Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #195579 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Sony
• Platforms: Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, PowerMac, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and below, Windows, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Macintosh
• Display size: 3.5

Features

• MiniDV camcorder
• 10x optical, 120x digital, zoom with Super SteadyShot image stabilization
• 3.5 inch color LCD and color EVF
• Records digital stills at a resolution of 1360 X 1020 onto included 4 MB Memory Stick
• MPEG movie mode

Amazon.com Product Description
From its professional Carl Zeiss lens to the 3.5-inch LCD, and everything in between, the DCR-TRV30 screams quality. It is unequivocally Sony's top consumer model, and well worth the expense.

The foundation of any camcorder is the imaging system: the lens and CCD. The lens is a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar. While less expensive models may have a larger zoom, the truth is that the larger the optical zoom, the larger the chance that any lens defects will show up in the video you are shooting. A 10x zoom is a good tradeoff in terms of image quality and zoom length. Additionally, Super SteadyShot technology helps keep your video from suffering from the common malady known as handshake, an unavoidable consequence of high zoom levels. Super SteadyShot essentially means image stabilization. There are varying types of image stabilization, but the Super SteadyShot variety moves the internal mechanisms of the camcorder to compensate for any camera movements. Finally, the lens on the TRV30 also has a manual focus ring--a step better and more immediate than the clunky interface most often used in digital camcorders

The CCD in the TRV30 is of enough resolution to capture 1,360 x 1,020 digital stills onto the included 4 MB Memory Stick--about a 1.38-megapixel image. That resolution is currently tops in the digital-camcorder world (the digital still resolution of camcorders hasn't risen nearly as fast as that of digital cameras), and is good for prints up to about 6 by 9 inches. As far as video is concerned, Sony claims the high-resolution CCD translates into a video resolution of around 530 horizontal lines, which is about 10 lines better than the MiniDV spec calls for (520 lines of resolution).

LCD's are probably the best way to frame your shots on a camcorder, and that usually means the larger the screen the better. At 3.5 inches, the argument could be made that the TRV30 offers the best, just based on size. The only downside? The larger the screen the larger the battery drain. This isn't that serious an issue, as there are many other factors in battery life besides LCD size.

Two items jump out as features that should be included on all camcorders: a headphone jack and a mic input. Not only do most camcorders have poor built-in microphones, but also they are often situated too near the tape mechanism, meaning you get the annoying throbbing sound of the tape pulled through the heads. Additionally, a headphone jack takes some of the guesswork out of your audio sources. For example, if you're recording a child's presentation, you'd most likely want to make sure you can hear the child.

Finally, Sony added a couple of fun features that make the DCR-TRV30 a more interesting machine. First is the inclusion of an MPEG movie mode; essentially, this allows you to record short movie clips onto a Memory Stick. While the quality won't replace MiniDV anytime soon, it's easier to shoot short MPEG movies and e-mail them than it is to edit your DV footage to a manageable length, render it into a format that's easy on the bandwidth, and send it off. Second, Sony added pass-through analog to digital conversion. Let's say you have a stockpile of old VHS tapes that you'd like to convert to digital. Simply plug your VCR into the camcorder, and then plug your IEEE 1394 cable into your computer from the camcorder. That's it. Most other models require you to first dub your old footage to MiniDV tapes before sending it the computer.

Included with the DCR-TRV30 are a power adapter, InfoLithium battery, remote control, stereo A/V cable, lens cap, shoulder strap, 4 MB Memory Stick, USB cable, and a software CD-ROM.

