On Wed, 08 Jul 1998 01:04:27 GMT, sstteevvee@my-dejanews.com wrote:

>Steve: What don't you like about the TRV9?

I bought that TRV-9...;-)
I like (almost) everything about it.
Hits:
- sharp lens, that also works well
with wide converters.
- excellent stabilizer (the best I've
seen in any camcorder), with no
unpleasant artifacts (except in low
light it seems to rob some much-needed
gain).
- excellent standard VF (the fold-out
one isn't useful to me, especially
in daylight), though it needs a better
eyecup.
- excellent AF - the best I have yet
seen (I use this AF, but no other
for most work).
- analogue input (allows me to digitize
analogue tapes, or use a video EQ
to alter a DV tape in real time
to sharpen, color-correct,
contrast/brightness-correct, etc,
without loss of quality).
- very small and light (until I add
a side handle, a wide-angle converter,
and an external mic and battery
box, that is...;-).
- can use one type battery that is also
useable on the VX-1000.
- long battery life.
- a rarely useful, but interesting IR
night-vision mode, with built-in IR
light source (which is uneven, so it
looks best with the lens zoomed out).
Misses:
- poor low-light ability.
- low color saturation, with excessive
blue (I copy tapes shot with this
camcorder through a video EQ, keep
the copies, and record over the originals).
- the usual audible whine in the audio
(and powering my external mic without
a power socket on the camcorder has
been awkward).
- a touchy-but-controllable-with-practice
zoom control (finger placement toward
the center of the rocker switch helps).
If I could do a little reprogramming of
the color level, AE bias, and color balance,
and add a power socket, this would be one
very nice mini camcorder. As it is, it is,
when I copy the tapes to improve them...

BTW, I had a chance recently to check out
a couple of the new mini 3-chip Panasonics.
Nice picture in both bright and dim light,
the WA converter that comes with it is good.
It is VERY small and light. The AF is so-so.
The stabilizer isn't very good and it robs
sharpness. No headphone output? No external
mic power out? The 43mm filter size strikes
me as odd... Uses a docking station for
connections. Hey, I haven't yet seen the
perfect camcorder, but the three mentioned
above are rather nice...;-)