Sony DCR-TRV460 Camcorder Reviewby Nathaniel HansenPublished on Apr 14, 2004 12:00 AM 
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The DCR-TRV460 Digital8 camcorder is Sony's newest Digital8 model, currently listing for $399US. The TRV460 replaces last years TRV350, the most notable upgrade being the touch screen LCD. Also included in the TRV460 is the spot metering and spot focusing functions. A camcorder with the internal functionality of the Sony DCR-HC30, the TRV460 seems to be stepping ever closer to the MiniDV HC line, but its nice to see Sony still cares (for the moment) about the shrinking Digital8 demographic. There are a few additions that will make past Digital8 owners consider upgrading (?) to the TRV460, and yet others may decide that aside from size, the differences are too few to justify hanging on to the format.
Video Performance (4.5)
Sony's TRV460 has the exact same imager as last years TRV350: 1/6 inch CCD with 290K effective pixels for video. Under optimal lighting conditions, 3000 lux in our set up, the TRV460 performed moderately for a digital camcorder, but performed well for a camcorder in this price range. All across the board the colors were accurate, but appeared a little washed out, and were not as vibrant as I had hoped under these conditions. Additionally, and somewhat disappointing since the test was conducted in automatic mode, the image seemed a little fuzzy, and lacked crispness. Comparatively, the TRV460 has a more color rich image than the Canon ZR80 test results, and the TRV460 is almost indistinguishable from the Sony HC30 image at this light level.
The Front (8.5)
The TRV460's most prominent feature is the 37mm 20x optical Sony Video Lens. Beneath the lens, down towards the bottom of the TRV460, is the stereo microphone. On the top right of the front, is the 3 bulb LED (light-emitting diode) and below it are the infrared remote and white balance sensors. Embedded within the sensors, at the bottom, is the S-Video out port cover. Sharing real estate with the right side and the front is the other port cover, the opening lip of which juts out from the front of the TRV460. The TRV460 gets a .5 score improvement over the TRV350 because the lay out is more attractive and looks more refined.
The Right Side (9.5)
There's not much to the right side of the TRV460. At the very far front there is a port cover that shares space with the front, sort of. The cover is the same color as the rest of the body (gray) and is easy to open and close. The DV in/out, USB, and an RCA composite video in / out jack are well hidden under this port cover.
Along the bottom of the TRV460 is the suede adjustable hand strap. Like other Sony camcorders, the strap is comfortable and is just big enough to make any user feel they have a hold on their digital property.
Also taking up the majority of the right side, yet somewhat hidden, is the Digital8 tape mechanism. On the bottom of the TRV460 the user can find the open/eject slider. Not as easy to slide as other Sony models, it does it's job moderately well. The tape eject/load mechanism can be engaged by sliding this switch, and then pulling away from the body of the camcorder with the strap, or with a thumb placed on the bottom when the bottom is facing up. Although bottom loading tape mechanisms are common, they can be a real pain if you like to record with a tripod.
At the back of the right side (in the middle) is the mode selector switch/slider. It mostly wraps around to the back, and will be talked about in that section.
The Back (9.5)
Oh, and here we are, ready to talk about the mode selector slider that is mostly located on the back of the TRV460. The mode selector slider is utilized best in conjunction with the small LED's on the top right side of the back. The mode slider has two resting positions and a third position used to switch camera modes when the TRV460 is on. Depending on the mode, the appropriate LED will illuminate: Tape, Memory, Play/Edit. If the TRV460 is powered off but still plugged in with the battery on board, the Charge LED will light up. Below the selector switch/slider is the red Record Start/Stop button. It's pretty big, so there's no chance of missing it.
The middle of the back is taken up by the battery. On the bottom right, under the battery, is the DC in rubber port cover. On the left side of the back, the user can insert Memory Sticks into the obvious slot. The Sticks can be ejected by pushing them in. Just under this slot is the back light button.
