I think SMcD was comparing power drain between screens
of different sizes, not screen off vs. on... I think the
difference is not very important, since even the
middle-sized Sony batteries can run the camera quite
a long time with the LCD panel on or off. I have not
done a side-by-side comparison of the 730 (which I have)
and a 740 (brought over by someone to show me), but I was
impressed with the +18db color quality and overall
picture quality of the 740 in fairly low light (the CCDs
are the same in the 830 and 840 as in the 730 and 740,
respectively). Not definitive info, alas - but either
would be fine. BTW, the 18X zoom on the 730 shows
noticeable green-purple color-fringing at the long end;
I did not check the 740 for this, but didn't notice it...

On 9 Dec 2002 08:07:27 -0800, araasch@earthlink.net (Alan R.) wrote:

>Thanks for the reply. I wish I had the opportunity to "test drive"
>both units, but unfortunately, that is not the case. I'm curious
>about your comment concerning battery life with the 2.5 vs the 3.5"
>LCD. The specs I see on the 830 state "Power Consumption: LCD Off:
>4.0 watts LCD On: 4.8 watts" which is nowhere near double the power
>consumption you mention in your reply. Am I missing something here?
>What are you basing that number on?

>bigrocketman3@webtv.net (Steve McDonald) wrote in message news:<24973-3DF45FBE-166@storefull-
2114.public.lawson.webtv.net>...
>> In the first place, the sad fact is that product quality gets
>> dumbed-down, almost as often as it gets improved, from year to year.
>> Look at the sorry state of the once-proud Hi-8 format's current models.
>> Last year's TRV830 has an 18X zoom lens and the TRV840 has only 15X.
>> The performance of the 830 and also the TRV730 are quite good, even in
>> low light. I have regarded the smaller CCD of the TRV740 and 840
>> (.21-inch to .25-inch) as being inferior to those of the 730 and 830. A
>> few other 740/840 users have remarked that they didn't seem as capable
>> in low light as the 730/830. However, there have been a few people who
>> have made the same critical comments about the 730/830, so the final
>> judgement seems to be a matter of opinion. Recently, David Reuther
>> compared his TRV730 to a newer TRV840 and said that the 840 did very
>> well, even in lower light.

>> Better try them all out yourself, so you'll have no one else to
>> blame or thank for your choice. And, although you feel that you must
>> have a larger viewscreen, it will consume close to twice the battery
>> power as the smaller one. My 2 1/2-inch screen is completely adequate
>> for me. They aren't very good in outside light anyway and except for
>> some special situations, most quality footage will be shot with your eye
>> to the small viewfinder and the camera up where it belongs. If you
>> can't focus your eyes up close, you'll have to wear some diopter
>> eyeglasses or hold the camera at arm's length to use the viewscreen.
>> The small viewfinders have very good diopter adjusters to match
>> individual focusing needs.
>>
>> Barely clinging to the original subject, I'd like to say that for
>> several months, I've been doing a routine of daily eye-focusing
>> exercises and have cut my minimum focusing distance to half of what it
>> had been before. I can now see sharply as close as I could in high
>> school and I can use the viewscreen much better (indoors). Such eye
>> exercises must be done gently at first and built-up gradually, to avoid
>> strains. I never thought my workouts would need to include my eyes, but
>> their muscles can weaken with time, like any other part of you.
>>
>> Steve McDonald