Sony DCR-TRV38 - Recommended buy
Written: Jan 10 '04
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Pros: Excellent video quality, nice fit to your hand, large LCD, touch screen
Cons: Lack of control buttons other than touch screen, low light quality
The Bottom Line: I would recommend the purchase of the Sony TRV-38 for excellent quality home style movies. It is easy to learn and use.
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| jdfresno's Full Review: Sony DCR-TRV38 Mini DV Digital Camcorder |
Overall I am very satisfied with the Sony TRV-38. I have owned Panosonics and JVC units, and the TRV-38 is by far the best unit I have used. The 10x zoom is a limitation of the Carl Zeiss lens, which is a good trade of quality over quantity. When using 26x on my Panosonic I had to use a tripod for anything over 16x. I have taped videos from whale watching on bright sunny days to night videos of my elaborate Halloween display. All had excellent video quality with the exception of low light video which came out darker than other brands I have used, as well as slightly grainy. The 0 lux Super Night Shot worked excellent though and reminded me of military Starlight scopes.
The TRV-38 is well rounded with the most used features and the software seemed to complete although not very intuitive. I use XP's software anyway, so I didn't spend much time with it. I use the video camera a lot on my job as a repair estimator. The 3.5" screen is great for showing retired, physically limited and acrophobic customers the condition of their roofs and other areas that are hard for them to see.
On the down side, although I love the touch screen feature, this video camera would be much easier to use in bright daylight if it had button controls that would work with the view finder. It is hard to see any part of your image in bright daylight and I had to learn to approximate where on the screen to push for spot focus and spot meter. I would hold the camera still and push in the area I thought my "spot" was, then close the LCD to activate the view finder to see if I had pushed the right spot. This is really the only snafu I have found with the TRV-38.
All in all, I am happy with my purchase and would recommend it if you are looking for a quality sub-pro video camera.
In regards to other reviews I have read here, I have absolutely no added noise and actually the audio quality is excellent. Although I also bought the biggest smart battery, which lasts me for many hours, the supplied battery gives me about 2.5 hours use when using the LCD. Yes, the rubber connector cover is a bit cheesy but it should last years if I am careful with it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 899
Recommended for: Home and Families - Keep Memories of Family Vacations
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Epinions.com ID:
jdfresno
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Reviews written: 2
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