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Sony Handycam DCR-TRV120BT Digital-8 CamcorderFast forward to Sony Digital8 with the DCRTRV120 and experience a revolutionary new technology that delivers all the advantages of digital...
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Fast forward to Sony Digital8 with the DCRTRV120 and experience a revolutionary new technology that delivers all the advantages of digital recording with all the convenience and familiarity of today's analog video cassettes. There's nothing quite like it. Digital8 captures digital information on a standard 8mm or Hi8 tape. With the Sony DCR-TRV120, you'll see brilliant, sharp images with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution. You'll hear rich, digital quality sound. You'll enjoy virtually unlimited editing possibilities. And you'll record it all on the most popular cassette format within the camcorder industry - 8mm tapes - while still being able to play back all your current 8mm and Hi8 tapes. With Sony Digital8, you can fast forward to the digital future without leaving your past behind.The Sony DCR-TRV120 achieves stunning picture quality, with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution and records high quality 12-bit digital stereo audio. Digital 8's recording pattern allows digital recording on aff...
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21 Reviews from Shopping.com
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Excellent entry-level digital camcorder.
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Low price, nice features.
Cons: Low-price cameras come with low-price options.
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking to buy your first digital camcorder and
you don't want to break the bank, this is your camcorder.
This is my first digital camcorder...and I love it.
This camcorder can now be found for very cheap because there
are newer models available. I've had mine since October '00.
The basic differences between this camera and more expensive
models is as follows:
1) This is a single-CCD camera. 3-CCD cameras have better
color and better resolution than single-CCD cameras, but
you'll pay for it.
2) This camera doesn't have a "memory-stick" or other method
to save still pictures. I don't really care about this
because I don't use my camcorder to take stills.
3) Options are almost all automated...or meant to be used in
automatic mode. More expensive cameras allow you to
manually change a lot of settings to get the best video
under any circumstances. A camera like this tries to do
everything automatically and sometimes does a good job
of it. If you don't want to be bothered with advanced
features and manual settings, don't bother buying a $2k
camera.
By the way, if you want to learn about digital camcorders
and making digital videos, check out this book before you
buy: The Digital Filmmaking Handbook by Ben Long and Sonja
Schenk.
I can't do much to explain the quality of video you can get
from this camera except to say that it is good under good
conditions. Under lousy conditions, there's only so much you
can do to make it better. In less-than-optimal light, for instance, you'll get a very grainy picture and you'll lose
most of your color. This is to be expected.
Other than quality, I can tell you that this camera is easy
to use and it works as advertised. I use mine with a
firewire card on my PC, which is the coolest thing about a
digital camcorder. I'm yet to have any problems using this
as a camcorder or as a player going through my firewire
card.
The battery that comes with the camera is good, but I
recommend buying a bigger battery so you can use the camera for around 4 hours on a single charge. Also, I recommend
buying a new mic if you want higher-quality sound. Even on
high-end camcorders, built-in microphones tend to suck.
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