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The Sony DCR-TRV80, priced at $1,500 is Sony's top of the line horizontal MiniDV camcorder. Featuring a 2.1 Megapixel CCD, it is the first 2 Mega Pixel MiniDV camcorder along with the DCR-TRV70. The DCR-TRV80 features a 3.5 in. LCD screen and Bluetooth capability - however I question whether these upgrades over less expensive models are worth it.

Video Performance
The DCR-TRV80's flagship feature is the 1/3.6 in. 2.1 Mega Pixel CCD. It was very hard to make conclusions about the video quality of camcorders at the Consumer Electronics Show, however, even in those difficult conditions, I feel somewhat comfortable saying that the video produced by the DCR-TRV80 and the DCR-TRV70 was better than that of the DCR-TRV38/39. How much better? I can't really say. It was very hard to make any conclusions about the video quality of the camcorders at CES, the lighting was very odd, and there was no standardization.

The Front
Although the specifications of the DCR-TRV70 and DCR-TRV80 are very close, the DCR-TRV80's body is significantly different than The 37 mm lens is at the center of the DCR-TRV80, located at the top. Above it is the pop up flash which provides extra lighting for still shots. The lens is surrounded by a focus ring which is about 1 centimeter wide, a good width allowing you to get a good grip. Below the lens, shifted slightly to the right of center is the stereo microphone. Below the microphone is the infrared receiver, with a tally light and what looks like a light meter located on the right and left respectively.

The Right Side
The right side of the camcorder is very well designed. At the front, taking up the bottom 2/3 of the front area of the DCR-TRV80 is a 'patch bay' where virtually every port is located. The S-Video port takes up the entire first row. Below that is the USB, Firewire, and Control-L / Lanc ports. On the third line is the Mini AV in / out port, the headphone out port, and the microphone in port. The entire patch bay is covered by a removable hard piece of plastic. Above the patch bay is a nightshot on / off toggle button. Above and to the right is the flash toggle button. At the back of the camcorder is the power toggle dial, allowing you to switch between camera, VCR, Network / Memory and Off. The handle strap actually covers the patch bay, which at first was a red flag to me. However, the combination of putting the plugs in the front of the camcorder with a neat, ergonomic 'hump' at the back of the camcorder means that even the largest hands won't get in the way of any plugs plugged into the patch bay. The camcorder feels really nice just in your right hand - because of that nice 'bump'. A retractable stylus is located on the outside of the handle.

The Back
The back of the DCR-TRV80 is mostly consumed by the battery, pictured here with one attached. Located at the top is the color viewfinder, and to the right of that is the battery eject button. Below the viewfinder and battery eject button is the battery port and battery. To the right at the top of the camcorder is the mode lock switch, with the power model dial below that. Down slightly and to the left of the power mode dial is the silver (with a red dot at the top) record button. On the bottom of the right side of the battery is the Memory Stick slot. On the left side of the battery is pretty much nothing except the focus and backlight buttons towards the bottom.

The Left Side
The left side of the DCR-TRV80 is pretty much consumed by the 3.5 in. LCD touch screen. I really should note the major different in the body of the DCR-TRV80 and the DCR-TRV70 is that the DCR-TRV80 does not include the extended lens that the DCR-TRV70. On the DCR-TRV70 (see the review for pictures) the lens extends out from the main camcorder body, allowing you to easily grip it. It's a really nice feature, and emulates in some ways the look of professional camcorders. The biggest benefit is that it makes the camcorder easier to handle. There are more complex electronics inside the DCR-TRV80, including a Bluetooth receiver and transmitter and a larger LCD screen so sadly Sony couldn't sacrifice that small amount of space under the lens.

The Top
Located at the Top of the DCR-TRV80, about half way between the back of the camcorder and the lens is the hot shoe for attaching external microphones or lights or other devices which can be powered and controlled through the hot shoe. To the right of the hot shoe and moved slightly back are the edit search buttons. Behind those is the zoom control and behind that is the photo button.

