Sony DCR-TRV50E review

Network seems to be Sony's new buzzword. MiniDisc Walkmans, MP3 players and even camcorders have all become network devices, although 'network' means something different in each case. With camcorders like the DCR-TRV50E, it refers to the addition of Bluetooth functionality. This may seem like a strange feature for a camcorder, but Sony has thought up a few uses for it, mostly revolving around the camcorder's ability to moonlight as a digital camera.

We tried to set up the TRV50E with a Bluetooth LAN access point, but hit a brick wall. The camcorder could find the access point, but it required a phone number to connect. Sony's Bluetooth implementation is primarily designed to work with a modem or Bluetooth-enabled phone, which limits its usability considerably. This is a shame, as the screen is easy to use.

In digital camera mode, Bluetooth is also used for email and accessing an online picture album, allowing you to email photos and manage them on a Web site - the latter in tandem with Sony's 'Album on the Net' service. We were able to upload photos to this service via a Nokia 6310 (see Reviews, issue 91, p137) and view them online on the camcorder, but the URL for desktop access wasn't documented.

The 3.5in, 246,000-pixel screen is also available for a few of the wackier camcorder settings, such as superimposing a keyed image on top of the current picture. But functions like setting the clock and activating the steadyshot are only available from a more traditional selection dial system. Many of the most often-used functions have their own buttons, such as backlight, focus, exposure and six program AE modes. There's also a separate slider to switch between Colour Nightshot (which uses a slow shutter speed) and the Super Nightshot (which use infrared emitters underneath the camera lens). Both are pretty effective in low light, particularly the infrared mode, although the latter is essentially monochrome.

As you'd expect from a Sony camcorder, video image quality is first rate for a single-chip model, rivalling some three-CCD examples. There's a tendency to overemphasise red, but detail resolution is excellent and there's little blooming around coloured areas in low light. In daylight, again, detail and colour fidelity are first rate. As a digital camera, the TRV50E is also decent, with 1.39 (effective) megapixels. This amounts to a 1,360 x 1,020 native image resolution. There's a built-in flash and an 8Mb Memory Stick supplied, which can store 11 images at maximum resolution. You can also record MPEG movies to Memory Stick, which, like the still images, can be emailed via Bluetooth.

Sony provides plenty of options for connecting to other AV devices, all available on the camera body. There's a proprietary mini-jack for composite video and audio connections, S-Video, headphone and mic mini-jacks, and both i.LINK and USB, although the latter requires a special cable. There's also a LANC editing jack. The only physical downside is the bottom-loading tape mechanism, which will annoy anyone wanting to use a tripod.

The DCR-TRV50E isn't Sony's sexiest camcorder, but image quality is great and it's brimming with features. However, unless you want the Bluetooth functionality, it isn't worth the extra £200 over JVC's GR-DV3000 (see below).

Author: James Morris