The Left Side (8.5)
The obvious feature to talk about on the left side of the TRV460 is the LCD. Since the LCD gets its own section, I'll just mention that it's there, on the Left side. I will also point out the two buttons just above the LCD. The Easy button, a feature on the HC line, is now easier to access than ever by pressing the round Easy button. This feature throws the TRV460 into fully simplified automatic. Next to this button is the DSPL/BATT info button, which toggles on and off the display when the camcorder is on, and displays a timed readout of battery power remaining with LCD open, and LCD closed. On plane and next to these buttons, are the USB Streaming and Steady Shot illumination areas. When these functions are in use, the camcorder will let the user know.
The Top (9.0)
On top of the TRV460 is the Night Shot Plus switch, the viewfinder, the Photo button, and the wide angle/telephoto zoom toggle. The Night Shot Plus switch turns on the camcorder's super low light mode, allowing the user to record full color images in low to no light conditions. The view finder is at the back end, and on its right is the wide angle/telephoto zoom toggle. Just behind the zoom toggle is the still photo button.
Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (9.0)
Sony has made it ultra easy to record by letting the camcorder do the thinking for you with the help of Easy mode. The new Easy button/feature puts the TRV460 into full auto mode, and simplifies the menu, preventing new users from getting lost in the manual and or other automatic sub menus. Automatic control seemed responsive, and was quick making adjustments. The Spot Metering and Spot focus features are also great which allow you to simply touch on an area of the screen and the camcorer will automatically adjust the focus or exposure to that area. One great addition to the TRV460, over last year's model, is the inclusion of Spot focus and Spot metering functions. These features make great use of the touch screen LCD by allowing the user to 1) adjust exposure levels in a particular area of the image they are recording and 2) make necessary adjustments to the focus. Both of these features are utilized by touching a spot (hence the name) on the LCD telling the TRV460 to make the necessary adjustments. These adjustments are made quickly and for the most part are pretty seamless. The Spot focus feature does have some trouble fine tuning in some instances, and shifts focus rapidly until it comes up with a happy medium. Really, this is a great feature.
Overall Manual Control (3.0)
The manual controls on the TRV460 leave much to be desired, as all control is forced through the touch panel LCD, an aspect of Sony's cam's that is criticized in most of the reviews on this website. Manual control gets points for the addition of the two before mentioned features, but loses points for having little to control manually, other than focus and exposure.
Zoom (5.0)
The TRV460 has a 20x optical zoom and 990x digital zoom. The zoom toggle is on the top, at the back, of the camcorder body, and is made of shiny plastic. The toggle looks quite small, and feels a little fragile to the touch, but a few minutes zooming and I was easily able to master several zoom speed variations.
Focus (4.0)
Focus on the TRV460 is either controlled automatically or manually in addition to the Spot focus feature mentioned earlier. Manual focus is adjusted through the LCD, is easy enough to use but poses some potential problems during recording.
Exposure (Aperture) (4.5)
Automatic Exposure settings on the TRV460 include: Portrait, Beach and Ski, Sports Lesson, Landscape, Spotlight, Sunset, and Moon Modes. Manual adjustments (24 positions) can also be made to the exposure, through the touch screen LCD,
Shutter Speed (0.0)
Automatic shutter speeds of 1/4-1/4000 in AE mode, no real manual shutter speed control.
White Balance (0.0)
White balance is auto only on the TRV460.
Gain (0.0)
There are no gain options on the TRV460.
Still Performance(4.0)
The TRV460 has a memory stick slot on the back of the camcorder body. Stills are captured at 640 x 480, but the performance is not any better than the video performance. 290K effective pixels are available for still photos. Stills are saved to Memory Stick media, however the DCR-TRV460 does not include any memory stick media. The camcorder does include a USB jack for transfering the digital stills from the camcorder to the computer.
