Customer Reviews

Sony DCRTRV30 Mini DV Handycam Camcorder

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an unbelievable camcorder/camera. It is small and light, but just the right size for your hand. The images are sharp from the great CCD. It only has one 1/4 inch CCD, but it is 1550k! It gives 530 lines of resolution -- tops around for a camera in this class. The navigation menu is intuitive and easy to work. Great 3.5 inch LCD viewscreen.
The camera also takes 1.55 megapixel stills that can be saved on the miniDV tape (will hold LOTS of stills) or Sony's memory stick. The memory stick that comes with the camera is a bit weak (only 4 megs) so it only holds 4 pics at the highest resloution.
Would suggest buying a 64 or 128 Meg memory stick now that the prices have come down. The camera resolution is more than enough for emailing and web posting (you'll likely trim the photos in photoshop anyway).
The camera will record MPEG movies at 2 different resolutions which can be easily transferred to a computer and emailed or posted onto the web.
Battery life is ok with the included battery (varies around 1-2 hours with use) but is MUCH greater with the optional NP-FM91 battery. Increases the life to around 6 hours (Sony claims 7.5-8). The bigger battery is a bit thicker and makes the camcorder a bit backheavy (and less sleek and cool looking) but is certainly worth it. Sony also uses the infolithium batteries which convert remaining battery juice into minutes of recording time till it dies! Very useful, you always know exactly how much battery is left!
Night shot and super nightshot take greeinish pics in essentially no light. It is kind of like looking through night vision googles, but very cool. The super night shot gives very "herky-jerky" images, however. I guess the processor is too slow.
The cover for the A/V jacks and video out jacks is really cheap. It looks like it could break very easily.
The digital effects are cool, you'll probably end up using "fade to black" the most.
Firewire from the camera to the computer is a great plus. Allows editing of images, scenes, sound, etc. Also comes with a USB interface. Very thoughtful.
The camera has a search function so you can search for video by date or by a title that you put in.
Now the question is do you really need to spend the $$$ ? Not sure, if all you want to do is take a couple shots of grandmom's 80th b-day and your daughter's pony ride. There are other cheaper miniDV cameras out there, but this is quality, and face it, you get what you pay for.
Overall 5 stars *****

I'll try not to repeat what others have said about this marvelous cam...Anyway,

The most impressive ( and important ) feature of this camera is its visuals. I first took the camera out for a day shooting clouds, traffic, sunsets and various wildlife. When viewed on my TV I was floored at the quality. Absolutely lush, vibrant colours, amazing deatil - beautiful. Don't judge what you see on the LCD panel. The actual output imagery on tape is fantastic.

Still imagery is a wonderful boon. 1360x1020 gives you plenty of resolution to play with. Upgrade the memory stick to at least a 64 meg. You'll then be able to hold about 70-80 hires pictures. I did find that the stills produced were somewhat grainy when the light level was low - which is normally the case. However in bright conditions they are great. I have no need to carry a separate digital still camera with me.
Had great fun creating close up shots - you can bring the subject matter so close it'll touch the lens before it goes out of focus. Produced some great macro photography this way. Brilliant. The manual focus ring is wieghted and smooth for precise focus adjustment - auto focus a little slow - nothing to worry about. Manual Exposure control - excellent.
Many fun features which after playing with them I never really come back to. It's the quality of the visuals that'll impress you.
I purchased a firewire card and cable and have had no problems outputting the imagery to and from my PC. Made many a short film of friends and folks this way.
The charger is great in that you only need a plug adapter when traveling to another country ( eg. Europe ). It'll handle a broad range of voltages.

The TRV30 has every input / output you'll likely to need and even though the little cover seems like it's going to break mine is still on after months of use...
Don't be put off by the 10x zoom. It's plenty. Anything over that and you'll be needing a tripod to keep the image stable. I've gotten some huge shots of the setting sun with the 10x.
Plus with the 37mm lens you have plenty of opportunity to purchase add on filters and lens from a massive selection of great camera gear that's out there.
You can also shoot in 16:9 mode which will then play back correctly on a widescreen TV. However, the image is not anamorphic. The camera is basically resizing the image. Nice feature to have though.
Um...,
Also buy a quality tape and stick with it. Don't change brands. I use Fuji.

Enough rambling - if you're thinking of purchasing the Sony - go and try in a shop. Hold it, play with it and fall in love with it. Imagine what you will create. I did.

So far we are very happy and quite impressed with our camera. We had originally purchased a Sharp WD255u, which we thought was a good quality camera. It was on sale so we really liked the price. We tested it out, filmed everything, took still shots, night pictures, etc. The images and picture were of poor quality and the darker it was the more grainy the picture was. We were not happy. We looked around the internet for some better cameras and feasted our eyes on this Sony. Well, we returned the other camera, got our money back, and then looked at this one. I liked the ergonomics of it right away. Yes it cost alot more than the other camera, but now I can see why. This camera takes great photos, great video, both have very vibrant colors. The night shots are much less grainy than the previous camera. I love the built in flash. Its nice and lightweight too. USB/Firewire support is excellent. The "memory Stick" works much faster than SmartMedia cards. We bought the additional 128 MB and also the 8 hour battery. I can't wait to take the camera on our trips!

