Help with a choice of MiniDV Camcorder (Sony TRV22 v 33 v Canon)

[Buzzeditor]

I'm taking my first plunge into Mini DV and I've bought What Camcorder, read all the reviews and now I'm down to deciding between the Sony DCR-TRV22, the Sony DCR-TRV33 and the Canon MV650i.
Which is best? I have a budget of around £550-£600 and am looking for ease of use, wide angle, night/low light use and then sound.
Can anyone help?
Thanks.

 

[melliott1963]

You'll find that most people here will probably recommend the Sony's over the Canon (myself included).

www.ajelectronics.co.uk have the trv33 for £495, so this is well within your budget - there'll be money left over for tapes / spare battery / case.

When I was looking to buy (I ended up with the trv33), is was also considering the Canon, but was put off by reports that the tape mechanism is noisy and is picked up by the on-board mic.

The Sony's are easy to use. Some people complain about the zoom lever being too sensitive, but once you get used to it, it's not an issue.

As far as night/low light use is concerned, most mini dv camcorders fair badly unless you're prepared to spend thousands. I've taken footage indoors with just the room lights on and the results are not brilliant, but they are acceptable. You can always purchase a light to fit on the hot shoe of the camcorder if you want better results.

The Sony's night shot mode is actually quite good in that it uses an infrared light source, so the footage comes out black and white with a green tinge.

Finally, the sound on the Sony is excellent (in my opinion). Again, if you want better, you can always attach an external mic.

If you do buy the Sony, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[MartinImber]

TRV22 is non anamorphic whereas the TRV33 is so that clinches it!!!

Get the TRV33

 

[mossmanfly]

Look at both the TRV22 and 33. The TRV22 I think has a wider angle than the 33. And the 22 is suppose to have a slightly better low light result. Best to compare them from internet reviews etc. www.camcorderinfo.com is good as there is a message board dicated to the Sony camcorders with posts that will tell you the difference etc.

I have the TRV14, its the same as the TRV22 in terms of picture quality but lacks the memory card slot, colour viewfinder and the DV-In. Low light is pretty good. I was not disappointed with the result at all, and really a room with a light or two will give you a decent result. If the room has no light and its darkish then the result is bad, but thats like all the camcorders unless as melliott1963 said you spend £1000's.

Also think about the TRV19. Its the same as the TRV22 apart from the memory card slot and the colour viewfinder. The memory card slot is only really used to store pictures so unless you really need this then a TRV19 could be the better solution. The colour viewfinder would be a nice addition but the black and white viewfinder is good quality, and the LCD screen will be probably used more anyway.

The Sony camcorders are really easy to use. Most of the stuff is automatic, actually when filming I just point and shoot. Reviews mark the Sony down by not having enough manual control, but to me I dont mind. Having just started with a digital camera and camcorder I dont really know how to set the settings etc. The camcorder does it all and you can relax and shoot.

Is your budget including the tapes etc? As I spent £319 on a camcorder but spent about £465 in total due to an extra battery, pack of 15 tapes, carry case and a firewire cable.

 

[Buzzeditor]

Thank you for all your replies but what is anamorphic and will I need it?

 

[Buzzeditor]

Also are there any other models worth considering?

 

[melliott1963]

'Anamorphic' - If you've got a widescreen TV and want to shoot your camcorder footage in widescreen (or are ever likely to want to do this in the future), then going for the trv33 will allow you to do this without loss of resolution.

I think there are some camcorders that have a widescreen mode, but all they actually do is chop a bit off the top and bottom of the picture, so your vertical resolution is reduced (someone correct me here if I'm wrong!).

 

[Buzzeditor]

Thanks again.
Are there any other models out there worth considering other than the Canon/Sony options?

