|
|||||
|
|||||
|
 |
Tuesday 9 December 2003
DV Camera for the Budget Conscious /Newcomer: the Sony TRV19 £400 The single-chip TRV-19 is the cheapest in Sony’s "TRV" line of DV cameras. With its ¼ inch CCD ("the chip") and 10x optical Carl Zeis lens, this is a compact, dependable camera which offers reasonable video quality for its low price. Importantly, it supports Firewire, S-video, A/V and USB for running footage into the computer. Support for USB streaming means that the TRV19 can also serve as a web cam - you can play your movies with the camera in VCR mode or video-conference across the internet. The touch screen controls, via the 2.5 inch colour LCD Display, may take some getting used to, but this facility gets rid of the usual clutter of buttons on the camera.There is also a nice feature where you can focus on the exact spot that you want to focus on by touching the area on the display screen. The TRV19 doesn’t carry some of the features you will find in more expensive TRV models (TRV22, TRV33): for instance, the viewfinder is black-and-white rather than colour (the LCD screen is colour) and there is no memory stick for recording still images (for stills the TRV19 simply captures a frame of video which delivers unsatisfactory results). Personally, I don’t mind these sacrifices. A black-and-white viewfinder helps you focus (that’s why the pro cameras have them) and I wouldn't plan on taking still images with a video camera - a digital still camera is much better suited for that purpose. This would make a useful starter camera or a budget back-up or second camera.
For the "Prosumer": Sony DCR-TRV950 3 CCD £1,386 This compact, three-chip DV camera from Sony has a lot going for it. First of all, the TRV950 weighs comparatively little - only 1lb 11 oz (1065g) with the supplied battery - so it’s suitable for documentary work. The 3CCDS and 12x optical lens ensure excellent colour clarity and detail, with 530 lines horizontal resolution. It also comes with a larger-than-standard 3.5-inch flip-out screen for viewing your subjects, or for using the Bluetooth wireless connectivity to email photographs to friends and surfing the web. Yes, indeed. There’s even an email address book built into the TRV950. As you would expect, there is also the standard support for i/o connectivity by wire - USB streaming, FireWire, A/V, S-video. Still pictures and low res MPEG movies are recorded on the TRV950’s removable memory stick. One of the criticisms of the camera is that it doesn’t take good still pictures in low light (perhaps that’s why it comes with a pop-up flash?) and the capacity of the supplied memory stick is too low. However, the video wont disappoint. That's unless you plan on shooting extensively in low light. Turning to the other features: the onboard stereo microphone is fairly directional, but still captures a lot of extraneous background sound including camera motor noise and wind. Audio is often a weak area with the consumer and prosumer cameras and any serious videomaker should consider getting a separate mic or mics for this and other cameras. In general, it’s a similar story with the supplied batteries when buying cameras in this price range. The battery supplied often needs to be supplemented with something with more juice for more demanding users. On the plus side for the audio, you can manually set the mic recording level and dub audio over previously recorded video. You can also interchange between automatic and manual controls using a combination of buttons on the camera, and touch screen controls (using attached stylus). In short, the TRV950's weaknesses are largely compensated for by good-looking video and an attractive price. Sony DCR-TRV19 Mini-DV Camcorder & tapes... |
 |
|
|
INSIDE IOFILM
|
 |