Sony DCR-TRV230 Digital8 Camcorder / Still Camera WIth Backward Compatibility And ADC

Author's Rating:

Pros: Looks, picture and sound, inputs, compatibility, features, ease of use, remote

Cons: 700x zoom is useless, sometimes manual exposure correction needed in dark scenes

The Bottom Line: 
If you have existing 8mm/Hi8 tapes and/or plan to shoot a lot, or want to convert analog video to digital format, the TRV230 is a great choice.

Author's Review
The Sony DCR-TRV230 is a Digital 8™ camcorder, and unlike cheaper TRV130 it plays your existing 8mm and Hi8 tapes.

There are three main reasons you would want to buy a Digital8 camcorder:

1. To save on tape costs (Digital 8 camcorders use regular 8mm or Hi-8 tapes instead of more expensive MiniDV).
2. To be able to play your existing 8mm or Hi8 recordings (something that the cheaper TRV130 model does not do)
3. You want a Sony digital camcorder, but their MiniDV models are more expensive

There are several areas in which the TRV230 improves on the lesser TRV130:

1. You get backward compatibility with 8mm/Hi8
2. The optical zoom goes from 20x to 25x and digital zoom goes to 700x (the last number will never be used)
3. There are analog inputs, analog-to-digital conversion with pass-through to the i.Link

As I previously said, the TRV130 is not a replacement for TRV120. It is TRV230 that has features similar to TRV120

Benefits Of Online Registration

When you register the camcorder online, instead of by mail, you get $20 discount coupon code on the accessories in the “Sony Style” online store. At the end of registration, don’t forget to write down the code and phone number.

You can use this discount with any accessory that is in the booklet supplied with the camcorder, with no minimum purchase required. I got a camcorder bag for $20 and with a $20 discount paid only $6 for shipping (the bag has only one small pocket, so if you want to put all your accessories and some tapes in it, you need a more expensive model). Be ready to resist mild sales pitch to buy more accessories (filters, etc.)

Digital 8 – Here It Has Backward Compatibility

This camcorder is a Digital8 model. The digital camcorders usually use MiniDV cassettes, which are small and specially designed for use with digital camcorders. However, they are expensive and incompatible with “regular” 8mm or Hi8 camcorders and VCRs in any way.

The Digital 8 camcorders, like TRV230, use regular 8mm or Hi8 tapes (Hi8 is recommended), but performs digital recording (basically same format as MiniDV with 500 lines of horizontal resolution), increasing the speed of tape travel twice compared to their analog counterparts.

The Digital 8™ camcorders are usually backward compatible with 8mm or Hi-8 tapes – they can play your existing 8mm or Hi-8 recordings (TRV230 included), but the cheaper TRV130 is not backward compatible with 8mm/Hi8 (keep in mind that neither can record in analog 8mm or Hi8 mode).

Sony recommends using Hi8 tapes for Digital8 recording, but regular 8mm tapes will do fine. Sony recommends playing 8mm tapes on the same camcorder that was used to record them. D8 camcorders can record at SP speed (120-minute Hi8 tape holds 60 minutes of digital video) or LP speed (120-minute Hi8 tape holds 90 minutes). But Sony recommends to play the LP-recorded tapes on the same camcorder.

Also, you cannot record in LP on a 8mm tape – even if you select LP mode using the camcorder’s menu, the recording still will be in SP. To be able to record in LP, you have to buy Hi8 tapes, which are more expensive (about $4.50 for 120-minute Hi8 tape, which holds 60 minutes in D8 SP mode or 90 in LP mode).

Performance And Features

The camcorder allows you to have up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution, no analog noise in both picture and sound. The picture quality of TRV230 is excellent and, since the recording is digital, should not deteriorate as time goes by. The built-in light and the ability to manually adjust shutter speed and exposure help you to deal with low light situations.

The advertised 500-line resolution limit (same as MiniDV) is usually limited by the picture that camcorder’s optics, CCD and electronics can produce, but this model is very good in this department. To get noticeably better picture quality, you will have to buy a much more expensive 3CCD camcorder.

Sound

The camcorder uses Digital Audio Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) - similar to CD recording technology, with 12-Bit or 16-Bit modes, for a dynamic range of more than 96dB. In 12-bit mode you can have two soundtracks (at some expense of dynamic range), 16-bit mode provides better dynamic range.

The built-in stereo microphone is adequate, and you can connect external microphone to the microphone jack on the side of the camcorder. You can also get an optional microphone that connects to the “intelligent accessory shoe” and zooms in and out with the camera.

Zoom

Unlike TRV130’s 20x zoom, the TRV230 has 25x optical zoom. The digital 700x zoom is too powerful to use it even to half of its power, thus you can select “digital zoom 1” from the menu to restrict the use of high magnification. In other words, the advertised 700x zoom is a marketing trick.

The Sony's SteadyShot® image stabilizer uses motion sensors to remove unwanted picture shake, and works great even at reasonably high magnification levels (I am not talking 700x here).

