Sony DCR-TRV18 MiniDV Digital Camcorder WIth USB and MemoryStick

Author's Rating:

Pros: Excellent picture quality, price, USB, MemoryStick, features, value, looks

Cons: Standard battery life

The Bottom Line: 
The TRV18 is a good value and features nice picture quality and features for the price.

Author's Review
At less than $740, the Sony DCR-TRV18 is the least expensive MiniDV digital camcorder from Sony. Sony produces cheaper Digital 8 models, but MiniDV allows you to hold more video and is more compact. MiniDV is also de-facto standard in digital camcorder formats whereas the Digital8 is Sony’s proprietary format with very limited support.

MiniDV

DV digital formats (one of which is MiniDV) are better than analog video formats for several reasons, some of which are:

1. No noise is introduced by the media
2. Data Code is recorded separately from the picture
3. Since the recording is digital, the quality will not decrease over time.
4. The copies have the same quality as original (if the copy is made using digital connection – i.Link/FireWire/IEEE 1394). The 10th copy looks the same as original
5. The horizontal resolution is higher than in consumer-grade analog standards
6. Ease of computer transfer, converting and editing

MiniDV is the industry standard and is the most commonly used digital video format for camcorders. Sony and Hitachi produce Digital8 camcorders in addition to MiniDV ones, but Digital8 may only be viewed as means to decrease the costs (the tapes costs less) and provide backward compatibility (they usually play Hi8 and 8mm recordings).

However, D8 did not gain much acceptance among manufacturers, the D8 camcorders are larger in size than MiniDV ones (and D8/Hi8 tapes are larger than MiniDV tapes).

PICTURE

The TRV18 model offers digital recording with horizontal resolution of up to 500 lines (other digital video sources like DVD players and DBS offer similar resolution), higher color bandwidth (Sony claims three times higher than VHS) and virtually no video noise. The 500 lines is a spec from the MiniDV standard, so one should not assume that all digital camcorders will feature such a high resolution figure. And “no video noise” applies to the recording process, but not necessarily to the camcorder’s CCD and electronics.

In other words, the resolution and picture quality in the digital camcorders are usually limited not by the medium or recording format, but the CCD, optics and electronics of the particular camcorder. Which is the reason that people buy more expensive models than the cheapest models to get better picture quality.

Although some cheap camcorders are far from true 500-line resolution and picture clarity of the more advanced models, the TRV18 is not one of those. It features a 680,000-pixel CCD and Carl Zeiss optics. The picture is very sharp and clear with vivid colors.

ZOOM & OPTICS

The camcorder has 10x optical/120x digital zoom and features Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens for improved picture quality. The special coating reduces glare and increases contrast. The Super SteadyShot system can be employed for image stabilization, which fights unwanted picture shake.

SOUND

As other digital camcorders, the TRV18 uses Digital Audio Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) – same basic technology that is used in CD recording. The PCM with 12-Bit or 16-Bit mode is used. Since audio is stored separately you can use Audio Dubbing that allows you to add a stereo track of music or narration.

But Audio Dubbing cannot be used with tapes recorded in LP mode or with tapes recorded in 16-bit audio mode! To be able to use the audio dubbing, you have to record in 12-bit SP.

ADC & PASSTHROUGH

The camcorder has an analog-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog signal you pass through the analog input into digital form.

This way you can either record it on the MiniDV tape in digital format (for archiving purposes) or send it through the IEEE-1394 (FireWire, i.Link) interface to your computer, compatible VCR or another device. Sending it to your computer allows you make a DVD or CD recording of virtually any video signal – analog or digital.

LCD

The TRV18 has 2.5” LCD, which has adjustable brightness, backlight and color. The color viewfinder is also present. The LCD has great visibility in sunlight and the viewfinder can be used to conserve battery power.

VCR & CAMERA MODES

There are two basic modes of operation - the VCR mode allows you to see your material and transfer it to another device. In “camera” mode you can use “Edit Search” to look through the material to find the insertion point, or use “End Search” button to find the end of your last recording. Majority of camcorder functions can be controlled by the remote control in both modes.

FEATURES

The camcorder employs a 680,000-pixel HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD (the high resolution increases the picture quality) with low noise design. It has 6 modes of programmed AE, manual focus and manual exposure in addition to automatic ones (the manual focus is controlled by the ring around the lens).

You can switch between manual and automatic focus using a switch on the left side of the camcorder (by LCD), which allows you engage the “infinity” mode.

If the Program AE you selected is unsatisfactory, the exposure can also be controlled manually to avoid overexposure (and video noise in low-light scenes). The camcorder has picture effects and digital effects, several A/V fader modes, 16:9 recording.

You can also shoot in the dark with Sony’s NightShot and Super NightShot™. The former works in complete darkness detecting infra-red light, the latter improves the brightness of the picture and uses lower shutter speed. The built-in Infrared light can be turned on for clearer picture up to 10 feet away.

The camcorder also comes with remote control that gives you access to advanced VCR functions as well as shooting functions.

CONTROL INTERFACES

The TRV18 has an L (LANC) Editing Interface that provides standardized connection for synchronized operation of camcorder, VCR, and edit controller. But more importantly, the camcorder also has an i.Link® Digital Interface (also known as FireWire, IEEE1394), which is a two-way input/output that carries digital audio, digital video and control signals to compatible digital VCRs, edit controllers and computers (most useful).

You can get into digital video editing by getting a computer equipped with an i.Link interface and software. I got Pinnacle Systems’ Studio DV for less than $90 from Amazon.com, including a 3-port FireWire PCI card, a cable and editing software.

The Studio DV (and other similar packages) not only allows you to transfer your video form the camcorder to your computer and edit/convert, but also to control the camcorder’s playback from your computer.

MEMORY STICK

This model can be used as a digital still camera at 640x480 resolution (enough for emailing and web posting), the images are stored on a supplied 8Mb Memory Stick. You can use the supplied USB cable and software to transfer images to your PC, edit and store/catalog them. The 8Mb Stick holds 120 images in Standard mode or 80 in “Fine” mode.

The MemoryStick can also store short MPEG clips at two resolutions (320x240 – up to 1 min 20 sec; 160x120 – up to 5 min 20 sec).

BATTERY

The power source for the camcorder is an InfoLithium® battery, which lasts about 40-50 minutes if you use the LCD. You can conserve the energy by using the color viewfinder instead (this will give you about 20 extra minutes) or getting a battery of the larger capacity.

The Stamina® Power Management lowers power consumption and extends battery life when camera is not in use. The approximate remaining power can be seen in minutes on the camcorder's LCD or viewfinder with AccuPower™ feature.

BOTTOM LINE

The TRV18 is a good value and features nice picture quality and features for the price.