Sony DCRTRV900 MiniDV Handycam Digital Video Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [4.62mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000206CT
• Item model number: DCRTRV900
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,903 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony now offers professional quality 3-CCD imaging in a consumer-friendly design, the CCD-TRV900. This model offers state-of-the-art video and still imaging with 3-CCDs for accurate color reproductions and progressive scanning for still images. Combine these with Optical SteadyShot and a wide array of other performance and convenience features and you have complete, professional-quality solution for both video and still imaging. Using Sony's unique Adaptive Frame Interpolation for better image quality, you can store over 700 individual still photos on a 60-minute tape in the LP Mode. Get creative with your video by changing the background to six different digital effects that also have variable levels (still, flash motion, luminance key, slow shutter, trail, and old movie). For added creativity there are six picture effects (slim, stretch, solarization, monotone, sepia, and negative art). Select from three different fader modes for the transition between scenes (black, overlap and monotone). The camcorder is encased in a magnesium alloy cabinet, making it both rugged and lightweight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

271 of 274 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Impressed, March 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV900 MiniDV Handycam Digital Video Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I've been using my 900 now for 9 months and I am very pleased with the quality of picture and manual controls. I previously only rented cameras and only used the Canon XL-1 and Sony VX1000 previously of which got me very interested in digital camcorders.

At first I had doubts about the 900 as it looks so much smaller and cheaper when compared to the XL-1 or VX1000. It just didn't give that professional look (You have to admit the XL-1 is pretty cool looking). That has been somewhat of a hinderance when making professional video productions and I show up with what looks like a small family video camera. So as first impressions go clients sometimes think your joking. But it wasn't long before people were very impressed with the picture and sound quality (I use seperate mics as in all camcorders I have found the built in mics pic up motor noise of the digital tape - for those who don't know these use MiniDV tapes so even though they are digital they still store the video on a cassette). On the plus side to being small camera it allows me to do things I couldn't do with the larger XL-1 and it is also lighter, easier to manoeuvre, and has a much more useful battery life.

I found the controls behind the LCD a little bothersome when I needed to quickly access those controls when the LCD is closed but fortunately most manual controls are easily accessible on the back or front of the camera. I also loved the manual audio level feature but I wished it had it on an outside knob/button and not have to select it from multiple pull down menus on the LCD screen. But I found the manual controls more useful than the VX1000. The XL-1 had easy to access manual controls as well and in fact if I had to choose I would pick the XL-1 controls setup over the TRV-900 but that could be because that was the first digital camera I learned to operate and get familiar with.

My video quality is I believe clearer for most shots on the 900 than the work I did on the XL-1 and it also was easier to avoid hot spots if an interview subject turns causing a bad reflection from the lighting as it has a nice zebra mode to show you hot spots. On the downside I did find the XL-1 a bit better in lower light levels and it has what I feel is a better quality lens which is also interchangeable. It is most likely due to the better lens on the XL-1 that it didn't resort to digital enhancements that washed out blacks to a slightly towards grey in poor light conditions when filming motion. The 900 has low light level settings but can only be used for still shots as the frame rate is too slow for normal video, but it does sharpen up a still image quite nicely in poor light.

Overall I am very happy with the product. I did a fair amount of research before buying it and it paid off for my needs. I was able to find I could get this camera along with XLR adapters and a basic steady cam for the same price it was going to cost me for just the XL-1. And I much preferred the 900 over the VX1000.

For those curious I use this camera to make video productions (mostly promotional videos) and I can obtain broadcast quality video using this camera along with a good video editing card on a PC. If you plan on purchasing a DV camera to make a production or even a movie I would recommend the TRV-900 or at least a digital camera with the 3CCD feature. (Yes you can have a DV recording converted to 35mm film for theatres but your looking at probably $45,000US plus for a 1.5hr feature and then there is the whole issue of getting someone to run with it).

