Sony DCR-TRV250 Digital8 Camcorder

However, the advent of digital video, with its ability to be edited easily on a PC persuaded me. The trouble was, which one to buy? With cameras ranging in price from cheap to very expensive, and a limited budget I was very unsure.

Extensive reading of the various magazine suggested the DCR-TRV250 was the one for us. We wanted DVin to we could record edited shows back onto tape, but we weren't bothered about having the camera very small - I think they are hard to hold steady if they are really tiny. We didn't need backwards compatibility to play old analogue Hi-8 tapes, and we were not looking for one which could take photo quality stills, so this one seemed to fit the bill. With Sony's reputation for quality and innovation, you seemed to get a lot of good features for the price, so we took the plunge.

We have not been disappointed. The camera is in fact no larger than a Single Lens Reflex body; it takes the cheaper Hi-8 tapes, the playback quality via the leads supplied (including SCART adapter) is excellent. The camera is easy to use, the automatic steadying system works very well, the viewfinder is nice and bright, as is the LCD display. The 20x optical zoom gives great flexibility (forget the further 35x digital effect), although at its widest it's still only about the same angle of view as a 35mm SLR lens. There's a tripod socket on the bottom, and it comes with a USB lead - yet to be tried - and a power supply and battery which does around an hour or so. I suspect we will want a second battery as a back up, and possibly a car adapter.

All in all we are delighted with this camera. The Digital-8 tape (rather than the smaller DV tape format) means the camera is cheaper then DV ones with the same features.

So why only 4-stars not 5? Well, we thought it was cheap of Sony not to include a tape with the camera. But that's the only niggle.

So far I've very impressed, although having read some other reviews, I made sure that I'd bought some tapes at the same time. The camera was excellently packed, with just the right amount of gizmos and not too much literature, however to throw in one of Sony's own tapes, wouldn't have gone a miss!

Once unpacked, it was fairly self evident where things went and I was soon recording footage of the family and pets. The size and weight are just about right, so you feel secure in holding it and your shots are steady. The power control and recording button are under your thumb (like most cameras) however Sony have done away with the tilting switch for the zoom, which is a little disappointing as the sliding switch, to me feels a little too far away. It's also very sensitive, although this is not a complaint as after a while, with practice, it gets easier to control.

The LCD is a nice size and is very clear, and you don't have to be looking straight at it to see it. The mechanism for opening it out is firm and smooth, so it doesn't feel like it's going to fall off! Underneath are a few controls, and a small speaker for playback. This is where the menu is controlled from and nice little touch is the melody setting which plays a different pitch of beep when you're selecting and setting options. A small thumb-wheel acts as the navigating tool and works well.

On the top are controls for when the camcorder is in VCR mode and you can also use the Battery Information button which gives a really good indication of usage. There is also a switch for the NightShot control (which is neat) and a button for turning on the built-in light. Although not powerful it would be useful for close-up or where you want a little extra brightness.

Input and output where important in my choice of camera and unlike some other models you do get DV in as well as out. Sony also offers AV Out, USB Streaming and S-Video Out. Sorry no input for separate microphone, but the on-board sound is good enough for me.

All in all, I've found it an excellent buy. I couldn't afford to go the mini-dv format route, but I wanted something that I could point and shoot, take on holiday and film the kids growing up. This fits the bill for the value and the quality. If you're a pro you might want a bit more, but for the hobbyist or the amateur, this does a good job, and I haven't even mentioned the ease in which I had connecting the camcorder via a FireWire Card and Windows XP! I managed to be editing my first video real quick, and I was archiving it back to another blank tape, without even touching the camcorder and letting the PC do the work.