Sony CCD-TRV67 Hi8 Camcorder - Almost Digital Quality For Analog Price
Written: May 11 '01
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Pros: Low price for almost digital quality, features, 2.5" LCD, InfoLithium, stabilizer
Cons: It's analog, so there is some noise introduced by media
The Bottom Line: If you are not ready for digital camcorder, or it is too expensive, the TRV67 is a great buy.
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| dkozin's Full Review: Sony Handycam CCD-TRV67 Hi-8 Analog Camcorder |
The Sony DCR-TRV67 is a Hi8 camcorder, which produces pictures that approach the quality of some digital models, at a lower price. And it is the best consumer -grade non-digital camcorder on the market.
Hi8
The camcorder uses Hi8 tapes, which are smaller than VHS-C, but larger in size than MiniDV. The tape can hold up to 150 minutes in the standard SP mode, which increases in LP mode (with some loss in picture quality).
The camcorder also plays back 8mm tapes. The 120-minute Hi8 tape costs around $5, with 8mm 120-minut tapes costing about $2. As you can see, the tapes are as inexpensive as camcorder itself.
Hi8 camcorders store sound in digital format, but picture is stored in analog format at resolution of about 400 lines (comparable to Super VHS and S-VHS-C). VHS, VHS-C and 8mm format store video at 240 lines of resolution. And, unlike VHS and S-VHS, which store sound in analog form, the sound in both Hi8 and 8mm is digital.
Picture Quality
The picture quality, although a little worse than middle-level digital models, is very good and comparable to some cheap digital camcorders. Although the Hi8 is analog format, which produces some video noise, often the CCD, optics and electronics of the camcorder limit the picture quality. Cheap digital camcorders often don’t use all 500 lines of resolution advertised.
The camcorder uses 320,000-pixel CCD, which is a little lower than in digital models, but higher than in some inexpensive analog ones. The use of LP speed decreases picture quality and does not make much sense, since the tapes are quite cheap at $5 for 2 hours. The camcorder records Hi-Fi mono sound.
Zoom
The camcorder has impressive 20x optical zoom, with variable zoom speed. The digital zoom allows you to achieve up to 360x magnification, which is usually too much to be useful.
LCD
The camcorder features a 2.5” LCD in addition to a viewfinder. The LCD is easy to view in sunlight. The camcorder uses more energy when you use the LCD, so if you plan to shoot for a long time with one battery, you will need an optional battery of higher capacity.
Image Stabilizer
The camcorder uses digital image stabilizer called SteadyShoot. It works very well, removing unwanted picture shake.
Special Effects
The camcorder has 6 program AE, 4 different A/V fader modes, 8 picture effects and 16:9 widescreen recording. You can shoot in total darkness using IR-recording capability called NightShot. The camcorder also has a built-in video light (which can drain the battery very fast). The TRV67 also has Control-L (LANC) editing interface.
Remote Control
The camcorder comes with a remote control that is useful when viewing your recordings and controlling the TRV67 remotely. Some cheap camcorders come without the remote and even few MiniDV digital ones that cost $600 and up have remote as optional equipment. TRV67 comes with it.
Battery
The standard InfoLithium can be used for different periods of time, depending on LCD and light use. You can get batteries of larger capacity if you need more time. You can see the remaining time on the screen, and it is accurate up to one minute.
Bottom Line
If you are not ready for digital camcorder, or it is too expensive, the TRV67 is a great buy. You get quality as close to digital as it gets for hundreds less.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
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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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