Customer Reviews

Sony DCRTRV38 MiniDV 1Megapixel Camcorder with 3.5" LCD

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have been video taping since 1982, so here are my observations after a week with the TRV38.

LOW LIGHT: much better than expected after reading negative reviews on it everywhere.
STILL PICTURE QUALITY: better than expected for a quick and easy shot.
MPEG VIDEO QUALITY: mediocre as expected
DIGITAL ZOOM: worse than expected after reading very positive comments on it.
SOUND QUALITY: better than expected; virtually zero motor noise
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: excellent as expected; a bit heavier than expected
LCD: excellent as expected; 3.5" is wonderful, and this one is beautiful
LCD TOUCH SCREEN: excellent and a great idea; works beautifully even with a protective plastic sheet on it.
BATTERY LIFE: too brief, as expected
EASE OF USE: complex but well designed as expected; easy if you just want to shoot video without fussing with settings; much for advanced photographer.
ZOOM CONTROL: very sensitive as expected, takes getting used to
PICTURE QUALITY: excellent, but not amazingly better than 3 year-old cheap Sharp hi-8. I was expecting it to be worlds better.
SIZE: smaller than expected which is good; excellent even for big hands like mine.
INPUTS/OUTPUTS: All work great and allow for virtually every
comgination of input and output.
CONTROLS: control for off, VCR, camera is much too small and awkward to use. Others are great, except for zoom sensitivity as noted above.
REMOTE CONTROL: better control than expected.
OWNERS BOOK: well done for the most part, but with omissions and errors; obviously written by non-native speaker.
Reviews do not mention that this is an excellent TV, digital VCR, video editing studio, still camera (no competition to good 2 mp still digital camera), and advanced camcorder. The bottom tape loading is horrible but it is really the only big negative.
Comparing the footage to a friend's 3 chip Sony shows little difference on a TV or LCD monitor. Colors are very true and the tiny speaker sound quality is surprisingly good. This is a well-designed camcorder that does a great job at everything it is supposed to do. The LP setting is a great feature for recording TV shows from the satellite, and movies directly from DVD or VCR. The software is worthless; Sony should have included Pinnacle software, considering the price of the camcorder. I would not hesitate to recommend this camcorder, TV, VCR, digital camera.

The DCR-TRV38 is in the mid-range Sony's 2003 line of consumer camcorders. It is similar to the DCR-TRV33 but has a larger LCD screen, which is a nice plus. The DCR-TRV70 and 80 have higher resolution, but at significantly higher cost. The reviews I've read state that the DCR-TRV38 hits the sweet spot in terms of video quality and price. My impressions are as follows:

PROS:
-Build quality and performance are excellent. The video is very clear and sound is pretty good. Low light resolution is much better than competing camcorders in the same price range.
-Compact size
-The SteadyShot function works exactly as delivered. The motion sensor method that Sony utilizes is superior to the digital method used in competing products (such as the Panasonic GS-70).
-The Carl Zeiss with 10x optical zoon is great.

CONS:
-The main negatives of the DCR-TRV38 really deal with the overall cost of ownership. In addition to purchasing the camcorder, I ended up buying the following:
-A larger battery (the included one is woefully underpowered)
-A protective lens filter to shield that great Carl Zeiss lens
-A charger to quick-charge the larger battery
-A firewire cable to connect the camcorder to my PC
-A camera case (Sony only includes a strap)
-A tripod, which some people might not need
As you can see, this made the camcorder really much more expensive than I initially expected. (Reminds me of buying a car.)
-Having the MiniDV tapes load through the bottom means that you can't keep the camcorder on a tripod and change tapes. Not a major inconvenience.
-As with most camcorders, the still picture function is a joke. You'll get better pictures from a disposable Kodak digital camera.
-You have to use the touch screen on the LCD to navigate through many of the camera's functions. This can get the screen dirty or can actually damage the screen if you are too forceful.

Overall, I think the camcorder is a very good product. Just plan on spending $100-200 extra to make it worthwhile. At least Sony gave a 20% discount coupon for accessories when I received the camcorder. The other camcorders I considered seemed to have one or two areas superior to the DCR-TRV38, but the overall package fell short. For instance, the Panasonic GS-70 has the highly touted 3 CCDs for better color representation, but resolution suffers due to the smaller CCD sizes. (The digital motion stabilization was another negative). The Canon camcorders in general are tidy and inexpensive but seem to suffer from poor low light capabilities. I'm happy with my purchase.

As most people on the web do, I did a lot of reading, and comparison shopping, before settling on the Sony TRV38. This camera has more features than you will get to use, but I was looking for video quality, ease of use(point and shoot), and price. TRV has all this and more. True to the other reports, you need to buy a larger memory card, and a back-up battery...at least the NP50, or NP70. Once you have everything, you are ready for some neat features, and quality video.
My favorite one is the VCR feature, through which you can rewind the tape, use the LCD touch screen, and view the footage you just shot. Many people talk about low-light footage, and rightfully so, but unless you are shooting in very dim situations, this camcorder does a great job in low light. This is actually one of the reasons I chose the TRV38, over Canon, Panasonic, and JVC.
If you are buying on the web, all the vendors include extra "packages". Be carefull... a $600 camera can wind up costing you $900. I only bought the AC/DC charger, 30mmm UV filter, and a nice bag. The other items you need you can find cheaper elsewhere. Sony batteries are expensive, but there are generic, cheaper batteries that will work just as well
There is a sea of good camcorders out there, but this Sony is at the top of my list.