Manual Control
Focus
The focus of the DCR-TRV80 can be controlled manually via the focus ring around the camcorder lens. The focus ring is a nice size, about 1 centimeter wide, giving you a nice grip. I really am happy that Sony kept a focus ring on this model, its a vital feature. You can set the focus in auto mode of course by using the button located on the back of the camcorder. A third focus option which is especially highlighted with the touch screen LCD is the Spot Focus feature - unique to Sony camcorders. By navigating through the touch screen menu you can get into Spot Focus mode where a box is displayed on the camcorder LCD. By touching any area with your finger or the stylus the camcorder will automatically adjust the focus (and quite fast) to that area. It's a great feature, and I really love it because it gives an option to the user who knows that the automatic functions of the camcorder aren't doing their job but don't want to undertake the task of learning how to use a full manual focus. Another neat feature of the DCR-TRV80 is that when you are manually adjusting the focus, the camcorder automatically (though not recorded onto tape, just shown on the LCD screen) zooms the image in 2X so that you can get a more precise focus.
Zoom
The DCR-TRV70 includes a 10x optical 120x digital zoom. Unlike it's nearly identical sister camcorder, the DCR-TRV80, Sony included a nice, larger sized zoom control on the DCR-TRV80. On the 2003 MiniDV camcorders announced at the Consumer Electronics Show 2003, Sony included two sized zoom controls. The DCR-TRV80 got the larger one, which in my opinion makes a significant difference. The zoom control, which is relatively larger, allows you to get variable zoom speeds that would be much harder to get and hold with a smaller zoom control. Of course the zoom control on this camcorder would be virtually perfect if Sony included a zoom ring or even a switchable feature for the focus ring so you could switch it from a focus ring to a zoom ring - like was provided on the DCR-IP220.
Exposure
The theme of this year's camcorders is touch me - as in touch screens. Sony made the executive decision to move many features, included the beloved exposure control inside the touch screen. You have to go into the exposure mode by touching on the function button on the touch screen in order to make manual exposure changes. There are still 22 levels of exposure, it's just that you really have to tap the camcorder in order to adjust the exposure, and thus shake your shot. The camcorder as always as auto exposure modes but the touch screen LCD enables a third exposure adjustment mode, Spot Metering. Similar to the Spot Focus mode, the Spot Metering mode allows you to touch an area of the screen and the camcorder will automatically adjust the exposure to that area. It's a really great in-between feature for people who don't know how to use manual exposure.
White Balance

The DCR-TRV80's white balance is controlled through the menu. You can set it manually, set it to indoor, outdoor or automatic mode.

Still
The flagship feature of the DCR-TRV80 is it is the first MiniDV camcorder (along with the DCR-TRV70) to include a 2 Mega Pixel CCD. Sadly, due to the controlled conditions of CES, I could not rate the still quality of the DCR-TRV80. The still resolution is rated at 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. The DCR-TRV80 also includes a pop-up flash for additional lighting in low light conditions.

Low Light Performance
The DCR-TRV80 includes Sony's Color Night Shot and Super Night Shot features for shooting video in low light conditions, however I would recommend against using these features because the video looks absolutely awful. As for the normal low light performance, it was impossible to make any judgments about it at CES - however I hope and believe that the 1/3.6 in. CCD, will perform better in low light conditions than smaller than smaller CCDs, especially those on lower priced Sony models.

Audio
The DCR-TRV80 does great with audio options. There is a hot shoe for attaching an external microphone as well as a microphone in port for an external microphone and a headphone port for monitoring audio. Of course, I would love it if the camcorder had better on-camera microphone placement but it seems that manufacturers have pretty much given up on placing the microphone in a place where it's not going to get hit by the operators hands.

Handling
The DCR-TRV80 handles well. The buttons are placed very well and there are no microphone plugs to get in your way. The camcorder has enough heft and weight so that you can get a good steady shot however it is not bulky or heavy by any means. The nice bump on the right side provides for a great grip with your right hand. Although they took off the extended lens from the DCR-TRV70 - which gave the operator a great grip - Sony has included a larger zoom control, which in the end I think is a better feature. The biggest problem with the camcorder however is it's dependence on the touch screen LCD. By making certain functions only accessible by the touch screen - Sony forces the user to open up the camcorder LCD screen every time they want to adjust the exposure or any other menu recessed function. This means it can't be done from the viewfinder and generally can't be done with out shaking the camcorder, unless maybe you have a third hand. I really think it was a big mistake making the camcorder so dependent on the touch screen. I like the touch screen, and especially like the Spot Focus and Spot Metering functions on the camcorder, however I wish Sony would make touch screen access an option - instead of a requirement. This problem could easily be solved with the inclusion of a simple jog dial on the camcorder.

