Sony DCR-TRV19 First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Robin Liss
Published on Feb 3, 2003 12:00 AM



Sony has completely redone their entire model line with the introduction of seven new MiniDV camcorders. The DCR-TRV19 is the new entry level MiniDV model. Although it is very simple and may work for the person who just wants a point and shoot camcorder, other entry level models by other manufacturers offer more features at a lower price. Here are my first impressions of the camcorder from seeing and handling it at the Consumer Electronics Show 2003.

Specifications
The new MiniDV DCR-TRV19 comes with a 680K pixel CCD. The camcorder has a 30 millimeter Carl Zeiss lens. It includes a Firewire IEEE 1394 port, USB live video streaming over the web, an intelligent accessory shoe (meaning the camcorder can power a light or a microphone that is attached to it's 'shoe' at the top of the camcorder). The camcorder has super electronic steady shot and night shot capability. It includes a 10x optical, 700x digital zoom and a 2.5 in. touch screen LCD with a black and white viewfinder. Being the entry level model, the DCR-TRV19 has no Memory Stick and the stills are saved to tape, therefore the resolution is limited to NTSC 720 x 480 pixels. The DCR-TRV19 also has no microphone in, headphone or Lanc / Control - L. The camcorder does however have a new Battery info feature which can tell you how much time is remaining on the battery, with out fully charging the camcorder up.

Major Changes in Controlling the Camcorder
With Sony's new line of camcorders, many of the functions have been moved from outside of the camcorder into the menu system by utilizing the touch screen capability of the camcorder. Other than the small zoom control, back light, battery information, night shot and auto / manual focus, every other function has to have the LCD opened up in order to operate it. The jog dial has been replaced with the touch pad LCD completely. The jog dial is also no longer used to adjust the exposure, rather you have to use the touch screen which has a plus and minus button for increasing or decreasing the exposure. The same method is used for adjusting the focus when in manual mode. You can't really operate this camcorder at all manually with out opening up the LCD. It is also very hard to get a variable zoom speed with the tiny zoom control that Sony included on the DCR-TRV19. There is also no manual focus ring.

Spot Meter and Spot Focus
The camcorder also includes Sony's spot meter and spot focus systems. They are a really nice blend of automatic and manual functionality. Again, using the touch screen you can 'click' on a specific region of the screen and the camcorder will automatically adjust the focus or the exposure. It's a good in-between for someone who doesn't exactly know how to adjust the exposure of the focus, but runs into situations where they know the automatic mechanism of the camcorder are not working correctly. The spot focus and spot metering (shutter speed) are an easy way for the user to manually control the image.

Handling
The camcorder is very 'boxy.' It has a square feel to it, and although it was hard to get a grip around the camcorder it's not terrible. If you are in full auto mode, the DCR-TRV19 handles wonderfully. The problem is when you want to change anything. Because you can't change any manual picture functions with out opening up the LCD, it will be very hard to operate the DCR-TRV19, adjust manual functions and keep a steady shot at the same time.

Conclusion
The DCR-TRV19 is a good camcorder for the user who wants simplicity. Total simplicity. I haven't had a chance to examine the camcorder under conditions where I can make any accurate judgments about picture quality, but it's certainly not terrible according to what I observed. The problem that you run into with the DCR-TRV19 is when you want to get into manual mode, or adjust what few manual picture features Sony lets you, you have to open up the LCD. That creates a real debacle for camcorder handling. I think at a price point of $599 is okay, however, it doesn't beat the Canon ZR series. Canon's entry level MiniDV model the ZR60 (which in my opinion looks much better than the DCR-TRV19 and will turn out to be a better camcorder) has a price of just $499. At this point, unless the Sony total blows away the competition on picture quality, I certainly feel like it's not the best choice and is over priced for the lack of features, including audio options, manual control, and still picture capability. The camcorder should be available in March.