VCR Mode (6.0)
The VCR mode on the TRV460 is standard for a Sony cam: the LCD has to be left open in order to access the VCR playback controls, which in this case are on the touch screen. VCR mode is accessed by sliding the mode switch/slider down until the LED next to Play/Edit is illuminated. Points are lost here because of the touch screen access, a change from last year's TRV350 which had VCR controls on top of the camcorder.
Low Light Performance(4.5)
Low light performance on a 1/6inch CCD with 290K effective pixels is nothing special, and the TRV460 is no different. At low light levels of 60 lux, and 15 lux, the images suffered from excessive grain, dulled or muted color tones, and an all around lack of vibrancy. The gray scales take on a brownish hue when the lights are dimmed, however the colors do manage to maintain some consistency in comparison to the 3000 lux test. Additionally, when viewed side by side to the ZR80, the TRV460's performance starts to look better. To Canon's credit, the grayscale colors are more accurately represented than on other camcorders, but the lack of color vibrancy and consistency is telling. The ZR line's low light performance is reviewed elsewhere on this site, but it is worth noting that at the $400 range, there is a difference in video image quality, MiniDV or digital8.
LCD/ Viewfinder(7.0)
The TRV460 has a 2.5 inch 123K pixel LCD and a black and white viewfinder. It's nice to have both black and white and color on a camcorder, so as to get more accurate contrast readings. The viewfinder can also be extended up 45 degrees.
The LCD will be discussed more critically in the handling section, but as a note, functions/options on the TRV460 are completely controlled though the touch screen LCD. AS far as LCD's go, its right there with the rest of them, decent imaging and plenty of maneuverability.
Audio (5.0)
The microphone is located at the front bottom of the TRV460. One thing I noticed about the TRV460 is the extremely audible motor noise that is sure to be picked up when recording in a quiet setting. The TRV460 has no headphone jack, no Mic in, and no accessory shoe, so it looses points from last year's TRV350 which did have headphones/Mic in jacks.
Handling (5.0)
It's strange to pick up a Digital8 camcorder, after holding so many MiniDV camcorders, largely due to the bigger size. The TRV460 certainly feels comfortable (I do have big hands) in a variety of recording postures, and doesn't have the cheap feeling described in the review of the TRV350. The strap fits snug, and the buttons (the few that remain on the camcorder body) are within easy reach of the thumb and index finger. The zoom toggle is easily accessible and is easy to use.
Where the TRV460 looses points is the touch screen LCD menu. As far as handling goes, consistently having to touch the LCD screen to set up or make adjustments to image quality before or during recording can be an inconvenience. A secondary navigator would be nice, preferably on the camcorder body, away from the LCD. Sony has been criticized for this in all of the recent reviews on this website, and although the spot focus/spot metering are great ideas for touch screen implementation, having to default and fumble through the LCD touch screen menu is a pain.
Ports (9.5)
The TRV460 has S-Video, USB, DV, DC, and AV in/out ports well hidden in three places on the camcorder body: back (DC), right side (USB, DV, AV) and front (S-Video).
Other Features (6.0)
USB streaming The TRV460 is equipped to be used as a web cam or for streaming live video. Easy mode Easy mode puts the camcorder into full, but simplified, automatic mode. Super Night Shot plus For recording images in super low/no light scenarios. Hi8, 8mm tape playback/recording A great feature if you need to have access to these formats.
16:9 widescreen mode The TRV460 has a digitally manipulated wide screen option.
MPEG MPEG1 movies can be recorded to memory sticks on the TRV460.
Analog to Digital Pass Through Analog to digital pass through is supported on the TRV460. This allows for transferring, dubbing, or recording off of other analog or digital mediums.
Comparisons
The TRV460 replaces last years TRV350. The new additions of touch screen LCD (with Sony's new enhanced menu system), spot metering and spot focusing, as well as the Easy mode, certainly set the TRV460 apart from previous Digital8 models. In so many ways (features and functionality) the TRV460 is comparable to the HC30, with the obvious exception of size and recording format. This camcorder functions like the smaller MiniDV camcorders, but allows the user to record to a Digital8 tape, and as the TRV460 is backward compatible, 8mm and Hi8 tapes as well.
