DAmn. i got a TRV18 from sony.. and now exactly from a year of bought all the whole front module... night shot light, rec light, focus/infinit button, fader button, infrared sensor for the remote, and focus wheel, are not working...

anyone know of a utilty test software for the camera... or a secret menu to run any kind of diagnostics ?

There is a device that plugs into the camera's LANC port and can be used to diagnose the camera for certain things like the amount of hours on the tape heads. I doubt that it would solve your problem though. Something inside is probably physically damaged (maybe a disconnected wire).

You're probably better off getting your camera repaired at a Sony repair center. There are lots of them.

I've had a TRV18 and got rid of it because the firewire stopped working. Honestly, the cheapest way to go is sell your camera on eBay with the known problems listed. You'll get more than you thought you would for it, then just buy whichever replacement camera you want. People will have things happen to their camcorder such as the tape deck will break or other various things and they will look for cameras like this to fix theirs with. Its cheaper for them and for you. You might even be able to just buy another TRV18 and replace the boards in it. I've done this with a TRV330, and a TRV530. I swapped some parts inside and I got a working TRV530!

Honestly, the cheapest way to go is sell your camera on eBay with the known problems listed....or not listed. This is what I keep telling people about why buying anything from ebay is risky. Not all sellers are forthcoming about the the item's true condition.

If you know what you are looking for...you should not have any problems. The ones who have problems are the people who think eBay is this magical place where everything is perfect, nobody tries to scam everybody and every auction is a good deal. I've had GREAT luck because I know how to buy on ebay, why are you so against it??? I got my TRV950 on eBay, along with every single other camera I have and for MUCH cheaper than I could have gotten it anywhere else.

if you know what you are looking for...you should not have any problems.That's wishful thinking. I don't have anything against e-bay. I've bought a lot from there. It's just that buyers get ripped off a lot, and even a 100% positive feedback history from the seller doesn't guarantee the buyer from a bad buy or getting ripped off by a crook---never receiving the item. Didn't someone just post here that they were looking to purchase SOMEONE ELSE'S EBAY account, using some lame excuse that they can't get a checking account? This is one way how frauds occur on ebay: some crook buys someone else's account with a 100% positive feedback record and then proceeds to do the dirty deed or deeds.

The entire time I was talking about my TRV950 you kept telling me how I shouldn't buy it on eBay blah blah blah about it. Well I bought it on eBay, I paid a lot less for it, brand new, with a 128mb memory stick, memory stick reader, and camera bag, all shipped overnight. I saved about $400-$500 from buying it somewhere else. I knew what to look for in an auction and I got my stuff. Yeah there are rare circumstances wehre something doesn't go right but once again there will always be a catch or sometime the seller did fishy that should tip the buyer off. You seem to want to argue me every time I say go look on eBay or sell it on eBay about how bad it is.....I'd like to think if somebody was smart enough to post on here about it, they'd use common sense when doing something on eBay. Nothing on eBay guarentees anything but looking for the right stuff does. I bought from a seller that sells cameras...and only cameras...they have a phone number and 15,000 feedback. If something went wrong I would have another avenue to pursue besides just an e-mail.

I talk with tye sony people here in Guatemala, i was amaze how profesional they were... they will make me a 25% discount cause i bought it from them... and the problems seens to be very simple like a simple wire or board burned...

The problem is that i use my camera all the time and i dont have time to take it, but perhaps i will next week.

Good luck. Agus. But do get it fixed soon so that Sony won't forget about you. :)

Tim, you've been real lucky so far, Frank wasn't being mean he was trying to share some real life experience.

Ah, Guatemala would present different circumstances than in the US. Frank, I forget that you're in the UK, eBay must just be more popular here and a known way to conduct these transactions. I also don't think its luck, just somebody doing their research.

I'm in Canada, Tim. I was talking about www.ebay.com. What's the difference whether you live in Canada, the USA or Guatemala? People sell and buy through ebay from all over the world. By the way, it was an Iranian couple who had moved to the USA that started ebay. I certainly agree with you about doing the research bit, however, this still doesn't get you a guarantee that you won't get ripped off.

