Sony Handycam DCR-TRV250 Studio - Camcorder - 540 Kpix - optical zoom: 20 x - Digital8
by Sony
Our Price: $195.00
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SonyModel: DCR-TRV 250
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Handycam DCR-TRV250 Studio - Camcorder - 540 Kpix - optical zoom: 20 x - Digital8
Customer Review: Still the best after all these years. New camcorders pale in comparison
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this camcorder for about 4 years now and I have to say it is the best. I was recently in the market for a new camcorder simply because I wanted to update my video equipment. I decided to look into several different formats and I have to tell you that the quality of the new camcorders are horrible as compared to this.
The New camcorders (Optional Reading)
I have tried several camcorders as I was looking for a light weight smaller camcorder. Let me tell you about my experience. The first camcorder I purchased was a Hitachi Hybrid Camcorder DV-HS500A. This is a combination Hard Disk Drive and DVD camcorder that I got open box at Circuit City. I was very impressed with it for about four hours. When it got dark I noticed that the picture quality is horrible in low light. I tried all settings and I must tell you it was of no avail, so off I went back to Circuit City. I then bought a JVC GRD-850 which was a great
camcorder except I could not download any video to the PC. This is because it had a firewire port however it was disabled. Finally, I tried a Panasonic PV-GS85 but the picture quality was way off and washed out. Not to mention the grainy video in low light. This is when I finally gave up.
The DCR-TRV250
The big thing about this sony camcorder is its many features. The biggest feature is the availablilty of the HI-8 Camcorder tapes. Why is this a feature? because its cheap. Best of all, each tape holds 120 mins of
recording. A MiniDV tape holds 60 mins max, a DVD 30 mins and a Flash drive....well it depends on the Flash Drive. Right now the only thing that holds more time is a Hard Drive Camcorder.
Picture Quality
Pictures quality is live and vibrant and accurately reproduces the true colors of the scene.
Night shooting
Because of the 1/6" single CCD night shots are incredible. Very little grain, if any at all. The best thing is the bright light built into the unit and Night-Shot which gives you night vision.
Still Camera
This is not one of the best features. The camera is < 1MP and records onto the tape, but trust me your better off using a digital camera.
Battery Life
The supplied battery last about 1 hour depending on if your using the LCD or the viewfinder. I recommend the viewfinder. The extended life battery lasts about 4 hours. I tend to use both batteries.
Backlighting
Here is a feature that I like, if the background is brighter than the foreground (ie. the sun is behind you) you can press the backlight button to brighten your face. CAUTION: Do not point the camera directly into the sun, it will damage the CCD Sensor.
Output and Connectivity
The Camera comes with the a S-Video connector to connect to a TV's S-Video port, a A/V Out connector to connect to the RCA Connector, Firewire to connect to the computer and a USB Port as another connection to the computer.
Overall this is a great camcorder however it is not without its caveats.
1. Its Heavy.
2. It does not interface with Vista.
3. Large compared to newer camcorders.
4. No memory stick slot.
The good points.
1. Stable and proven technology
2. Night vision
3. Excellent in low light conditions.
4. Backlighting.
5. Video light.
6. In-expensive tapes and 120 mins in LP Mode.
7. Download videos to PC using most available video software (ex. Windows Movie Maker)
8. Adjustable viewfinder.
A great buy. Pick this up if you can. Many people still search for this camcorder as it is backwards compatible with 8mm tapes.
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