If your interest is not in professional or near professional quality and don't want the expense of the 3CCD camera I would still highly recommend a digital camera (either DV or miniDV). I also use a TRV-9 and in good lighting it can come pretty close at first glance to my TRV-900 for sharpness. It also has a very cool night shot feature where you can get a black and white image in absolute blackness (only for about 10-20 feet from the camera though). The biggest advantage to digital video is it has a much higher bandwidth designated for image colors than your standard home video camera including Hi-8, VHS, S-VHS and even the Digital Hi-8 (which is in between Hi-8 and Digital Hi-8). Higher color bandwidth means a better picture quality and there is more information there for your editor to work with thus there is less loss in rendered edited video. The advantage of the 3CCD feature on cameras such as the TRV-900 means more realistic colors (one chip is dedicated for each of the 3 primary colors)

I hope this review is useful for those of you debating the should I get a 3CCD camera or not.

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like it even better now that I own one, July 17, 2000

By 

Jacob Hugart (Saint Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV900 MiniDV Handycam Digital Video Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I wrote a review after I had decided to purchase the DCR-TRV900 (see "Great for a Mac DV user"). Since then, I've had a few e-mails asking how it works in practice.

I have no trouble capturing video from my TRV900 to my Apple PowerBook G3 "Bronze." What I thought I expected was the size of DV video clips -- 16GB (yes, gigabytes) for one hour of video with sound. I ordered a 37GB drive, and now have an additional 75GB drive on backorder. Keep that in mind if you decide to do your own video editing on a computer.

I learned that you should record a signal across the entire MiniDV tape before you use it. This makes capturing easier, since unrecorded sections have no timecode, creating a 'new' zero-point for subsequent footage. The TRV900 has a very nice Color Bar feature which is perfect for this basic signal.

I never thought I'd use the flip-out LCD screen. I use it all the time. I did video 15 years ago in high school, and thought I preferred viewfinders. I was wrong. Further, you can flip it all the way around so your subject can see what the camera sees, and kids LOVE this. (The viewfinder starts working when you do this.)

One feature which has provided great entertainment is the Frame Recording. This will record about six frames of video and then pause. Using a tripod and the remote control, you can do a decent job of stop-motion animation.

I bought the 8-hour battery, and it was worth it. The included battery is next to useless for any recreational recording.

Finally, I got the PCMCIA adapter for the Memory Stick. The TRV900 has a PCMCIA slot for recording still images at 640x480 resolution, with varying compression levels, and I've used it a lot. (The progressive scan is always on for this Memory Mode; you can turn it on or off for Camcorder mode if you want video frames you can capture.) I also ended up buying Sony's USB Memory Stick reader so I don't have to remove my Ratoc FireWire card from my PowerBook.

Overall, I'd say this is an excellent camera for someone who wants to do home video editing and enjoys playing with the medium. For me, having fun is a big part of videotaping...this camera is a fun camera.

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pro Camcorder in Consumer Clothing, October 17, 2000

By 

David Garth (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony DCRTRV900 MiniDV Handycam Digital Video Camcorder with Builtin Digital Still Mode (Electronics)

I used to be a professional photographer, TV news videographer and news producer, so I was weaned on high quality broadcast quality TV pictures from expensive pro equipment. They are sharp, with excellent color and low noise. Consumer camcorders, even digital ones, left me cold. They just didn't cut it compared to the pro gear I had used. That is, until I saw the Sony TRV900.

This baby is really a sleeper. The picture quality from this 3 chip camera is professional quality. The picture is very sharp, digital artifacts are not noticeable, and the picture is amazingly noise free, even in marginal light. (In low light,it's noisy, like all CCD cameras.) Manual controls on almost everything let you tweak the picture as you learn more.

It doesn't look "pro" so it might not impress your friends, until they see the results. And the sound quality is not quite up to the picture quality, at least with the built in mics. But if you want to really do some fine quality videography which could be shown anywhere, even on network TV, this is your best choice.