Sony DCR-TRV130 Digital 8 Camcorder - Not Exactly TRV120 Replacement
Written: May 31 '01 (Updated Aug 04 '01)
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Pros: Inexpensive, excellent picture and sound, features
Cons: Less features than TRV120 had, no 8mm/Hi8 playback, no analog passthrough
The Bottom Line: The excellent picture quality and ease of use make TRV130 a great choice. But some functions of TRV120 were lost (or moved to TRV230) in transition
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| dkozin's Full Review: Sony Handycam DCR-TRV130 Digital-8 Camcorder |
The Sony DCR-TRV130 is a Digital 8™ camcorder. Which means that you can save money on tapes: Digital 8 camcorders use regular 8mm or Hi-8 tapes instead of MiniDV.
The Sony DCR-TRV130 is not exactly a replacement for TRV120. Although the model numbers are very similar, TRV130 adds some features and removes others. More features were removed than added, which is one of the reasons the TRV130 is less expensive than TRV120 was.
Previously, you would have to select between TRV120 and TRV320 (which adds MemoryStick, and timer features). Now, you have a choice of TRV130, 230 and 330.
What Was Added
The TRV120 has some issues with noise in dark scenes, when the camcorder automatically increases exposure to bring up the brightness level in the dark areas (it doesn’t happen if the scene has some bright areas). It can be corrected by either selecting different Auto Exposure (AE) mode or pushing the “Exposure” button on the rear of the camcorder (by the battery) and rotating the wheel to decrease the exposure.
To avoid this issue and improve picture quality in dark scenes, the new TRV130 has a built-in light (which TRV120 lacks). The drawback would be the lower battery life when you use it.
Also, the digital zoom now goes up to 560x, but I believe it is a useless feature, since:
1. You are unlikely to use it to its full capability.
2. The image becomes “pixelated” at high zoom levels.
What Was Removed
1. This model does not play 8mm/Hi8 tapes! The TRV120 allows you to play your old 8mm/Hi8 tapes, but the new TRV130 does not.
2. The optical zoom decreased from 25x to 20x.
3. Analog input with passthrough is gone.
Make Sure You Register It Online
Although the manual says nothing about it, when you register the camcorder online, instead of by mail, you get $20 discount on the accessories in the “Sony Style” online store. The discount applies to any accessory that is in the booklet supplied with the camcorder. I got a camcorder bag for $20 and with a $20 discount paid only $6 for shipping (the bag has only one small pocket, so if you want to put all your accessories and some tapes in it, you need a more expensive model).
Digital 8
The digital camcorders usually use MiniDV cassettes, which are small and specially designed for use with digital camcorders. However, they are expensive and incompatible with “regular” 8mm or Hi-8 camcorders and VCRs.
Digital 8 camcorders, on the other hand, use regular 8mm or Hi-8 tapes, but performs digital recording, increasing the speed of tape travel twice compared to their analog counterparts. Although Digital 8™ camcorders are usually backward compatible with 8mm or Hi-8 tapes – they can play your old 8mm or Hi-8 recordings, TRV130 is not (see above).
The drawback: you cannot play your Digital 8™ recordings on regular 8mm or Hi-8 machines – only on Digital 8 equipment. Additionally, 8mm tapes are bigger in size than MiniDV.
Note: Although Sony recommends to use Hi8 tapes for D8, regular 8mm tapes will do fine. Sony recommends to play 8mm tapes on the same camcorder that was used to record them. D8 camcorders can record at SP speed (120-minute Hi8 tape holds 60 minutes of digital video) or LP speed (120-minute Hi8 tape holds 90 minutes). But Sony recommends to play the LP-recorded tapes on the same camcorder. And you cannot record in LP on a 8mm tape – even if you set it to LP mode, the recording will be in SP. To be able to record in LP, you have to buy Hi8 tapes, which are more expensive.
120-minute Hi8 tapes (which hold 60 minutes in D8 SP mode, 90 in LP mode) currently cost $4-4.50 at Target, 8mm tapes of the same capacity can be bought for $2-3.
Performance And Features
The camcorder allows you to have up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution, no analog noise and digital sound. You can record on the most popular cassette format within the camcorder industry - 8mm tapes, which are several times cheaper than MiniDV tapes. The advertised 500-line resolution limit (same as MiniDV) is usually limited by the picture that camcorder’s optics, CCD and electronics can produce.
The picture quality of TRV130 is excellent and, since the recording is digital, should not deteriorate as time goes by. The built-in light and the ability to manually adjust shutter speed and exposure help you to deal with low light situations.
Sound
The camcorder uses Digital Audio Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) - similar to CD recording technology, with 12-Bit or 16-Bit modes, for a dynamic range of more than 96dB. In 12-bit mode you can have two soundtracks, 16-bit mode provides better sound quality at high frequencies.
