Sony Handycam DCR-TRV310E Digital-8 Camcorder
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- Recording System: NTSC
- Camcorder Type: Digital
- Recording Media: Digital-8
- Optical Zoom: 20x
- Weight: 2.1 lb.
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A lot of camcorder for less cash
Pros
Relatively inexpensive, Infolithium battery, PC connectivity, lots of features.
Cons
Problems with color accuracy when used indoors.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you're shopping for a new camcorder and you want to go digital without breaking the bank, Sony offers a way to do this.
When writing reviews on camcorders, I'm working under the assumption that most people who are shopping for camcorders are planning on using them mostly for family purposes. Vacations, new births and weddings etc. I'm also assuming they're looking for something that's reasonably priced and yet still has a good measure of features.
When I shop for a camcorder, my criteria is somewhat different. I rarely use my camcorders for family documentation. I'm into video mostly as a hobby. I look for high quality video and audio with features that you often don't find on most consumer camcorders.
Sony's line of Digital8 camcorders fills a particular niche in the world of consumer camcorders. They offer digital quality to folks who want it but can't always quite afford the somewhat more pricey Mini DV camcorders. Or at least that was the original concept. Some of the Digital8 camcorders that are being sold now exceed the price of an entry level Mini DV camcorder by several hundred dollars. This particular model, I believe is now selling for about the same price as comparable models from Panasonic and JVC.
The major difference between Digital8 and Mini DV is in the tape format they use. Mini DV requires a newer type of tape developed specifically for Digital video, while digital8 can record the same digital signal on plain old 8mm tape.
I was a very early buyer of Digital8. When I bought mine, the prices of Mini DV camcorders were still well in excess of $1,000. Also, the prices of Mini DV cassettes were quite a bit higher than they are now.
The Picture
If you're even considering buying any of the Digital8 camcorders, there is one thing that I feel I need to let potential buyers of these camcorders know. This is not just a problem that is particular to my own personal unit but all of the Digital8 camcorders that I've used and tried out in the stores. There is a problem with color accuracy with these units. Especially under artificial light.
When I first got mine, I was thrilled with the resolution and picture quality of the first five minutes of footage that I shot. Then, I looked closer and noticed that everything seemed to have an off color, reddish hue. I thought maybe I just had my TV adjusted wrong so I tried bumping down the tint a little more toward the green. That helped a little but then flesh tones still didn't look natural. I can't describe it exactly but it just doesn't look right.
The carpet in my apartment is a light tan color. In the videos I have shot with this camcorder, it appears to have more of a rose color. If slight color problems like this don't bother you, you'll probably be pretty pleased with the picture quality. However, I find off color videos to be distracting and quite annoying so the problems with the color knocks off a few points for Sony in my opinion. There is no white balance control on these camcorders so there's no way to try to correct this.
Sony has built a reputation for quality in the world of video equipment. Some of it well deserved and some not. It has gotten to the point to where it's possible for Sony to slap their name on just about anything, without having to worry about living up to their reputation for excellence and perfection and have a guaranteed winner in sales.
The color accuracy, detail and exposure are actually quite good on these camcorders under natural light. everything pretty much looks as it should when shooting outdoor footage.
The Sound
The Digital stereo audio sounds great. Especially for sound coming from a built in microphone. I have no complaints in the area of audio.
The Infolithium Battery Pack
Sony has to be commended for the features on these camcorders. One feature in particular that is really outstanding is Sony's infoLITHIUM battery system. This pretty much puts an end to the days when you didn't know exactly when your battery was going to crap out on you. In some other camcorders, the only indication you have of how much energy your battery has remaining is a little three segment battery meter in your viewfinder that takes away one segment at a time as the power level decreases. This gives you a general idea of how long you have but it's not very accurate at all.
With Infolithium, on the other hand, the viewfinder displays how much time you have left in minutes. I've used my camcorder quite a bit and found this system to be very accurate down to three minutes or so.
I don't like the built in battery charger on these camcorders. If you have several battery packs, you can't use one battery while charging another unless you buy a separate charger.
Nightshot
This is one of those features that Sony has long hyped. It is basically a small infrared light that's built into the front of the camcorder that projects a squarish infrared beam onto your subject. Yes, it does allow you to record subjects in total darkness (With a heavy greenish cast). However, how often do you really think you're going to need this? It's fun to play around with but I could live without it.
Digital Zoom
This is, in my opinion, one of the most over hyped features on camcorders these days. Zooming in to anything over 12x becomes almost impossible to hold steady enough to get anything useful. The 20x optical zoom is more than adequate for almost anything you can imagine. The digital zoom feature is not only useless, but at it's most extreme range, it degrades your picture to a mass of unrecognizable mass of pixels. Don't let any flashy salesman convince you to buy any one particular model of camcorder over another based completely on it's zoom.
Other features
These units also have quite a few other features including:
*Manual focus
*Manual exposure
*Programmed auto exposure
*Digital Photo capability
*1394 Firewire for digital editing
*Digital stereo audio
*Intelligent accessory shoe
This camcorder also has one other useful feature. It has audio/video inputs. This gives you the ability to record from other video formats and transfer analog video to your PC for editing.
