The DCR-TRV280 is this year's low-end addition to the Sony Digital8 series. What it lacks in manual control options it makes up for in price, and what it lacks in chic packaging it compensates for in ease of use. It's the only Sony model that does not feature a touch screen LCD; instead control functions are dispersed atop the massive frame-to the user's ultimate benefit. The camcorder has not evolved from its predecessor, the DCR-TRV260 (original battery code : sony np-qm91d, sony np-qm71d

The Sony DCR-TRV280 is a behemoth and the only Sony camcorder this year to not relocate its menu system to a touch screen LCD. Control is exacted via the panoply of buttons on the camcorder's body. The measure of control will be limited as well. No manual white balance or shutter speed is offered, and the zoom toggle is disproportionately small.

The imager is the same as all Sony Digital8's for the last few years: a 1/6' CCD with 290K effective pixels. Under bright light conditions, the DCR-TRV280 reproduced colors with decent accuracy and acceptable noise levels. The colors were, however, somewhat washed. Low light performance was generally poor, but no more so than the performance from its big sister, the DCR-TRV480. A solid 20x optical zoom comes with the DCR-TRV280, as well as a flashy 990x digital zoom, a sad, misleading feature meant to lure in unschooled consumers. (Digital zoom artificially enlarges the picture, distorting it in the process.)

Ease of use is perhaps one of the crucial factors that can lead someone to choose a Digital8 over a MiniDV camcorder. If so, the DCR-TRV280 will not disappoint. Given the lack of manual control options, this camcorder is designed almost exclusively for point-and-shooters. The buttons are all clearly marked for each purpose, and if even these small tasks confuse the user, there is an Easy button on the upper left side that relegates nearly all quality control to the camcorder.

The DCR-TRV280 does not take stills. A step up from the DCR-TRV280 sony np-qm71d, sony np-qm91d )will buy you this feature. Surprisingly, a Widescreen shooting mode is available, though it is not a true 16:9 aspect ratio. Ports on this camcorder include DV, A/V, and USB. Other features include Burn DVD, which allows you to burn the footage onto a computer with a DVD burner or to a DVD recorder. There's also NightShot, Super NightShot, and Color Slow Shutter, which slows down the shutter speed in low light in order to capture more color information.

Main Features

Digital Zoom:

990 x

Camcorder Sensor Resolution:

460 Kpix

Exposure Modes:

Program, automatic

Optical Sensor Size:

1/6"

Webcam Capability:

Yes

Optical Sensor Type:

CCD

White Balance:

Automatic

Max Shutter Speed:

1/4000 sec

Min Shutter Speed:

1/60 sec

Media Type:

Digital8

Min Illumination:

0 lux

Recording Speed:

SP, LP

Shooting Programs:

Spotlight, sunset & moon, landscape, portrait mode, beach & ski, sports mode

Special Effects:

Solarization, Sepia, Mosaic, Stretch, Slim, Pastel, Monotone, Negative Art

Digital Scene Transition:

White fader, monotone fader, stripe, mosaic fader, black fader

Image Stabilizer:

Electronic (Steady Shot)

Analog Video Format:

NTSC

Horizontal Resolution:

500 lines

General

Product Type:

Camcorder

Width:

3.3 in

Height:

3.9 in

Depth:

5.9 in

Weight:

1.8 lbs

Battery life

Sony supplies a NP-FP30 lithium ion battery with the DCR-TRV280. If the user continuously records with the LCD open the camcorder will function for 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 20 seconds. This is slightly less than the time stated in the user manual, which stated an estimated time of 1 hour and 20 minutes. (We use fresh batteries for this test, but bear in mind that as the battery ages its maximum continuous recording time will decrease.)

camcorder battery

* SONY NP FM50 battery for camcorder

* Volt: 7.2V

* Capacity:1300mah

* Dim: 55.50x38.20x20.50mm

* Color: DARK GREY

* Chemistry:Li-ion