Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony DCRTRV17 MiniDV Camcorder

Got this camcorder (my first camcorder ever) about three weeks ago. Overall great and I've been nothing but impressed. If you are looking to shoot some video of the kids and play it back to family and friends on the home TV then get a less expensive camcorder. I think that if you are going to digital it's because you plan to download and manipulate the video on your home computer to get a semi-profession video. This camera lets you download the 30-minutes (of usually boring) video of the kids playing Little League onto your home computer and turn it into a really cool 5-minute baseball video with a soundtrack, still shoots (saved on the built in still camera) and titles that you can record back onto the camcorder. Lightweight and compact, it's easy to carry and the large (3.5 inch) LCD screen is a lot easier to view then the typical tiny 2.5 inch screen. The built in USB port and cable (included) is for the saved JPG still shots on the memory stick. To download the video to your computer you need a firewire card and a firewire cable (not included) plus the video software for your computer. The Sony included software is for the JPG still shots only. The camera also does not come with any MinDV tapes so order some when you order the camera. If you plan on shooting a lot of video without a battery recharge you might want to think of getting another battery. The LCD screen sucks up battery power like crazy so plan on 30 minutes of shooting before you are looking for a recharge. All in all a great camera that is easy to use and has enough options and bells-and-whistles to keep anyone occupied.

After about 2 months of searching for the perfect all around camcorder, I limited down my choiced to three competitors; The Canon Elura 2 MC, the Sony dcr-trv 730, and the Sony dcr-trv 17. Canon has always had a great reputation for delivering top of the line technology and optics in their camcorders, but I was never fond of the lengthy and slim shape of the Elura 2 models. The sony dcr-trv 730 looked like an ideal choice until I actually had the opportunity to use one, I found the shape to be too big for my hand and the picture quality wasn't enough for the ammount of money you had to pay. Some other turn downs on this model were its black and white view finder and its lack of a Carl Zeiss lense (megapixel technology), let me tell you that these let downs alone turned me away from this model. The sony dcr-trv 17 however included the Carl Zeiss lense, as well as a color view finder and 3.5 inch lcd screen. The shape fits perfectly into my hands and is worth the extra two hundred dollars from the price of the 730 model. Some add-ons I would suggest are a uv filter to protect the lense, some mini dv tapes (model does not come with tapes), a carrying case and an extra battery. Please keep in mind that this camera is a proffesional-consumer level camera, and I would suggest a sony dcr-trv 330 for beginners.

With it's image stabalization and all of its other automatic features, this camera makes even the most novice director look good. I can shoot from indoors to outdoors, walking, or standing still and this camera adjusts the video, lighting, etc. to what I am doing. It is more expensive than others in it's class, but accessories are easy to find, and Sony makes a high quality product. One more thing; this camera has a very nice lens, so buy a lens filter for it to keep it from being scratched.

It took me three months of store-survey before I was able to settle for the TRV-17 Handycam. It turned out to be one of the best electronic purchase I have ever made. The camera is easy to use, the additional editing features means I can be an aspiring Spielberg or Stone, and its lightweight dimensions means you can take it anywhere you like!

My wife and I were searching for a camcorder for the birth of our first child, and this one fit every requirement we had. Image stabilization, low-light capabilities, and digital still photos onto Memory Stick made this versatile enough to cover the whole hospital stay and everything since, without needing a whole arsenal of gadgets. And it only took a little of bit light reading of the manual to figure out everything I cared about using.