Sony DCR-TRV238 Handycam Digital8 Camcorder

Despite the impressive list of features the DCR-TRV238 is very easy to use, you can simply leave everything set to auto and shoot away, leaving the more esoteric controls for later experimentation. The variable-speed zoom is a joy to use. There's a 25x optical zoom backed by a digital zoom which takes you all the way to 700x. However digital zoom reduces the image quality. There is a setting to limit the digital zoom to 50x, which is advisable.

Among the other features buried in the onscreen menu system are a collection of editing effects, such as a set of faders, which are best left well alone, and the ability to add titles to your recording. There are also some digital filters which can be fun, but have a tendency to make your film look like a 1970s music video. You can apply these filters after recording which means you can experiment later while playing back tapes, you can even zoom during playback too.

The menu system is easy enough to use but has a lot of work to do at times. For example, a separate button to cancel all applied special effects would be handy to save you having to navigate back through the menu again. Other features include Super NightShot, an infrared mode for shooting in darkness and a wonderful time-lapse mode which is great fun. As well as video you can capture still images, over 500 onto a tape. This is handled rather neatly. There's a special photo button which freezes the image on a light push and takes a picture on a more determined one. Each image takes about seven seconds to capture. The image quality on stills is not of the same calibre as a standalone digital camera, but is still a useful additional feature.

Battery life using the supplied battery is good enough for a quick session, about an hour or an hour and a half of continuous use if you avoid the LCD and keep to long shots, but spares, or high-capacity replacement batteries are recommended.

The camcorder can output in analogue S-VHS or composite and in pure digital, both via the iLink (DV Out connection) and USB. The Sony DCR-TRV238 offers an excellent way into the world of digital video with an impressive set of features and a lot of hardware for the money. If you are interested in editing your footage on a PC, you may be better off looking at the DCR-TRV240, which has a similar specification to this model, but also includes DV input.--Miles Berkeley

Developed three years ago as a completely digital video format, the beauty of Digital8 lies in its bridging capabilities between the analogue world of Sony Hi8 and the digital multimedia future. Once again the bridging capabilities of Digital8 are emphasised with the addition of USB streaming capabilities to this model. USB Streaming creates two new applications for these versatile digital camcorders: the first as a WebCam with the addition of USB driver software and third party conferencing software (such as Windows Netmeeting) to facilitate video communications live over the Internet. A second application is live video streaming direct to a PC in similar fashion to Sony's i.LINK, since the USB port transmits a continuous video signal rather than single files. This application requires Pixela Image Mixer software (which comes bundled with the camcorders) as well as the necessary USB driver software. Image Mixer captures the video data, edits MPEG1 format data, displays thumbnails of still and moving images on screen and archives them to hard disk or Memory Stick.