I'm sorry, I meant Canada, but I was thinking of how most of the other people here from the UK if not Canadian or US

Yes, being in British Columbia, I can see why some might think I like in the UK. But living in Canada gives me the option to get better deals from our good neighbours down south. That's why I always go with what Bryan Beasleigh says about new order buying: Don't get ca'sucked with camcorder glitz, cross the damn border don't be a ditz. Selection is great and really cheap, don't have to dig deep go take the leap. :-)

Or just order online from here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com


PS: Now if I would have Manitoba listed as the place where I live, members might be asking, "Where's that? Is that 'Down-Under' or something?" :-)

Going slightly off topic, buying from Canada sucks because:
A- Most stores don't sell to Canada
B- Even if they did, you have to pay brokerage feeds.
My old school ordered DV tapes and the brokerage fees cost nearly as much as the tapes!!!

Probably the most common way fraud artists get eBay accounts is by tricking people into giving them their account information. They send official-looking emails directing unsuspecting ebayers to an official-looking site where they are tricked into giving away sensitive information.

Another scams involve the scam artists selling stuff to themselves to build up rating. You can sometimes spot these since they sell the same item to themself over and over and suddenly start selling expensive items (Sony laptops, 3CCD cameras, etc.).

Of course there are many many legitimate sellers on Ebay. It might just be that cases fraud are overexaggerated and highly unlikely to happen. And it could be the other way around. Without good evidence it's mostly speculation how "unsafe" eBay is. But you can definitely make eBay safer by looking out for certain things (do research on the seller, ask the seller questions, look at the description to see if the seller knows what they're talking about, check the shipping weight of the item, etc.). Stores selling online could be a lot better than individuals selling online. I haven't heard of anyone getting scammed from a store selling online.

Glenn
You're not looking hard enough. Did you ever see the adds for the Tape Guys? That company is owned by Premier Magnetics out of Brampton. I buy my dv tape, my VHS cassettes and sleeves and my DVD's there. They ship UPS ground or Canada Post . Normally Canada Post bites but from Brampton to TO isn't bad.

So far as shipping from the US, any supplier i've talked to will. I deal with the US on a daily basis through my work and have been for the past 30 years (I'm older than dirt) I only deal with the well established companies like Markertek, B&H or Filter Connection. Last time I bought some filters it cost me a whole $5.

If you get the stuff shipped 2nd day or express (3 or 4 days) the brokerage is covered . United States Postal Service is cheap and Canada Post tacks on $5 for brokerage.

Not everything is cheaper in the US. Manfrotto (Bogen), Avenger, Arri, Chrosziel, Formatt Filters, Lee Filters, Strand, Ianiro , Optex and Rode to name a few manufacturers are not from the US and ship directly to Canada. Beachtek and Cavision are Canadian companies as well.

Somethings we do pay more for but we get 1 year labor warranty as compared to the US 90 day. If you buy some stuff from the US it has to go back for warranty. Search for a good supplier, the prices are usually the same and sometimes better.

The DVshop, AVR Communications Kingsway Motion Picture and G&G electronics are a few examples.

Glenn it doesn't matter where you buy from, you have to be carefull. Going cross border you have to be really carefull.

So life in Canada sucks does it? I live 60 miles up the highway from you and think this is a great place to live. I can be at the beach in minutes or the city center in an hour. You want a bad place to live then try the Peg in the middle of winter.


You want me to give you some names and numbers then email me.

Agus
Sorry to hijack your thread. I wish you luck getting your problem sorted out.

Beas

no problemo dude, seens like my cam will be in the repair shop next week.

Of course there are many many legitimate sellers on Ebay. It might just be that cases fraud are overexaggerated and highly unlikely to happen. And it could be the other way around....Well, that isn't quite the point I am trying to make, which is, a seller may send the item described as new, new-like, or in excellent condition, however, upon recieving the item the buyer discovers it is not new, new-like or in excellent condition. Thus the seller lied. Even with a refund, the victum is still out shipping charges both ways.fraud are overexaggerated and highly unlikely to happenWell, I've been hanging around DV.com's camera forum for a long time, and I've read numerous stories that'll bring a tear to one's eye. ;-)