Initially, I thought maybe I should have purchased the PC110. It's a little smaller. However, when I started using the TRV30 I realized if the camera was any smaller it wouldn't be easy to use. I'm all thumbs so this is the perfect size. The pictures are amazing 1.5 megapixels. The quality of the video is just awesome, especially if you have a WEGA XBR flat screen tv. It has two cons: the cover for the A/V jacks and Microphone jack is very cheap. My feeling is that if I open it 20-30 times it will fall off the plastic hindge. Two, it does not come with a tape. The bottom line is that this camera is the best on the market. Love it!

The Sony DCR-TRV30 MiniDV digital camcorder features an impressive 1.5-megapixel CCD, which allows it, in addition to impressive video quality, take still pictures at resolution up to 1360x1020.

MiniDV vs. Digital8 vs. Analog

First, the digital video is better than analog video for several reasons:

1. Since the recording is digital, the quality will not decrease over time.
2. There is no noise introduced by the media
3. The horizontal resolution is higher than in analog standards, be it VHS, Super VHS, 8mm or Hi8.
4. The copies have the same quality as original (if the copy is made using digital connection – i.Link/FireWire/IEEE 1394)

Although Sony and Hitachi produce Digital8 camcorders in addition to MiniDV models, MiniDV is an industry standard and is the most commonly used digital video format. The Digital8 format may be viewed as means to decrease the costs (the tapes costs less) and provide backward compatibility (they usually play Hi8 and 8mm recordings, with the exception of Sony TRV130).

The MiniDV tapes can be used in the LP mode for increased capacity without compromising the picture quality – since the data is stored in the digital format. But you will not be able to use audio dubbing feature.

PICTURE

With impressive 1.5-megapixel CCD, the TRV30 offers excellent picture quality, with well-defined edges and great color reproduction. The resolution and picture quality in the digital camcorders are usually limited not by the medium, but the CCD, optics and electronics. Which is the reason that people buy more expensive models than sub-$1000 to get better picture quality.

The 1.5-megapixel CCD has resolution that several times more than the resolution of cheap digital camcorder models.

SOUND

As other digital camcorders, this one employs Digital Audio Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) - similar to CD recording technology, with (can be selected from the menu) 12-bit or 16-bit modes. Since audio is stored separately you can use Audio Dubbing that allows you to add a stereo track of music or narration, but only in 12-bit SP mode.

As with other digital audio formats, the sound quality does not deteriorate over time and there is no “background” noise introduced by the media itself.

ZOOM & OPTICS

The camcorder employs 10x optical/120x digital zoom and has Carl Zeiss lens for better picture quality. The special coating reduces glare and increases contrast. The Super SteadyShot system can be employed for image stabilization, which fights unwanted picture shake from getting recorded on tape.

ADC & ANALOG-DIGITAL PASSTHROUGH

The TRV30 features an analog-digital converter (ADC), which converts analog signal from the analog input, so you can either record it on the MiniDV tape in digital format or send it through the IEEE-1394 (FireWire, i.Link) interface to your computer, compatible VCR or another device. The analog sources you might want to convert include video you want to store for a long time or edit.

LCD

In addition to color viewfinder, the camcorder features a large 3.5” LCD. The LCD has excellent visibility in sunlight. You can use the viewfinder to conserve battery power.

INPUTS

The camcorder has analog A/V inputs and outs, including S-Video. The camcorder also has an i.Link® Digital Interface (FireWire, IEEE1394), which is a two-way input/output that carries digital audio, digital video and control signals to compatible digital VCRs, edit controllers and computers.

It features an L (LANC) Editing Interface that provides standardized connection for synchronized operation of camcorder, VCR, and edit controller...The camcorder also features the Super Laser Link® Wireless Transmitter, which uses infrared light to make a wireless connection from the camcorder to your television up to 26 feet away. The transmitter is built-in, so you can buy a receiver and connect your camcorder wirelessly.

FEATURES

The camcorder features a 1.5-megapixel HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD with low noise design. It has several modes of AE, manual focus and manual exposure in addition to automatic modes. The manual focus is controlled by the ring, which also looks cool.

You can switch between manual and automatic focus using a switch, which also has a position for “infinity” focus. The exposure can also be controlled manually when needed so you can avoid overexposure (and video noise in low-light scenes). The 2x playback zoom allows you to zoom in during the playback and enlarged pictures can be copied to MemoryStick.

The camcorder has 14 picture effects (6 digital effects), several digital A/V fader modes, 16:9 and LP mode recording. The digital and picture effects can be used independently (some of them can be combined). You can also manually adjust shutter speed when needed.

The Sony’s Super NightShot™ allows you to shoot in complete darkness up to 10 feet away. The system uses a built-in infrared light; the optional IR light can extend the range to up to 100 feet. There is also a built-in speaker (you can control the volume) and camcorder comes with a remote control and an intelligent accessory shoe (which accepts accessories ranging from lights, IR lights and photo printers to microphones that “zoom” with the camcorder).