The 25x optical zoom is usually sufficient. You can set three levels of zoom using the menu: optical zoom only, digital zoom 1 and digital zoom 2. The variable-speed zoom allows you to zoom in and out very slowly, giving your video more professional look, especially if use a tripod and pan at the same time.

Inputs

The TRV230 has the following inputs: A/V in/out, S-Video in/out, i.Link in/out (FireWire, IEEE 1394), headphone out, microphone input, LANC input. The i.Link® Digital Interface (IEEE1394, FireWire) is a two-way input/output that carries digital audio, digital video and control signals to compatible digital VCRs, edit controllers and computers. LANC is an editing interface.

VCR

When you switch to VCR mode, the VCR buttons appear on the upper black panel, backlit by the amber light (they are invisible in other modes), which looks cool. The VCR mode allows you to see your material and transfer it to a VCR or other devices using i.Link, A/V out or S-Video.

When in “camera” mode, you can use “Edit Search” to look through the material to find the insertion point, or use “End Search” button, located under the LCD to find the end of your last recording. You can also use the supplied remote for advanced search, using data code.

Features

The TRV230 has picture effects and digital effects that can be used independently (some of them can be combined). There are several A/V fader modes (“bounce
, “dot”, etc.). The shutter speed and exposure, which are usually automatic, can be adjusted manually, which might be helpful in low light conditions and to avoid overexposure.

You can also shoot in total darkness with Sony’s Super NightShot™, which enables you to shoot subjects up to 10 feet away (without color) using a built-in infrared light; the optional IR light can extend the range to up to 100 feet. The NightShot™ System provides better overall picture quality by automatically selecting from two shutter speeds. The built-in infrared light can be switched on and off using the menu.

Both a B&W viewfinder and a 2.5" LCD are present with LCD having good visibility in sunlight. The brightness of the LCD is controlled by the rocker switch on the edge, as well as the built-in speaker volume.

The camcorder has manual focus and manual exposure in addition to automatic ones. The manual focus is controlled by the ring; and you can switch between manual and automatic focus using a switch, which also has a position for “infinity” focus. You can enlarge images during playback by 2x, but the process is somewhat cumbersome to be useful.

The camcorder also allows you to shoot still pictures using Digital Photo Mode. You press the button slightly and the picture freezes on the LCD, if you are satisfied with the result, you press the button with a bit more force and the camcorder writes the picture on the tape. You can store hundreds of still pictures on the tape. You can later find the pictures among the video segments using “Photo Search” mode from the supplied remote. The remote also allows you to search by date, suing data code (see below).

There are 7-mode program AE, edit search and TBC (Time Base Correction), 16:9 mode and LP recording capability (on Hi8 tape only). The camcorder also features an intelligent accessory shoe, which accepts accessories ranging from lights, IR lights and photo printers to microphones that “zoom” with the camcorder.

Data Code

The TRV230 records so-called “Data Code” on the tape in digital form separately from the picture. Data includes the date, time and recording parameters. This leads to the ability to search for recording by date (you have to use the supplied remote control). You can also see the information about the recording conditions as well as date/time by pressing the “Data Code” button under the LCD, so there is no need to superimpose the date and time like in the old days.

Super Laser Link

The TRV230 has a built-in Super Laser Link® Wireless Transmitter, which uses infrared light to make a wireless connection from your camcorder to your television. The transmitter is built-in, so you can buy a receiver and connect your camcorder wirelessly. The Super Laser Link system features a transmission range up to 26 feet. The transmitter is activated by the button on the top of the camcorder.

To connect your camcorder wirelessly to the TV or other equipment, you can get a receiver (IFT-R20). Some Sony TV models will even switch to the appropriate channel when signal from the IFT-R20 is received (the channel is adjusted through the camcorder’s menu).

Remote Control

The camcorder comes with a remote control that features rocker switch to control zoom (slow), record/stop button, playback functions as well as some functions that are unavailable without it (slow motion playback, frame-by-frame, date search, photo search, photo scan) and batteries.

Battery

Warning: Think twice about buying an optional battery – at least evaluate the standard one before making a decision. The “educators” in online stores usually say that the supplied FM30 InfoLithium® Battery lasts no more than 30 minutes, which is not true.

You can always get optional batteries of larger capacity, but I would suggest that you don’t yield to sales pitch and evaluate the standard battery before getting the larger battery.

The power cord can be connected to the camcorder while the battery is attached and the external power also charges the camcorder while it is in the “off” mode. Stamina® Power Management cuts power consumption and extended battery life when camera is not in use. InfoLithium feature allows you to see the approximate remaining power at any time: AccuPower™ meter shows you the remaining battery time in minutes on the camcorder's LCD or viewfinder.

Bottom Line

The TRV230 is much less “basic” than TRV130. It adds more powerful zoom, backward compatibility and analog-to-digital conversion and pass-through to the features of TRV130. If you have existing 8mm/Hi8 tapes and/or plan to shoot a lot, or want to convert analog video to digital format, the TRV230 is a great choice.