This base model Sony is probably the way to go.
Written: Mar 30 '02
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Pros: Lots of spiffy features for a low price.
Cons: Misleading battery life, difficult user interface, bad still photo quality.
The Bottom Line: I gave this camera four stars only because it is not a professional level camera. I think it is the best deal in its price range.
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| sureshot55's Full Review: Sony Handycam DCR-TRV120BT Digital-8 Camcorder |
Don't expect 12 hours battery life with your DCR-TRV120, unless you plan on spending an extra fifty bucks on a very bulky battery from Sony and not using your LCD. I average between 1-3 hours of battery life with the battery that came with my camcorder.
Although the camera is FILLED with cool features to add neat digital effects into your filming, some of these are hard to figure out how to access, since the camera is a bit cluttered with buttons around the LCD screen. If you don't use the camera every week, it may be hard remembering how to do some of this stuff, or you might forget you even have it.
Of these features, the Nightshot mode is one of the more impressive features of the camera. Most competing cameras don't offer it on comparable models.
I sometimes get annoyed because the lens cover falls out of its clip when using the camera, and swings around. There is also a pointless plastic cover that goes over some of the audio and video plugs. I removed this because i found it to get in the way.
Along those lines, the camera has a IEEE1934 (Firewire) plug on it, which is very nice for transferring your work onto a computer quickly and digitally for editing.
The 450x zoom is also very nice for the price. The auto focus and Steadyshot good features too. Perhaps the best overall part of the camera though is that is takes Digital 8 tapes. This is the main reason I bought it (I was looking for a low end inexpensive camera that recorded digitally).
The camera is compact, and not a burden to hold for long periods of time. It has a shoulder strap (which I removed), and it can also be mounted onto a tripod.
So not let the smaller LCD screen bother you. I find it to be large enough for any use (reviewing video, taping, taking snapshots, using as a viewfinder). It is crisp and has good contrast and color controls. All the functions are displayed on screen, and the display text is easy to read. I personally would rather a smaller, less fragile screen on a portable device like this. Paying for the larger screen on the higher end model seems a bit pointless (but unavoidable if you want the extra bells and whistles of the higher end models (the most advantageous being the memory stick for pictures).
Lastly, don't expect to double this camcorder up as a video camera and as a still photo camera. Although it does take pictures, it doesn't record them into memory- instead, 7 seconds or so of the image is saved onto the tape. This makes it hard to put onto a computer for digital sharing, and the quality of the pictures is poor (imagine pausing your VCR and using the still image on your TV as a picture). This is still i nice feature to have in case you want to take a quick snapshot for some reason.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 600
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Epinions.com ID:
sureshot55
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Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 5 members
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