Conclusion
These units are pretty solid performers with lots of features. Sony gets demerits from me for the problems with the color, but other than that, I've been quite happy with mine for over a year and have had no maintenance problems. If you don't use a camcorder very often but you've decided to buy a Digital8, you may want to look into the least expensive models available. You'll still get most of the features and identical audio and video quality and you'll save some money in the process. I've seen Digital8 models selling for as little as $535
When I shop for a camcorder, my criteria is somewhat different. I rarely use my camcorders for family documentation. I'm into video mostly as a hobby. I look for high quality video and audio with features that you often don't find on most consumer camcorders.
Sony's line of Digital8 camcorders fills a particular niche in the world of consumer camcorders. They offer digital quality to folks who want it but can't always quite afford the somewhat more pricey Mini DV camcorders. Or at least that was the original concept. Some of the Digital8 camcorders that are being sold now exceed the price of an entry level Mini DV camcorder by several hundred dollars. This particular model, I believe is now selling for about the same price as comparable models from Panasonic and JVC.
The major difference between Digital8 and Mini DV is in the tape format they use. Mini DV requires a newer type of tape developed specifically for Digital video, while digital8 can record the same digital signal on plain old 8mm tape.
I was a very early buyer of Digital8. When I bought mine, the prices of Mini DV camcorders were still well in excess of $1,000. Also, the prices of Mini DV cassettes were quite a bit higher than they are now.
The Picture
If you're even considering buying any of the Digital8 camcorders, there is one thing that I feel I need to let potential buyers of these camcorders know. This is not just a problem that is particular to my own personal unit but all of the Digital8 camcorders that I've used and tried out in the stores. There is a problem with color accuracy with these units. Especially under artificial light.
When I first got mine, I was thrilled with the resolution and picture quality of the first five minutes of footage that I shot. Then, I looked closer and noticed that everything seemed to have an off color, reddish hue. I thought maybe I just had my TV adjusted wrong so I tried bumping down the tint a little more toward the green. That helped a little but then flesh tones still didn't look natural. I can't describe it exactly but it just doesn't look right.
The carpet in my apartment is a light tan color. In the videos I have shot with this camcorder, it appears to have more of a rose color. If slight color problems like this don't bother you, you'll probably be pretty pleased with the picture quality. However, I find off color videos to be distracting and quite annoying so the problems with the color knocks off a few points for Sony in my opinion. There is no white balance control on these camcorders so there's no way to try to correct this.
Sony has built a reputation for quality in the world of video equipment. Some of it well deserved and some not. It has gotten to the point to where it's possible for Sony to slap their name on just about anything, without having to worry about living up to their reputation for excellence and perfection and have a guaranteed winner in sales.
The color accuracy, detail and exposure are actually quite good on these camcorders under natural light. everything pretty much looks as it should when shooting outdoor footage.
The Sound
The Digital stereo audio sounds great. Especially for sound coming from a built in microphone. I have no complaints in the area of audio.
The Infolithium Battery Pack
Sony has to be commended for the features on these camcorders. One feature in particular that is really outstanding is Sony's infoLITHIUM battery system. This pretty much puts an end to the days when you didn't know exactly when your battery was going to crap out on you. In some other camcorders, the only indication you have of how much energy your battery has remaining is a little three segment battery meter in your viewfinder that takes away one segment at a time as the power level decreases. This gives you a general idea of how long you have but it's not very accurate at all.
With Infolithium, on the other hand, the viewfinder displays how much time you have left in minutes. I've used my camcorder quite a bit and found this system to be very accurate down to three minutes or so.
I don't like the built in battery charger on these camcorders. If you have several battery packs, you can't use one battery while charging another unless you buy a separate charger.
Nightshot
This is one of those features that Sony has long hyped. It is basically a small infrared light that's built into the front of the camcorder that projects a squarish infrared beam onto your subject. Yes, it does allow you to record subjects in total darkness (With a heavy greenish cast). However, how often do you really think you're going to need this? It's fun to play around with but I could live without it.
Digital Zoom
This is, in my opinion, one of the most over hyped features on camcorders these days. Zooming in to anything over 12x becomes almost impossible to hold steady enough to get anything useful. The 20x optical zoom is more than adequate for almost anything you can imagine. The digital zoom feature is not only useless, but at it's most extreme range, it degrades your picture to a mass of unrecognizable mass of pixels. Don't let any flashy salesman convince you to buy any one particular model of camcorder over another based completely on it's zoom.
Other features
These units also have quite a few other features including:
*Manual focus
*Manual exposure
*Programmed auto exposure
*Digital Photo capability
*1394 Firewire for digital editing
*Digital stereo audio
*Intelligent accessory shoe
This camcorder also has one other useful feature. It has audio/video inputs. This gives you the ability to record from other video formats and transfer analog video to your PC for editing.
Conclusion
These units are pretty solid performers with lots of features. Sony gets demerits from me for the problems with the color, but other than that, I've been quite happy with mine for over a year and have had no maintenance problems. If you don't use a camcorder very often but you've decided to buy a Digital8, you may want to look into the least expensive models available. You'll still get most of the features and identical audio and video quality and you'll save some money in the process. I've seen Digital8 models selling for as little as $535