JVC's GR-D33 (Review, Specs, $329.94) is also a close match, feature and price wise. The GR-D33 lists for $449, and is a MiniDV camcorder. The GR-D33 imager is a 1/6 inch CCD with 680K effective pixels for video recording (almost twice the effective pixel count as the TRV460). The JVC GR-D33 also has a 3-D noise reduction feature which is supposed to reduce grain and excess video noise in low light performance. The GR-D33 is on the low end of JVC's GR line, but video performance is likely to be equal to, if not slightly better than the TRV460. The GR-D33 has more manual functionality than the TRV460, but lacks Sony's trademark Easy mode, which allows users to let the camcorder do all the work for them.
For a consumer who needs 8mm/Hi8/digial 8 functionality, the TRV460 is an obvious choice. But for the consumer who is looking to venture into the MiniDV format (overall smaller camcorder/tape size), the GR-D33 might be a good stepping stone camcorder. The GR-D33 promises to have good video and low light performance, so the slight upgrade investment may be worth it. Making the transition has its pros and cons, the pros being, if you own an older Digital8 camcorder with a DV in/out port, you have the option of digitally copying your older tapes to the newer format. MiniDV tapes are more expensive, and this is something to consider when considering the transition. However, the cost has been lowered considerably over the years, and if last years trend is ever repeated (dropping the TRV line from 5 models to 2) Digital8 may soon be a thing of the past.
Who's it For
Point and Shooter's (5.0) The TRV460 is great for the point and shooters, who don't care about fantastic image quality in less than great light conditions.
Budget Consumers (4.0) The TRV460 is a good camcorder for the budget consumer who has previously owned Digital8 camcorders. However, it may be time to take the MiniDV plunge, as there are some good options for the same price.
Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (3.0) Not the greatest camcorder for the photo/video enthusiast. If you want a decent hybrid, look to a camcorder with a better lens package than the Digital8 offers, and larger CCD(s).
Gadget Freaks (5.0) Some gadgets, but the freaks I know consider Digital8 a relic of the last millennium.
Manual Control Freaks (3.0) Look to other camcorders for more manual control. There is some manual functionality, but it is all controlled through the touch screen LCD. After a while you get the feeling that the LCD is controlling you!
Pro's/ Serious Hobbyists(2.0) Not really a good option for Pro's or serious videographers. MiniDV is the format of choice for these types, and Digital8 may prove cumbersome.
Conclusion
Aside from the improvements made on this year's TRV460, there isn't much I can think of that Sony can change (with the exception of increasing the CCD size) to continually keep the TRV line alive and kicking. It functions like a big HC30, but without more manual control. This camcorder does have it's pluses, as it managed to edge out the MiniDV competition (ZR80) in the low light test. As with most camcorders in the low price range, the low light performance really suffers. Most consumers will encounter low light scenarios while using their camcorders, so it's silly to think that this point is not an issue. But it seems as though manufactures continue to consider low light performance on low end camcorders a low priority. Perhaps things are changing, as the JVC GR-D33 may have shown. But all around, the TRV460 has some handling issues with the touch LCD screen, and it has issues in the low light performance arena. These two things combined usually send up red flags for me, as these are aspects that I care about when considering what camcorder to shoot on. In addition, and I know there is no visible difference between MiniDV and Digital8, after its all said and done it is Digital8. And whether die hard Digital8 users want to admit it or not, it is a format that is most likely on the way out, so picking up one of these camcorders now may be a serious problem in the (potentially) near future as companies like Maxell and Sony, no longer manufacture Digital8 and Hi8 tapes. It very well may be a long drawn out process, but for the same price consumers can get the same image quality, in a smaller package, for the same price.