Sony DCRTRV20 Digital Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [4.50mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004YB5Y
• Item model number: DCRTRV20
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,989 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Camcorders that take stills are becoming much more common, but those that take 1-megapixel stills are still very few and far between. The Sony DCR-TRV20 features the capability of producing 1,152 x 864 images, which are stored on the included 4 MB Memory Stick. Plus you get the superior video and audio inherent in digital video.

The quality Carl Zeiss 10x optical zoom lens is paired with Sony's Super SteadyShot image stabilization to help reduce the effects of unsteadiness common at high zoom levels. A 3.5-inch color LCD monitor makes it easy to frame your shots. Additionally, the DCR-TRV20 features analog inputs, so you can convert your old footage to digital. Super NightShot is an infrared mode for 0-lux shooting. And Sony's Super LaserLink technology means you can wirelessly play back your footage on any TV equipped with a LaserLink receiver.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing., October 13, 2000

By 

Daemous Riel "daemous" (Flemington, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV20 Digital Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I love this camcorder. I never owned one before, but I'm a photographer and a computer programmer. I wanted video. I got so much more. It's easy and completely excellent. I love the interaction between digitized analog (mini-DAT) and the memory stick and the PC cabling. Fun fun stuff in any-which-way you can concieve. Grab stills from your video, dump them to the stick and then the PC. Or if you like, upload a logo with a bluescreen to your stick and then record live video with that logo blue-screen-burned in it. There are too many options to talk about. It does take your fingers a tiny bit of time to get used to where buttons and levers and switches are. I counted them and came up with 50+ of them. But the ones you use often enough come easily to remember. The ergo is fine. I usually use the viewscreen to film and snapshot. But the single eye view is great too. I don't think I could ask for a feature it doesn't have.

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No longer the best one out there..., March 15, 2001

By 

Red Baron "cracovian" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV20 Digital Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

As much as I love Sony's megapixel sensor implementation in this camcorder, I no longer think it's the best one out there. If this cam is on your shopping list then definitely check out its closely related sibling: PC110. It has the same features, it is over twenty percent smaller, has a decent built-in flash, and in addition to being capable of megapixel shots, it records short MPEGs to the memory stick. The drawbacks could be the smaller 2.5-inch LCD and the vertical form factor (I actually prefer it). But other than that, everything else is the same or better, even the price...

You should also consider TRV900 which offers three CCDs instead of one, resulting in much better video quality, especially in low light conditions (worse resolution for the still pictures and slightly larger body size though), and many additional semi-professional features for not much more money.

Whichever you choose, stay with a Sony camcorder and their miniDV tapes. Their quality is great, drivers widely supported, and countless sites and newsgroups will help you enhance your digital movie and photo experience.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compact and versatile, October 13, 2000

By 

E B Wingfield (Lexington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV20 Digital Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I bought this to take on my honeymoon in Jordan. It weighs about the same as a SLR, but you can take single shots as well. The night vision feature is great. By attaching the camera to my computer via a firewire system, I can also capture still shots from the video mode and print them out. I love it. The TRV20 is small enough to slip in a coat pocket with comfort. Around the neck or over the shoulder, it doesn't cut into you because of the wide strap. I wish the lens cap had a cord attached to keep up with it. The reversable viewing screen is wonderful for showing your movies when a TV hookup is not convenient. Over all, once you learn all the buttons and features, this is a dandy little unit for amateur or semi-professional alike.