Sony's DCR-TRV900: Simply the Best!

I bought the Sony DCR-TRV900 CamCorder in December 1999, and after nearly 2 years, I still think this was one of the best purchase decisions I have made. The TRV900 has proven to be a high-quality, reliable product.

I bought this camcorder in anticipation of my vacation to the Caribbean. I had done much research, and determined that miniDV was the way to go (at that time, the primary options were Hi8, Digital8, and miniDV). I wanted to be able to edit my home movies using a computer, and miniDV was clearly the best choice in terms of technology, emerging standards, and quality. After comparing many similar miniDV models, I finally decided on the Sony DCR-TRV900.

The following factors contributed to this decision:

- The 3-CCD imaging system reportedly produced the best image quality in a variety of lighting conditions, and I did not want to compromise on image quality.

- The TRV900 has a photo mode which allows you to use the camcorder as a digital camera, and the images can be saved to floppy disk or Sony Memory Stick.

- The TRV900 features a 12x optical zoom. This was the largest optical zoom factor available at the time on consumer models.

- The picture stabilization feature (Super SteadyShot).

- i.LINK DV Interface (IEEE1394) compliant.

- Sony's reputation for having reliable, top-quality products. Additionally, I have had much good personal experience using Sony products.

The image quality of the TRV900 is truly remarkable. When viewing the footage of my vacation, I was very happy with the clarity and richness of the images. The colors are captured with great accuracy and depth. The TRV900 is capable of recording with as little light as 4 lux, which means that even in low-light conditions, the video quality is great, without the need for additional lighting.

For the most part, I used the automatic focus, automatic exposure and automatic shutter speed, and this worked out quite well. Images are clear, focused, and captured at the correct exposure. However, sometimes there are situations in which you want to have more control over how the image is captured. In these cases, you will appreciate the ability to use the manual settings.

The Super SteadyShot Picture Stabilization feature helps to significantly reduce or eliminate the effects of camera shake. This is a great feature to have in general, but especially in situations in which you're on the move and do not have time to worry about trying to hold the camera steady. You'll also appreciate it if (like me) you have difficulty holding anything steady for minutes at a time. Another thing that helps to stabilize the picture is that the camera itself is well-balanced, easy to hold on to, and fairly light-weight. This is not the most compact model, but in many respects, it is perhaps one of the more tolerant ones available.

The zoom control is easy to operate, and produces a nice, smooth, controlled zoom while shooting. The zoom speed is variable, meaning that you can zoom in quickly for action shots, or if you are shooting landscape, you can perform a slow, gradual zoom.

A number of effects are available to use while shooting, including fade-in, fade-out, and black-and-white, among others. For the most part, I have found these easy to use, although it definitely requires some skill and know-how to use them well.

The sound quality from the built-in stereo microphone is adequate, and the sounds are in most circumstances clear and distortion free on playback. On a few vacations, I have recorded indoor and outdoor guided tours, and in all cases, the voice of the tour guide is clear and audible, even when I was at less than optimum distance from the tour guide.

I actually use the photo mode more than I had originally anticipated when I purchased the camera. Having this feature available in the camcorder sure beats having to carry around two devices, and for the most part the quality of the digital photographs is good. However, this is not a megapixel digital camera, and that's probably my chief complaint about it. The maximum resolution available is 640x480 (340k pixels). On the plus side, the images can be stored on Sony Memory Stick cartridges, which is great if you have other Sony devices that utilize this technology. The Memory Stick cartridges work much quicker, and they are much more compact than the floppy drive that is included with the unit.

The controls, for the most part, are well-placed, especially the ones that are used most often. However, this camcorder has a lot of features, and it is sometimes difficult (for me, at least) to remember how to perform a particular function.

The remote allows you to control all the functions of the VTR mode (eg, play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, stop), and many of the common functions of the camera mode (eg, start and stop recording, zoom in, and zoom out). This is a great convenience during play back, as well as when you have a situation where you want to start and stop a recording remotely. This works quite well when using a tripod to film yourself (and like many camcorders, this one allows you to flip the screen around so that you can monitor what is being recorded).

The TRV900 comes packaged with the NPF10 rechargeable battery, which holds enough power for approximately 1-2 hours of operation. I highly recommend purchasing a higher capacity battery, such as the NPF550 which has a 4-hour capacity or the NPF960 which has a 15-hour capacity.

Unfortunately, the TRV900 is not the most affordable camcorder on the market, but neither is it the most expensive. Dollar for dollar, however, it is the best camera for the money, in terms of image quality, overall quality, durability, and feature set.