where I was, but you could even hear the coaches at times.

The picture quality is great. It is steady and clear. For example, at this same T-ball game, I had to open a bag of M&M's for my other son. I was able to do so, while taping, and you can hardly even tell I did anything. I has a feature called SteadyShot which compensates for a shaky hand.

I highly recommend this camera. I know, since I bought this model, they have probably come out with several newer models. I say, go for it! They are probably even better than mine!