The remote control is included and gives you access to advanced VCR functions as well as zoom, playback and shooting modes.

MEMORY STICK

The camcorder can be used as a digital still camera at up to 1360x1020 resolution, the images are stored on a supplied 4Mb Memory Stick. You can use the supplied USB cable and software to transfer images to your PC, edit and store/catalog them. The MemoryStick can also store short MPEG clips.

BATTERY

The TRV30 comes with an InfoLithium® battery, which lasts about 35 minutes if you use LCD. You can conserve the energy by using the color viewfinder, or you can get a battery of the larger capacity. You can always see the approximate remaining power: AccuPower™ meter shows you the remaining battery time in minutes on the camcorder's LCD or viewfinder.

BOTTOM LINE

The TRV30 provides excellent picture quality and high still resolution. With large LCD, USB, i.Link and other useful features, this model is a great digital camcorder.

I love my new camera. The combination of 1.5 megapixel stills and great video images mean I only have to take one camera with me on vacation. Add the fact that it includes a built-in flash so you can take pictures in low light situations, and the fact that it weighs less than a pound and a half, and it just can't be beat. As a Mac user I can report that the iLink output is compatible with iMovie, and the USB port means the media card appears right on your desktop - no more funky software to import digital stills. I can even digitize my old HI8 footage into iMovie with the analog passthrough feature. Quite a camera I must say!

A beautiful camera, but a few annoyances . . .

- Did not come with a case.
- Did not come with a tape.
- Comes with one battery and no external charger i.e. you need to charge battery in the camera so if you buy a second battery; you also need to get an external charger.
- MPEG movie mode to stick limits you to 15-second shots, even if you have enough memory to take more. Not sure why. Camera comes with 4mb, I bought an additional 128mb stick.
- USB functionality is for the stick only i.e. you can't use the USB port to pull from the tape. For that you need a Firewire card. This makes sense, from a speed perspective but is not evident from the technical documentation on Sony's site. It seems like an output port choice but there is none; it's either/or depending on what you want to move to PC. USB driver provided by Sony sets the stick up as a removable drive - you can copy the MPEG's and JPEG's right over.
- Firewire card I had was compatible with Windows ME but not with the software that came with the camera. The card does work with the native ME software (I think it's: "Windows Movie maker".)
- Again, card and camera will not work with Adobe Premiere 5.1c although the Adobe site says the most recent version will work with Card/Camera combinations recognized by Windows.
- Built in flash is adequate but if you need to take red-eye free shots consider the external flash - the red eye mode on the built in flash isn't always adequate.

Not a small camera but the size is well worth the trade off to get a two in one device i.e. camcorder that takes decent still shots. For those important moments you may fall back on your old 35mm or hi-res digital camera but the 1.5 mp images this camera provides should be acceptable for most occasions and not having to lug two cameras is great.

All-in-all, one of the best mid-level cameras out there - Sony just needs to charge $100 more and throw a few more accessories in the box.

My wife and I purchased this camera after much deliberation last year. We wanted a digital camera and camcorder all in one, but were nervous about the picture quality. We are COMPLETELY happy with this camera, taking all our family shots with it and printing them at home. Video is surprisingly crisp and clear, almost like it isn't taken on a video camera but in a studio instead. Adjustability is endless on this model, from flash intensity to aperature speed. I like the ability to take nice photos without the flash if needed in dark areas where a flash would be disruptive. I even take group photos with the remote control while in the picture myself-no more timer!! I can take video in complete darkness with this model!
I would reccomend this camera to anyone, it is well worth your money both in features and quality.

I have owned this camera for about 6 months, and did about 2 months research. This camera is the best camera out there and is worth every penny. I can not believe all the options available. I am still learning how to use them all. If you have an wild imagination, this camcorder will make all your dreams come true. Although there are alot of options, they are very easy to understand and very simple to use.
The digital pictures come out very clear, and everyone was amazed at the video playback. It is amazing.
The only drawbacks about the camera is that you have to purchase another battery. The one that comes with it does not last very long. You also need to purchase a bigger flash card for the pics. The one supplied only holds about 4 high res pics, and finally you should invest in a uv protective lense. This will keep your original lense from getting scratched. All these additional products will add about another ($) to ($) to your bill, and you still have not bought tapes yet.
But in the end, it is worth every penny...

I purchsaed my Sony DCRTRV30 Handycam a little over a year ago. And, I could'nt have purchased a better cam. Most of my cameras (4) are now Sony products and have not found fault with any of them. Working as a Paramedic in the City of Philadelphia, Pa. I carry my Sony TRV30 with me 24/7. And, you would'nt believe some of the great shots that I've gotten at work and at play. I've even sold some fire/accident video scenes to the local media. This camera is impressive in it's size, features, convenience, overall performance, and it's sleek/cool styling. It make's me proud to carry and display it everywhere I go. I'm sorry to see that Sony has discontinued it's production so quickly. But, that also now make's it a "classic" style cam, for all who where smart enough to have purchased one. The very best Sony DV Handycam Camcorder yet. ...