On Tue, 14 May 2002 19:25:08 -0700, "Nimo" wrote:

>So after much research I've settled on this little gem. However, I have some
>questions for you fine people:
>
>1) I've heard the on-board microphone isn't that great, and an external one
>is recommended. However, I've also heard that you can't hot-shoe a mic on
>there. Is there a particular mic that people out there have had luck with?

The mic on the camera sounds good for ambient-sound
pickup. Adding a mic will increase the bulk of the camera
considerably. If this is OK, perhaps going to another
(probably cheaper and larger) model, like the TRV17/18
would make sense, if you are going to add bulky
accessories... BTW, the various Sony *imaging types*
(excluding those of the TRV25/27 and TRV950) are
compared at:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm

>2) Does this camera have the ability to film in time-lapse? For example, can
>I set the exposure to shoot a frame every half second if I wanted to?

I don't remember - but I never use this feature since for that
one frame (of 6 or so that are recorded) that you want,
the camera tape loads to/from record mode, a bit "wearing"
on the little mechanism. Better: grab interval frames
from a 2-hour LP-80min tape in an editor, or shoot the
frames to memory stick and assemble them in an editor...

>3) Is there a particular tripod that I should be looking at? What's the
>price-point that separates the crap from the quality here?

Two price points: around $200-250 for decent/useable for
smooth pan/tilts; $1400+ for the entry-level good stuff...
If you just want to hold the camera steady in a fixed
position, almost any cheap tripod will do...