Sony Handycam DCR-TRV22E

I recently decided, on a whim, I'd like to make a few short videos and maybe a documentary. I had always wanted a mini DV camera but didn't realise how much prices had dropped in the past five years. I started tentatively looking around various camcorder review sites looking for a suitable model. Unfortunately, it was immediately obvious that the market is currently absolutely saturated with digital camcorders. Panasonic, Sony, Canon and JVC each have a vast and ever-expanding range of cameras which seem to look the same and basically have the same specs. The more I looked, the more confused I was.

Eventually I decided to rule out JVCs and Canons due to their lack of microphone socket and motor noise (respectively) and almost arbritrarily limited myself to small models by Sony and Panasonic. The Sony PCxxx range was in my sights as was the Panasonic GSxx range.

I took my shortlist into Jessops for a pricematch and naturally came out with a completely different camcorder.

Here's a brief rundown of the buying process.

-> CHOOSING A CAMERA

It sounds obvious, but you really need to know what you're using a camera for before you buy it. Someone who wants to make short films will have different priorities than someone who has a newborn baby. The former probably wants the option of an external microphone whereas the latter may want something small and handy that won't pick up its' own humming in a quiet room. My choices are based on my needs - yours may differ.

So, my first priority was a camera that performed well in low light. Reviews said that Sony almost always excelled here, with less 'grain' and an infra-red (Nightshot) mode for pitch black rooms (think Big Brother).

Secondly, I obviously wanted good image quality. Image quality is always subjective and all the cameras in my price range had only one CCD, where three is normally recommended if you can afford it. I couldn't! However, all the cameras on my shortlist only had a 1/6" CCD and the Jessops assistant said I would be far better off with a larger CCD if I was planning for low light use. The TRV-22 has a 1/4" CCD so is theoretically better. I have not compared the two against each other but I'm willing to believe the hype.

I also wanted an external mic socket and decent battery life. It has the external mic socket but unfortunately the supplied battery holds less than an hour of charge while the LCD is in use. The larger batteries retail at £100 but can be found on Ebay for around £65. This is still pretty expensive but you will get up to four hours from the larger battery.

Finally, I wanted a DV-in. Many cheap camcorders only allow you to output footage (EU taxes are lower on cameras that cannot be used as video recorders, for some reason). Although I have no immediate use for this feature, it's generally a no-no to buy a camera that does not have it.

-> DESIGN

I was, and am, a bit unimpressed with the look of the TRV-22. Yes, it is tiny... I have small hands and, if I put my wrists together and cup my hands around it, I can just about get my fingers to touch. But it does look rather bland. Japanese buyers are treated to white, blue and orange variations which I would have preferred. In my opinion, the Panasonics looked nicer and were even a little smaller, and at £330, cheaper too.

Also, I had wanted a 'matchbox' shape - i.e. an upright, square design - which is why I had the PC107 in mind. However, the Jessops man convinced me that these camcorders often have a microphone mounted on the top - not on the front - which is a design flaw. I was inclined to agree and decided not to pay £430 just for the tall, thin case.

-> PRICING

As I've just mentioned, the Panasonic GS15 was around £330 online, and the Sony PC107 was £430. These were my main choices. The TRV-22 was £415. Jessops were willing to pricematch any of these camcorders so no worries there.

I guess an extra £75 is a lot for the Sony but I had only heard good things about it, where the Panasonic had mixed reviews.

So I took the plunge and took an ex-display, discontinued TRV-22 off their hands for £415, after some haggling. The 4 hour battery quoted at £85 by Jessops I got on Ebay for £65, and I picked up three DV tapes on the high street for £13 (a little dear, but you can't be too fussy if you want them quickly).

So now I was ready to set up and start filming.

-> USING THE CAMCORDER

The camera sits nicely in your right hand although the hand strap sits a little too low on me (on the tightest fit). It feels secure but it could be tighter. Some people with large hands might be wise to try out these small cameras in a shop- I can reach just about everything, but if my hands were large it might be a bit fiddly.

The camera has four modes... basically, 'Play', 'Record', 'Memory stick' and 'Off'.

1. Play
This allows you to play back recordings you have made.
2. Record
This puts the camera into standby ready to begin taping.
3. Memory stick
This is a rather strange and useless mode where you can save short mpg movies and low-res still pictures to a Memory Stick. The movies are jerky and only suitable for web use. The stills are reasonably pointless too. This mode is similar to what you could expect from a sub-£150 "digital camcorder" - the gadget type.

You can view your scene through the colour viewfinder, or unfold and swivel the LCD to watch on the screen instead. Turn the screen through 180 degrees and the image will flip, which also causes the viewfinder to come back on, so you can watch the scene from both sides.

The 10x optical zoom is controlled with a rocker switch which sits under your index finger. If you want to sacrifice part of your image, you can also film in Widescreen, although this is not 'true' Widescreena and your images will appear distorted on a 'normal' TV.

One unusual feature is the touchscreen. There are barely any switches on the camera, and you control playback, effects and settings by pressing the LCD instead. If you are likely to have dirty fingers or are using the camera on the beach etc, this is NOT the camera for you, as you could do real damage to the LCD if you're not careful. It is pretty nice to press the 'Rewind' icon and see the camera respond, though. It's a nice gadget.

BUT! The LCD really comes into its own with the 'Spot Focus' feature, which I love. If you have a scene where you want to focus on something specific, you simply put the camera in Spot Focus and touch the part of the image you want it to sharpen. Touch something else and the focus will jump. The only problem is, it is almost impossible to touch the screen without moving the camera at the same time! But it works very well and is a fantastic feature to play with.

The digital effects are basically useless so I won't waste time with those. Same with the digital zoom which looks awful - I highly recommend you turn it off! You can control the camera with manual settings in the screens but again, you are going to move the camera when you push, so if you're really into manual controls, this is likely to be a big problem.

-> PERFORMANCE

The camera performs very well. Operation is quick and the zoom is very sensitive to pressure, so it's possible to do slow zooms very smoothly. The images are fantastic quality, and if you mount the camera on a tripod, it would be possible to get some very nice quality footage (think docu-soap style - it's obvious it's a home camera, but not massively so). The Nightshot really does work, and the image stabiliser is adequate as well.

The mic does pick up a certain amount of motor noise if the room is silent. I think this is probably fairly inevitable as cameras get smaller. It's no problem if someone is talking. I have not yet played with the noise reduction but I guess it may help.

The manual that comes with the camera is long and confusing, and apparently it takes a long time to get the analogue AV ins to actually work.

The LCD is strong and sturdy (it's designed to be pushed and prodded, after all) and the supplied strap and handstrap are of good quality. The whole camera is well designed and well balanced, and I especially like the clip-on lens cap which opens and closes and does not 'dangle' like some. The remote control is, incidentally, the ugliest remote I have ever seen, but I'm sure it does the job.

Luckily I don't plan to use the Memory Stick features but if you are planning to use a camcorder as a stills camera, don't bother... the supplied 8mb stick is no good for serious use and you will be disappointed with the results.

-> CONCLUSION

I've had my cam for less than 24 hours so I plan to post an update when I've done more with it. However, so far, I consider it money well spent. I think Sony are a little cheap to include such a low capacity battery, no case and only an 8mb Memory Stick, but other than that, I have no doubts that this is a great, small, compact machine that will be permanently by my side for a long long time. I've certainly never seen a bad word said about it and hopefully I'll be another satisfied Sony customer!