Tough enough for a pro wrestler, easy enough for your 6 year old!
Written: Aug 15 '05
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Pros: Chock full of features for an affordable price!
Cons: The included software leaves something to be desired.
The Bottom Line: Whether you're a budget buyer or somebody who needs to do something on a more professional level, this camera most certainly fits the bill and the budget!
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| kamnet's Full Review: Sony Handycam® DCR-TRV260 Digital-8 Camcorder |
As some of you may know, I work in the rough-and-tumble world of professional wrestling as a photographer. I've had more requests this year for getting video of wrestlers. Sometimes the wrestlers can provide you with a camera, but most of the time they cannot. Being able to provide this service has been invaluable.
I've used many high end and low end cameras over the last few years, and in the end I settled on something in the middle. The Sony Handicam DCR-TRV260 definitely earns its "Best Buy" reputation by delivering a lot of nice features at an affordable price point.
One of the first things I like to discuss is the virtues of Digital8 over other formats. Digital8 is a format that I think is best aimed at the home consumer at this time. I had grown to love Mini-DV, but the tapes are expensive, the camcorders are expensive, and they're only really popular with people on the higher end. Don't get me wrong, it's a great format and the video and sound quality can rarely be beat for a tape format.
I really wanted a Mini-DV camera, but the price was just too prohibitive, especially for lack of features on lower end models. However, I was surprised to discover that Digital8 uses the exact same digital compression technology at Mini-DV. The quality of the audio and video is still there. The cameras are much less expensive and are more featured-packed, and the cassettes are about 50% cheaper and generally run the same length (about 90 minutes). A Sony Digital8 camera definitely wins out here.
Because it is using a digital format, it allows Sony and other manufacturers to introduce probably the most useful feature - USB and Firewire streaming. This means you can take your camera and plug it directly into a computer and copy your video over with a direct digital conversion onto DVD or whatever media format you like (RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, MPEG, VCD, SVCD, etc). The result is a much nicer, sharper video compared to analog transfers, and you're doing it much faster since you're not waiting on frame captures, just transfer of data bits. In addition, if you have a newer DVD recorder for your home entertainment system that has FireWire inputs, it makes it VERY easy to just dub your videos onto inexpensive blank DVD media. Which means you have to buy fewer videotapes, you can more easily share your videos with friends and family, and you save a TON of space in media storage.
And because it is digital, and because you can connect it to your computer ... it also becomes one of the nicest webcams you could ever have! I'm not dealing with small pictures, small resolutions, poor color quality, lack of features, etc. It's just flat out amazing.
So I guess I'm done gushing over all things digital! I think it has everything that a modern camcorder should be able to do - easy zoom function, color LCD display, control of the audio and video quality on the camera, and good quality picture. The Sony DCR-TRV260 does all this just fine. All the basic controls are easy enough to access using the hand holding the camera, the rest of the buttons are just as easy to access with your free hand because they're in the area where the LCD folds in, and they're not hard to find if you're just guessing, even easier once you remember the layout. The supplied analog video cable lets you easily dub your taps onto VHS or other analog formats, the provided USB cable lets you do the same for your computer. Surprisingly no FireWire cable is provided.
The software is simple to use, but not necessiarly easy to use. If you've never done any sort of video editing on the computer before you should be able to enjoy this, however if you do have such experience you will find that the provided software is more of a disappointment than anything.
Battery life ... there's just never enough battery life! Without the LCD on, you get about 2 hours of video, with the LCD on you get about 45 minutes of video. It is definitely suggested that you either purchase a second battery or buy upgraded batteries with longer life on them. I would also suggest putting some money into an extra battery charger so you don't have to keep the camera hooked up to charge. I opted for the second battery, as I was able to get a generic brand battery on clearance for $8 (the generics usually retail $40, the official Sony batteries are around $60).
So, just how good is it? As I hinted in my title, it's tough enough for the wrestlers. I crafted a custom mount to place on a pole near the wrestling ring ... a pole that the wrestlers have a tendency to slam each other into when the brawling spills outside! The Steady-Shot technology still gives me a clear pictures that doesn't jerk all over the place, and there's no internal damage. As I also hinted in my title, easy enough for a six year old. My kids have had no problems lugging it around and shooting videos with it. They have to use two hands to do it, but not a difficult task for them, and it's light enough that they don't complain about arms hurting.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 289.00
Recommended for: Budget Buyers - Best Values to Fit the Budget
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Epinions.com ID:
kamnet
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Member: Kevin Fields
Location: Mt. Sterling, KY
Reviews written: 71
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Web site designer & host in KY, MWM, 29, 3 kids
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