Other Features
Bottom Loading Tape Mechanism
I guess I wouldn't exactly call this a feature - though it must be pointed out. The DCR-TRV80 has a bottom loading tape mechanism which means if you're shooting on a tripod you have to detach the camcorder from the tripod just to change the tape - it's really problematic.
Analog - Digital Pass Through
An important feature to many, the DCR-TRV80 includes analog to digital pass through. It allows you to plug an analog video source (such as a VHS VCR) into the camcorder, then plug the camcorder into a computer or any other Firewire source and the computer will convert the analog video to digital video on the fly.
Battery Info Feature
A feature new to the 2003 MiniDV models is the Battery Info feature. With the press of one button, the camcorder will display the amount of time remaining on a battery plugged into the battery slot on the LCD screen. Sony advertises this feature as being convenient because you can check the status of any battery with out having to fully power up the camcorder. I think it's a neat feature and I might use it every now and then however in practicality I don't see many people using it very often.
Network Capability

The DCR-TRV80 includes Network Capability like other previous Sony camcorders. You can surf the web, check and send emails with video and picture attachments. You can also post pictures to an online album. Although it's a neat gadget feature - I don't really see the practicality of the Network Capability. It might be fun to play with, but I think it's very unlikely that you will see yourself using this feature any time soon. You can access the Internet either by plugging the camcorder into a phone line or an ehternet line using an option adapter or by using Bluetooth wireless networking.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth wireless capability of the DCR-TRV80 allows you to surf the web and send emails with your camcorder - not very useful. For the first time this feature is starting to actually look useful. Using BIP "Peer to Peer" technology, the camcorder can finally communicate with other BIP enabled devices, such as a computer or a printer. This will allow you to print stills on a BIP enabled printer wirelessly. Another feature of the Bluetooth networking which sounds really promising is the transfer of video and control of the camcorder. Although we only heard rumors of it at CES, in Japan Sony Clies (Sony's Palm Organizer) with Bluetooth have the ability to control one of the Sony digital cameras - the FX77. Apparently you can control all the functions of the camera and it transmits (not full frame, but okay quality) video to the Clie. In theory, this feature will eventually be available on the camcorders - which is totally amazing in my opinion. Hopefully Sony will put Bluetooth in their camcorders to real use by creating wireless camcorder controls which transmit video.

Comparisons
The DCR-TRV80 is the step up model from the DCR-TRV70. Both camcorders include a 2.1 Mega Pixel CCD, however the DCR-TRV80 adds Bluetooth capability, a 3.5 in. LCD screen (compared to the 2.5 in. LCD screen on the DCR-TRV70) and notably a different body. The DCR-TRV80 gives you better control of zoom, however the DCR-TRV70 handles much better in my opinion because of the extended lens. The Bluetooth upgrade isn't worth it in my mind - so the big question is: is the 3.5 in. LCD screen worth another $200? It's a tough call, but I don't think it's worth $200. If you are not determined to use the 2.1 stills of this camcorder a lot, I would go for the DCR-TRV38, a much cheaper camcorder. Of course, the video quality of the DCR-TRV80 is going to be better than the DCR-TRV38 (though it will be the same as the DCR-TRV70), and although I am not comfortable making this judgment at this time, if the quality is significantly better, I might suggest going for the DCR-TRV80 over the DCR-TRV38 in the future.

Combined with the DCR-TRV80 the DCR-TRV70 replaces last years DCR-TRV50, which sold for about $1,500. In my opinion the DCR-TRV80 is very similar to the DCR-TRV50 except that it adds the BIP functionality and the touch screen LCD and the higher resolution CCD. Unless still resolution is absolute priority, I would go for the DCR-TRV50 over the DCR-TRV80 while you can still get them.

Conclusion
I really can't make any huge judgments about the DCR-TRV80 at this time, because a lot of it depends on how much better the quality of the digital stills and the video really is. If you disregard these two variables (and we know that the video and still quality will be good) I'm a little reluctant to recommend the DCR-TRV80. The only major upgrade of the camcorder which really matters is the 3.5 in. LCD screen. You can get the 3.5 in. LCD screen on the DCR-TRV38 for much cheaper. What it boils down to will be tests of the video quality. If the video quality of the DCR-TRV80 and the DCR-TRV70 is significantly better than that of the DCR-TRV38, I would recommend it, if you're looking at the Sony line. The third variable here however is camcorders by other manufacturers. The DCR-TRV70 directly compares to the Panasonic PV-DV953 because they are both priced at $1,300. I'd have to pick the PV-DV953 over the DCR-TRV80 because it offers you more manual control, more useful features, and the picture we can almost guarantee will be better. In the end though, I'm really going to have to with hold judgment on the DCR-TRV80 until I can do tests on the video quality.