Near broadcast quality finally affordable to the non-pro user

If you have always wanted to produce videos for more then just family re-union or home movies but are not yet established in the world of professional Video production, this is the camera for you.

Sony TRV900 is one of the most affordable minDV tapes based on a 3-chip technology. What this means for you is that each of the primary colors of the image is recorded and processed separately resulting in a much more accurate and clean picture quality then the common miniDV cameras available for about half it's price. If you are serious about your work you will go for a 3-chip camera.

In this category Sony has one major competition, Canon. Although I would not like to dismiss Canon GL1 as it has its own following and fans, it is important to mention that Cannon lacks a special technology Sony has developed in its chips, basically overlaying a microscopic lens over each color cell on its image scanning screen. This added feature causes a noticeably sharper image in Sony cameras compared to Canon cameras. Canon GL1 fans will claim that they prefer the softer more smeared image of their cameras as it gives it a cinematic finish, my response is that you could achieve the same with a nylon diffuser on a Sony camera and still have the sharpness available to you when you need it.

Another advantage I myself see in the Sony camera as compared to its comparably priced Canon opponent, is that it is virtually indistinguishable from a popular camcorder while the Canon camera has a pro look to it. This is useful when you are not interested in drawing attention to yourself while filming and it helps you avoid

Many experts agree that the new miniDV cameras are almost indistinguishable from broadcast quality cameras costing many times more. You may wonder why anybody would bother buying a broadcast quality camera if they can get virtually the same quality from a miniDV cam? Well, the answer lies mainly in the robustness of the tape transfer mechanism as bigger mechanisms with more massive recording head flywheels maintain their accuracy over time much better. In addition manufacturers purposefully leave out some of the more pro features for no apparent reason but the differentiation of high cost models from low cost ones.

The TRV900 is very flexible in its features and very light. It can take high-resolution digital snapshots in addition to video footage and it can use memory sticks to easily transport the images to your computer. It incorporates a FireWire connection so you can download the footage you have recorded into your computer for editing purposes with no quality loss.

The camera's performance in low light conditions remains unrivaled in its price range. The camera can record images with as little as 4 Lux!! The batteries developed by Sony for this and other models are amazing in their capacity. You can get 8 or even 15 hour rechargeable batteries. Not only that but a smart technology in the batteries offers you an accurate estimate of remaining time. From personal experience I can say the mechanism is rather robust and I have not had any problems with it yet.