Customer Reviews

Expensive, but worth it!
This is an unbelievable camcorder/camera. It is small and light, but just the right size for your hand. The images are sharp from the great CCD. It only has one 1/4 inch CCD, but it is 1550k! It gives 530 lines of resolution -- tops around for a camera in this class. The navigation menu is intuitive and easy to work. Great 3.5 inch LCD viewscreen.
The camera also takes 1.55 megapixel stills that can be saved on the miniDV tape (will hold LOTS of stills) or Sony's memory stick. The memory stick that comes with the camera is a bit weak (only 4 megs) so it only holds 4 pics at the highest resloution.
Would suggest buying a 64 or 128 Meg memory stick now that the prices have come down. The camera resolution is more than enough for emailing and web posting (you'll likely trim the photos in photoshop anyway).
The camera will record MPEG movies at 2 different resolutions which can be easily transferred to a computer and emailed or posted onto the web.
Battery life is ok with the included battery (varies around 1-2 hours with use) but is MUCH greater with the optional NP-FM91 battery. Increases the life to around 6 hours (Sony claims 7.5-8). The bigger battery is a bit thicker and makes the camcorder a bit backheavy (and less sleek and cool looking) but is certainly worth it. Sony also uses the infolithium batteries which convert remaining battery juice into minutes of recording time till it dies! Very useful, you always know exactly how much battery is left!
Night shot and super nightshot take greeinish pics in essentially no light. It is kind of like looking through night vision googles, but very cool. The super night shot gives very "herky-jerky" images, however. I guess the processor is too slow.
The cover for the A/V jacks and video out jacks is really cheap. It looks like it could break very easily.
The digital effects are cool, you'll probably end up using "fade to black" the most.
Firewire from the camera to the computer is a great plus. Allows editing of images, scenes, sound, etc. Also comes with a USB interface. Very thoughtful.
The camera has a search function so you can search for video by date or by a title that you put in.
Now the question is do you really need to spend the $$$ ? Not sure, if all you want to do is take a couple shots of grandmom's 80th b-day and your daughter's pony ride. There are other cheaper miniDV cameras out there, but this is quality, and face it, you get what you pay for.
Overall 5 stars *****

Best of the bunch
I'll try not to repeat what others have said about this marvelous cam...Anyway,

The most impressive ( and important ) feature of this camera is its visuals. I first took the camera out for a day shooting clouds, traffic, sunsets and various wildlife. When viewed on my TV I was floored at the quality. Absolutely lush, vibrant colours, amazing deatil - beautiful. Don't judge what you see on the LCD panel. The actual output imagery on tape is fantastic.

Still imagery is a wonderful boon. 1360x1020 gives you plenty of resolution to play with. Upgrade the memory stick to at least a 64 meg. You'll then be able to hold about 70-80 hires pictures. I did find that the stills produced were somewhat grainy when the light level was low - which is normally the case. However in bright conditions they are great. I have no need to carry a separate digital still camera with me.
Had great fun creating close up shots - you can bring the subject matter so close it'll touch the lens before it goes out of focus. Produced some great macro photography this way. Brilliant. The manual focus ring is wieghted and smooth for precise focus adjustment - auto focus a little slow - nothing to worry about. Manual Exposure control - excellent.
Many fun features which after playing with them I never really come back to. It's the quality of the visuals that'll impress you.
I purchased a firewire card and cable and have had no problems outputting the imagery to and from my PC. Made many a short film of friends and folks this way.
The charger is great in that you only need a plug adapter when traveling to another country ( eg. Europe ). It'll handle a broad range of voltages.

The TRV30 has every input / output you'll likely to need and even though the little cover seems like it's going to break mine is still on after months of use...
Don't be put off by the 10x zoom. It's plenty. Anything over that and you'll be needing a tripod to keep the image stable. I've gotten some huge shots of the setting sun with the 10x.
Plus with the 37mm lens you have plenty of opportunity to purchase add on filters and lens from a massive selection of great camera gear that's out there.
You can also shoot in 16:9 mode which will then play back correctly on a widescreen TV. However, the image is not anamorphic. The camera is basically resizing the image. Nice feature to have though.
Um...,
Also buy a quality tape and stick with it. Don't change brands. I use Fuji.

Enough rambling - if you're thinking of purchasing the Sony - go and try in a shop. Hold it, play with it and fall in love with it. Imagine what you will create. I did.

Awesome camera
So far we are very happy and quite impressed with our camera. We had originally purchased a Sharp WD255u, which we thought was a good quality camera. It was on sale so we really liked the price. We tested it out, filmed everything, took still shots, night pictures, etc. The images and picture were of poor quality and the darker it was the more grainy the picture was. We were not happy. We looked around the internet for some better cameras and feasted our eyes on this Sony. Well, we returned the other camera, got our money back, and then looked at this one. I liked the ergonomics of it right away. Yes it cost alot more than the other camera, but now I can see why. This camera takes great photos, great video, both have very vibrant colors. The night shots are much less grainy than the previous camera. I love the built in flash. Its nice and lightweight too. USB/Firewire support is excellent. The "memory Stick" works much faster than SmartMedia cards. We bought the additional 128 MB and also the 8 hour battery. I can't wait to take the camera on our trips!