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Sony Handycam DCR-TRV330 Digital-8 CamcorderBe First. Buy Sony now. Wouldn't be great if your video camera could also capture still shots and transfer them to your PC easily?...
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Be First. Buy Sony now. Wouldn't be great if your video camera could also capture still shots and transfer them to your PC easily? Well now with DCR-TRV330 with Sony's Memory Mode, you can take great looking shots and save them in versatile MemoryStick or using your USB connection in your camera. DCR-TRV330, loaded with a host of features, records outstanding digital picture and sound on affordable Hi8 and 8mm tapes. It offers up to 500 lines of resolution with 3x, the color bandwidth of VHS, and significantly lower video noise. DCR-TRV330's 1/6" CCD provides stunning detail and clarity, with exceptional video and still image performance. 25x optical/ 700x digital zoom brings the action up close from far away. SteadyShot picture stabilization system uses motion sensors to compensate for camera "shake" without compromising picture quality. You can capture video even when shooting in total darkness (0 lux) using the built-in infrared system up to ten feet (3 m) away. The Super NightShot mode automatically ...
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15 Reviews from Shopping.com
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Hey it's a Sony!
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Pros: Digital (Sony) quality; backwards-compatible with analog 8 tapes; compact size; total ease of use
Cons: Memory Stick still picture feature -- why bother?
The Bottom Line:
Get it if you really like Sony's Memory Stick capabilities and have other similar devices, otherwise get the TRV230 and save a $100 to go towards a bigger battery.
And I hate to say it but they're not perfect. I spent an extra hundred bucks to get something I'm probably rarely going to ever use -- the still picture feature on this otherwise excellent D8 camcorder. The TRV230 was out of stock and a hundred bucks cheaper and so it goes.
I like everything else with this camcorder. It's a bit smaller than the TRV130 and when you bought a small camcorder case that makes all the difference in the world. It's backwards-compatible (and Sony's beginner 100-series *used to be that*) so I can replay all my old analog tapes. And the most important thing, it's easy to use and has pretty sharp picture quality compared to my old 8mm. I know there have been some criticism about that from the other reviews so either their standards are way up there or their camcorders are somehow defective.
Features? They're all here. The LCD monitor makes framing and shooting your subject much easier than squinting into a viewfinder. Got zoom? Lots of it. 700x to be precise. You can be across the room to film your subject. Sony's 'Steadyshot' cuts down the herky-jerky quality one naturally has while filming without a tripod and holding the camcorder in your hand. It doesn't need a lot of light to film your subject either.
Playback? You can do that 1 of 2 ways: via Sony's iLink, a wireless appliance that sits on your tv monitor (extra, about $50) that allows your camcorder to infared beam directly to it for viewing, or via the standard cable hook ups directly to the back of the tv. The camcorder comes with a remote control to turn it into a de facto VCR.
The next level? Editing. Turning an hour of tape (2 hours of 8mm tape turns into 1 hour because of a higher recording speed) into a very viewable 1/2 hour or 15 minutes of that. Haven't gotten there yet (no time!) but from the looks of it it's easy. Hook up to the USB port of your decently modern PC, get an editing program (my iMac came with iMovie) and you should be ready to mix and match.
One last note about tape. Most digital camcorder manufacturers recommend using a Hi-8 tape, but a standard good-quality 8mm tape will work also.
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