Smallest camcorder period, but should you wait for the next one?
Written: Mar 24 '02
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Pros: Super small, long battery life, "cool" factor.
Cons: New (untested) format, MPEG2 only - not raw DV, pricey.
The Bottom Line: If you want the newest, coolest, smallest - this is it. If you want the best picture, look elsewhere.
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| mosborne76's Full Review: Sony Handycam® DCR-IP7BT Micro MV Camcorder |
Sure it’s the smallest…
It really is. I saw this first at the Photo Marketing Association conference mid-february at the Sony booth. I was stunned at the size, it really is pocketable and even with the mid-range battery stays small enough to make you want to take it anywhere. That’s why I was interested – I have a TRV30 and love the quality, but its still just a bit too big to pass as a ‘take anywhere’ camera. I bought the IP7BT as soon as I could find one for a good price, $1400 from BHPhotoVideo.com, and tried it out…
Thinner isn’t always better…
The camera won me over because of its size, but I was really jaded by the performance and quality of the TRV30. I loved carrying around the IP7, but the screen is washed out and much smaller (of course) than the TRV30. I found myself wanting the bigger better screen on the little camera. I wasn’t unimpressed with it, but honestly the TRV30’s screen is amazing. Hard prejudices to get over…
Quality is amazing, but not as amazing as I’ve seen…
The quality over Hi-8, VHS-C, etc is definitely noticeable. The colors are vibrant, the resolution seems higher than what you’d be used to, and overall I was satisfied. I’ve seen better, but you have to sacrifice something right? You can’t have it be the size of thick wallet without giving up something – so you give up a bit of picture quality and low-light capabilities. The light issue is noticeable on the TRV30, but on the IP7 its something that made me take it back. That’s just me though – if you’re not filming a lot of night time events, parties by candlelight, whatever – then don’t worry about it.
So the decision was easy…we had to go our separate ways…
I decided to send the camera back. I had a TRV30 that I was going to either keep as a more “professional” camera, and use it for some other shoots – or dump it on eBay for a serious loss over the past 6 months. I decided that the IP7 needs to mature into a slightly more refined camera before I’m ready for MicroMV and a camera that small. It does have its advantages, so be sure to think before you leap – but for me the TRV30 won out.
The new stuff was cool though…
There were two new things that I liked about this camera – the MicroMV format, a blessing and a curse, and the Bluetooth connectivity. MicroMV is a cassette form factor that stores MPEG2 compressed digital video. At 11 mbit/s its less than half the data rate of MiniDV (raw DV) so there is a quality differential. Arguably most people who use MiniDV convert to MPEG2 eventually (or MPEG4 as of late) but with MicroMV you have no choice. What comes off the camera is already at MPEG2 compression, so that is something to consider. Also the Bluetooth connectivity may be just a complete extravagance. Its like having a hot-tub in your trunk – way cool, but most of the time it gets in the way. Bluetooth on the IP7 can be used for transferring the digital stills OR small MPEG1 compressed video clips, but the data rate of transfer is so slow that its impractical for anything other than the smallest clips. You can email straight from the camera using a service Sony has, but I didn’t even care to try that. You cannot capture footage from the camera wirelessly, so don’t even think that its possible. Just making sure you know…
It’s a great little camera, just be honest about why you want one and pick accordingly. If you want the smallest, newest, or coolest – this is it. If you want the best picture, then others are your answer…
-M
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1400
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Epinions.com ID:
mosborne76
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Member: Michael Osborne
Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 2 members
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