Zoom
The TRV130 has 20x optical zoom and 560x digital zoom (which, as I said before, is too powerful to use to its full capability). Additionally, there is a Sony's SteadyShot® image stabilizer, which uses motion sensors to remove unwanted picture shake, and it works great even at high magnification levels.
The stabilizer works very well and optical zoom is usually sufficient. You can set three levels of zoom using the menu: optical zoom only, digital zoom 1 and digital zoom 2. The variable-speed zoom allows you to zoom in and out very slowly, giving your video more professional look.
Features
The camcorder has both a B&W viewfinder and a 2.5" LCD with good visibility in sunlight. The brightness of the LCD is controlled by the rocker switch on the edge of the LCD, color is controlled through the menu.
The TRV130 also allows you to shoot still pictures using Digital Photo Mode. You press the button slightly and the picture freezes on the LCD, if you are satisfied with the result, you press the button with a bit more force and the camcorder writes the picture on the tape. You can later find the pictures among the video segments using “Photo Search” mode from the supplied remote.
The camcorder allows you store hundreds of still pictures on the tape. It has 7-mode program AE, edit search and TBC (Time Base Correction), 16:9 mode and LP recording capability (on Hi8 tape only). You also get manual focus and manual exposure in addition to automatic ones.
There is no ring to control the manual focus, so it is less easy to use the manual focus feature than in other models. The button on the back of the camcorder allows you to switch between manual and automatic focus.
You can enlarge images during playback by 2x, but the process is somewhat cumbersome.
The camcorder also features an intelligent accessory shoe, which accepts accessories ranging from lights, IR lights and photo printers to microphones that “zoom” with the camcorder.
The camcorder has digital effects and picture effects can be used independently (some of them can be combined). The cool A/V fader modes I like include “dot” and “bounce”. You can also manually adjust (if you want, otherwise it’s automatic) shutter speed and exposure, which might be helpful in low light conditions.
You can also shoot in total darkness with Sony’s Super NightShot™, which enables you to shoot subjects up to 10 feet away using a built-in infrared light; the optional IR light can extend the range to up to 100 feet. The NightShot™ System provides better overall picture quality by automatically selecting from two shutter speeds. The built-in infrared light can be switched on and off using the menu. You loose the color when you use NightShot though.
Data Code
The camcorder records so-called “Data Code” on the tape in digital form separately from the picture. Data includes the date, time and recording parameters. This leads to the ability to search for recording by date (you have to use the supplied remote control). You can also see the information about the recording conditions as well as date/time by pressing the “Data Code” button under the LCD.
Inputs
The camcorder has the following inputs: A/V out, S-Video out, i.Link in/out (FireWire, IEEE 1394) and headphone out. The i.Link® Digital Interface (IEEE1394, FireWire) is a two-way input/output that carries digital audio, digital video and control signals to compatible digital VCRs, edit controllers and computers.
VCR
The VCR mode allows you to see your material and transfer it to a VCR or other devices using i.Link, A/V out or S-Video. When you switch to it, the VCR buttons appear on the upper black panel, backlit by the amber light (they are invisible in other modes).
When in “camera” mode, you can use “Edit Search” to look through the material to find the insertion point, or use “End Search” button, located under the LCD to find the end of your last recording. You can also use the supplied remote for advanced search.
Super Laser Link
The camcorder also has a Super Laser Link® Wireless Transmitter, which uses infrared light to make a wireless connection from your camcorder to your television. The transmitter is built-in, so you can buy a receiver and connect your camcorder wirelessly. The Super Laser Link system features a transmission range up to 26 feet.
You can buy a receiver (IFT-R20) and connect your camcorder wirelessly to the TV or other equipment. Some Sony TV models will even switch to the appropriate channel when signal from the IFT-R20 is received.
Battery
In spite the information some “educators” in online stores can give you, the supplied F330 InfoLithium® Battery lasts more than 30 minutes (more like 50-70) and no "memory effect", that “old” Ni-Cad had. You can always see the approximate remaining power: AccuPower™ meter shows you the remaining battery time in minutes on the camcorder's LCD or viewfinder. The estimate is usually very accurate.
You can also get optional batteries (InfoLithium-L series) of larger capacity (like “4-hour” F550). The power cord can be connected to the camcorder while the battery is attached and the external power also charges the camcorder while it is in the “off” mode. Stamina® Power Management cuts power consumption and extended battery life when camera is not in use.
Remote Control
The camcorder comes with a remote control that features some functions that are unavailable without it (slow motion playback, frame-by-frame, date search, photo search, photo scan). The remote also has a rocker switch to control the zoom (but it is one-speed and somewhat slow) and a Record/Stop button. The batteries are included.
There are other features I didn’t mention – after all, the camcorder comes with a huge manual :-) .
Bottom Line
The excellent picture quality and ease of use make TRV130 a great choice. Although some functions of TRV120 were lost (or moved to TRV230) in transition, the lower price compensates for it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 459
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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Location: California
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About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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