Sony DCRTRV510 Handycam Digital Camcorder

Rating:
Summary: Great Video & Easy to Use
Review: I've had the Sony DCR-TRV-510 for about three months now. It's been a lot of fun to use and learn. Straight out of the box, charge up the battery, slip in a tape and you're ready to record. With a little practice and skimming of the manual, you can create some perfectly acceptable and fun still (digital) pictures. On the video front, the camera is exceptionally easy to learn and use. It takes standard 8mm video tapes - cheaper and more readily available than mini-DV tapes. Zoom lens is excellent although once you pass the optical zoom range and go into the digital zoom, you will likely notice the "pixilation" (you can turn the digital zoom off.) Tapes can be viewed on the flip out screen - excellent image. One feature I especially like is the one that lets you find the end of the last video recording -- no matter where you stop on a tape, hit this button and it takes you to where you stopped recording. Low light capability is outstanding even without using the Night Light feature. Still pictures are fun. Easy to do once you've mastered the technique. The picture is only 640 x 480 so it is really only suitable for web stuff or 2 x 3 or 4 x 3 snap shots. Images may be downloaded to your computer using the enclosed serial link or a FireWire interface if you have one. Serial link may be slow but it works just fine for me. I took a couple hundred stills (and 2 hours of video) while on a 10 day cruise and they were fine. Camera can only hold about 20 still pixs internally (in the fine mode) so I would copy them from the internal memory to a separate video tape I decided to use for still pictures only. Once on your computer, you can play with them to your heart's content. Consider buying a second bigger battery. I bought the 8 hour battery - a little extra weight but lots of extra time. I also bought the IR link for the TV. Saves having to hook up wires to the back of the TV/-510 every time you want to view a tape. It works flawlessly. And get a good camera bag.

Rating:
Summary: Great Video & Easy to Use
Review: I've had the Sony DCR-TRV-510 for about three months now. It's been a lot of fun to use and learn. Straight out of the box, charge up the battery, slip in a tape and you're ready to record. With a little practice and skimming of the manual, you can create some perfectly acceptable and fun still (digital) pictures. On the video front, the camera is exceptionally easy to learn and use. It takes standard 8mm video tapes - cheaper and more readily available than mini-DV tapes. Zoom lens is excellent although once you pass the optical zoom range and go into the digital zoom, you will likely notice the "pixilation" (you can turn the digital zoom off.) Tapes can be viewed on the flip out screen - excellent image. One feature I especially like is the one that lets you find the end of the last video recording -- no matter where you stop on a tape, hit this button and it takes you to where you stopped recording. Low light capability is outstanding even without using the Night Light feature. Still pictures are fun. Easy to do once you've mastered the technique. The picture is only 640 x 480 so it is really only suitable for web stuff or 2 x 3 or 4 x 3 snap shots. Images may be downloaded to your computer using the enclosed serial link or a FireWire interface if you have one. Serial link may be slow but it works just fine for me. I took a couple hundred stills (and 2 hours of video) while on a 10 day cruise and they were fine. Camera can only hold about 20 still pixs internally (in the fine mode) so I would copy them from the internal memory to a separate video tape I decided to use for still pictures only. Once on your computer, you can play with them to your heart's content. Consider buying a second bigger battery. I bought the 8 hour battery - a little extra weight but lots of extra time. I also bought the IR link for the TV. Saves having to hook up wires to the back of the TV/-510 every time you want to view a tape. It works flawlessly. And get a good camera bag.

Rating:
Summary: Big screen
Review: The best thing about this Camcorder is that it has a 4 inchesscreen! It's big enough that you can show your video to other peoplewithout connect the camcorder to the TV. It's really nice! I have seen other people's camcorders with a tiny 2 inches screen, and that's no good for your enjoyment at all.-------------The night vision is amazing too! After you turned the night vision on, you can take pictures in total darkest. And the picture is really good.------------ The picture quality is great too. Very clear! But it didn't come out too good after I converted the 8mm tape into VCR tape.------------Reviews on Amazon said that Digital Camcorders's audio has CD quality, but I really didn't notice anything. I mean you really don't care too much about the audio if you are just video taping a family vacation or something.----------Something bad about the Camcorder.----------Because of the big screen and it's not Mini-DV, so it's a bit heavy. You will probably get very tired after holding the Camcorder for more than a hour. So if you are a weak person, try a Mini-DV camcorder with a smaller screen so that you won't have any arm problems.------------Another thing was that I thought I was going to be able to connect my camcorder to my Dell computer, but it didn't work at all. Be sure that you have an interface card if you want to use it with a computer. But I really don't see any point to edit your films on the computer, I am too busy for that, and I am not trying to make a public film, my film doesn't need to be perfectly edited. And also, I also thought that when I zoom in the camcorder, it could reach 35mm or something, but that didn't happen. Beware! Camcorders do not have a wide-angle view! you won't be able to tape the whole view, only partly. I think the minimal range of this camcorder is only 50mm. Just be careful. Don't be disappointed. END

Rating:
Summary: Well designed product
Review: This is a super camera, and its compatability with Hi8 means all of my old tapes can be viewed. The video resolution is great, and it is loaded with special effects. The viewfinder and 4 inch screen are crisp, variable speed zoom is smooth and the battery life excellent. You should be aware that the video is not true digital. The digital refers to still pictures. Nevertheless, this is a well designed and well thought out product.