Review of Sony DCR-TRV17 Camcorder

Sony DCR-TRV17 MiniDV Camcorder. Look at Half.com.

Easy to use cam with great sound and picture. And good price.

The TRV17 is similar to the TRV15, with the addition of Memory Stick (4MB) removable memory for recording digital still images. You can save pictures to the memory stick for later transfer to your computer through the USB port. You can also capture 30 seconds of MPEG video onto the memory stick. If you want to transfer video for any practical purpose, you will have to do it using the FireWire cable (usually not availbale in the pack).

The camcorder uses a large 3.5-inch LCD screen, and the optics utilise an excellent Carl Zeiss lens that delivers decent 10x optical/120x digital zoom.

CCD with 680,000 pixels provides stunning detail and clarity, with up to 500 lines of video resolution. The low light performance of this camcorder is great. In good lighting conditions TRV17 captures quality still images with (640 x 480) VGA resolution.

This camera has Analog input with pass through, this means that you can connect your VHS VCR or any other analog source and capture directly to your hard disk, edit, and output to the camera or to the VCR. This way you don't need to use a miniDV tape to convert your analog videos to digital form.

The camcorder is light (1.6 ponds) and small enough to easily hold in one hand. The controls and buttons on the cam are arranged very comfortably.

Wireless transmitter system allows wireless connection between camcorder and television for easy playback of video. Operates from up to 16 feet away with the optional LaserLink receiver IFT-R10A, or up to 26 feet with the IFT-R20.

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) allows recording for an impressive 96db dynamic range. Camcorder provides two recording modes, 12 and 16-bit audio. 12-bit creates two sets of stereo tracks, and 16-bit mode offers one pair of stereo tracks. Audio dub capability allows you to add an additional 12-bit stereo track to your original recording.

Downsides: the lack of manual white balance and low-resolution still images.

Conclusion

Taking into account a low price, it's a great camcorder with excellent video quality.

Posted - September 5, 2001
September 5, 2002 - still highly recommended.