the sony trv38 is one of sony's mid-range miniDV camcorders. it's a solid camcorder but i believe you can do better in this price range.

pros:
- very good video quality - colors are reproduced accurately.
- 1 megapixel still capability.
- miniDV media is widely supported.
- great connectivity options: firewire, USB, S-video, headphone, mic input, etc.
- carl zeiss lens with 10X optical zoom.
- steady shot and night shot.
- ability to record mpeg videos directly to memory stick.
- progressive shutter system.
- supports exif 2.2.
- the 3.5" LCD screen is great.
- very clean design (controls are accessed via the touchscreen lcd).
- low motor noise.
- intelligent accessory shoe.
- allows some degree of manual control.

cons:
- no pop-up flash for taking stills and no built in video light but you can get a flash/video combo light for less than a hundred bucks.
- you could do better on the still photo department. for example, sony's trv80 and trv70 have 2 megapixel capability but those camcorders are more expensive.
- as with most sony products, you pay a premium, pushing up the price.
- navigating menus on touch-screen LCD isn't terribly intuitive.
- don't expect miracles from 1 megapixel stills.
- short battery life with included battery (you'll want a spare battery anyway).
- bottom loading cassette - can't remove tape while camcorder is on a tripod
- not as compact as i would like. dimensions are 3-5/8"H x 2-7/8"W x 6-3/8"D, and it weighs 1 lb 7 oz without tape and battery.
- the included 8MB memory stick is unacceptable. be prepared to shell out more money for at least a 32MB or bigger memory stick.

this is a solid camcorder but i would recommend three sonys (trv33 or pc105 or trv70) and the panasonic gs70 over this camcorder.

This is an amazing camera for it's price. It has a carl zeiss lens which is a must-have if you want your video to end up looking profesional. Personally, i like it even better than the model above this one. This one not only has a 3.5 inch LCD compared to a 2.5 inch LCD on the more expensive model, but it also has a better feel. In the model above this one, the only thing "better" is it's smaller size. But i don't like that smaller size. It makes it feel too delicate. I may be only 17, but i've been into videography for quite awhile, and i would say, this is my favorite camera, for it's price. It's obviously not as good as say... the VX - 2000 which... i think costs something over 2000. But for my purposes, and the majority of the public's, i'm sure it's the best choice.

This camera is great for a few reasons. First of all, it can deliver some pretty good images for the casual point-and-shoot consumer who wants to shoot some high-quality home videos.

It is also very good for someone who likes to have a little more control over the image. The manual focus ring and manual exposure features allow for a more customized picture. Being able to turn off the automatic white balance is also a huge plus here.

The higher-end features are where this camera struts its stuff. For instance, this camera offers true 16:9 widescreen mode. It doesn't merely put black bars on the top and bottom of the image, you actually get more real estate on the sides of the picture without losing resolution (a feature not available on much more expensive cameras such as the Sony VX-2100 and the PD-170).

I use this camera for producing short films and other video production. When lit properly, you'll be amazed by the quality of video you can get out of this baby.

The video quality is great! Plus the steady shot, night shot and VCR features are cool indeed! Still picture quality (at 1-MEGA pixel) is also acceptable.
You need to purchase a higher capacity battery because the supplied one may not be sufficient (depends on how you use this camera). I also recommend to purchase a memory stick of at least 32MB because the supplied one (8MB) may not be enough (again, depends in your application).

The main drawbacks are: the tape opening located at the bottom and you need to purchase a separate video light.

As a newbie video enthusiast, I'm really pleased with the TRV38. For under $1000, you get a great camera with a bunch of features. I just bought mine, so I'm still playing around with it to see what it can do. From what I can tell, the image quality is pretty good indoors, but when you get into lower light levels (like a dim room) the image seems to turn a little on the gray side. Out of the box, the camera feels good in the hand with most of the essentials at your fingertips. There are two features I'm not too fond of with the TRV38. One is the bottom-loading tape. If you're using a tripod, changing tapes can be annoying. The other item is the touch screen. It seems durable enough right now, but how will it stand up over time? it would be nice if there was a stylist (like a PDA) to help reduce the wear grubby fingers can have on the screen. Other than those two things, I'm really happy with the camera

The DCRTRV38 is a great Digital Camcorder - as long as it works. Mine is 1.5 years old, has had light use (about 10 hours of video recorded) and has had no abuse. It no longer plays video back on a TV, and after hours with Sony support, it appears the A/V out no longer works.

I wouldn't be concerned, but when you start to search on line - you begin to realize that Sony has tons of problems with the entire line of Digital Camcorders. They don't seem to be fixing the problem, and ask for a lot of money to fix the problem - estimated at $269 for this repair (on an $800 unit).

I have to say, in dealing with the problem, Sony support is spectacular. The on-line knowlege base took me quickly to a relevant troubleshooting procedure. When it didn't solve the problem, it offered me a choice to do an interactive chat with support. I did that and it worked very well, though it ended with the determination that the unit was malfunctioning. It would be great if everyone emulated Sony support.

Can't see how a camcorder could be any better unless it were bigger. Easy to use (even my wife uses this one - she never used our Panasonic). We Bought this instead of the Sony DVD Camcorder because of the Good Reviews on this and the bad ones on the Sony DVD model. So glad we bought this one.

The nightshot is awesome. Definitely buy a larger battery and extra tapes.