Sony DCR-TRV245

This Sony DCR-TRV245 camera was my first ever camcorder purchase. I found it during the sales at my local store at £299. After getting the impressive box home I found everything I needed to record and transfer the results to video/PC or another camera. It even has a remote control for playback or record.

Digital 8 only means that it digitally records to 8mm digital tape rather than to DV tape, everything else is identical to DV cameras apart from this.

The camera fits snugly in my hand and is well balanced for easy use. Basic operation cannot be easier, remove the lens cap, turn on and press the red record button, press again to stop recording.

A variety of features can be switched on before recording to apply effects, for example portrait mode which softens the background of a subject. Other effects such as Black and White, Sepia or mosaic can be selected. I especially liked the fader function that easily allows you top apply fading effects (choice of four) to your recording session. This may be useful if you do not intend to edit your footage before storing or transferring it.

I like this camera, it has a superb 20x zoom and there is no noticeable deforming of the subject at the maximum (a problem that can occur with cheaper lenses). If you need more than this then you can use the digital zoom but beware that the quality is affected. You will need another battery, as the supplied one is low capacity so put this into the cost when you are considering purchase.

The ability to use an optional DV firewire cable with this camera means that you can get very impressive transfer speeds to your computer if you want to edit. (even the editing software is included!)

It's a 100% great buy...