 

[statto]

I too am in the market for my first digital camcorder, and I've gone round the houses - my budget for the camera is £500 tops.
I don't want lots of features that I probably won't use (didn't on my old analogue Panasonic RX18). My shortlist was the JVD GRD70 (no Svideo in - i probably want to tx ny old analogue stuff to digital - but cheap), the Panasonic DS65 - also no S video in which is really small & neat less than £400 if you shop around but I read some reviews about grainy footage with these) and the Sony TVR33 - much more expensive that the first two - however, since found out that the only real diference between the TVR33 & the 22 is the wide screen business & arguably better stills (I have a digital camera for that anyway) performance. I don't need those enhanced bits either and have found the TVR 22 on sale for £445 (PRC Direct), and that's about clinched it for me

(along with virtually everyone saying you won't be disappoineted with a Sony.

PS - I don't like the Canon's styling (doesn't affect performance but the MV models look a bit dated I think - personal opinion of course

Stats

 

[mossmanfly]

Statto you say you have a digital camera already? If so then look at the TRV19 instead of the 22. It is the same apart from the memory stick slot(used to store photos) and the colour viewfinder. Think the TRV22 may have a few more features in camera to do with effects, being able to overlay a photo onto video or something, but for extra money you may not need it.

Is the £500 total? If so you would probably want to get a nice carry case, some tapes, and a extra battery. A TRV19 can be got for £380. Also if you dont want to put any edited footage from the PC to the camcorder then get the TRV14 which are £320. As I described above I got mine with a extra battery, carry case, 15 tapes and a firewire cable for £465, which is in your budget range.

Another thing to point out is that the new range of Sony camcorders are coming in about March/April, and some places may run out of stock and get no more in. You may also get a good deal if there getting rid of the old stock. These new models are smaller, have very few new features, and also have in most cases a smaller CCD. The smaller the CCD the worst the low light performance generally. Sony say the smaller size does not effect it, but why on the most expensive model they have actually increased the size of the CCD from the current model?

 

[MartinImber]

If you have a widescreen TV you need an anamorphic video camera, otherwise you use ZOOM or 4x3 rather then WIDE.

The TRV33 has a very good picture and I am very happy with it.

The tests on the camcorder forum were made on the little LCD screen and not a widescreen TV

In real tests the TRV33 has always come ahead of the 22 for pictue quality.

 

[statto]

Thanks mossmanfly
It's intruiging - the more I research and the more info I get, the harder the decision seems to get LOL!

Probably don't NEED the stills facility, but one day I''ll probably forget the stills camera - Murphy's Law - Oh well.

I think I'll stick with the choice of the TVR22, but then again............

Stats

 

[Buzzeditor]

Thanks all, I've gone for the TRV33 from pixmania.com at £553 with an extra battery and an eight pack of tapes...

 

[MartinImber]

You will like it!

 

[statto]

Hope you like the TVR 33
I've decided I'm not a Peter Jackson just yet, so entry level for me, and I've decided I don't need still photo option either.
I've just ordered a TVR 19 from PRC Direct for £362!

Statto

 

[topmba]

I purchased a tvr33 from John Lewis for £539 with 2 years warranty. It was a shelf edge undersale price due to a local competitor. It is now back at £599.

I bought a S-video scart adaptor, but even though I have set the tv scart to s-video the picture is b&w. It is fine using the front s-vid socket. Any clues?

 

[topmba]

I resolved the problem by removing a spec of cotton that was caught on the pins.

 

[peachfuzz]

I see no-one recommended the Canon. Good! The noise from the motor is awfull. How What Camcorder did a review without mentioning it I don't know. Having said that, the lens, features, styling, conectivity and ease of use of the Canon are great. It's a damn shame about the noise though, it ruins what otherwise would be the perfect entry level digital camcorder.

 

[topmba]

It could be a fault with you Canon. My Canon MV200 use to be noise but an urelated repair under warranty (headphone socket) solved the problem.

 

[topmba]

My TRV33 went back. The reds were out. It turned a dark red car into a bright orangy red. Loved the megapixel though. It could record a KXX on a number plate 5 metres away. The Canon mv200 cannot - it shows a blurry XXX.