Sony DCRTR7000 Handycam Digital Video Camcorder

The Sony DCR-TR7000 Handycam gives you a range of advancedfeatures for high-quality digital video recording. It uses the Digital8 recording format, which gives you up to 500 lines of horizontalresolution and CD-quality 16- or 12-bit PCM stereo audio. It alsooffers image stabilization to help prevent camera shake, and featuresa 20x optical/360x digital zoom to get you close to the action.

TheDCR-TR7000 has a good selection of preset exposure modes to help youget great shots in any lighting situation. It also includes a hugevariety of special effects, from stretch and solarization to sepia andslow shutter. The included IEEE 1394 (Firewire) output lets youdownload digital video to your computer. (You need an IEEE 1394 cardon your computer to do this.) It also offers analog recordingcapability, which allows you to record from an analog source andconvert to digital video through AV inputs.

The Sony DCR-TR7000Handycam also offers Sony's exclusive NightShot capability, which letsyou shoot video in total darkness. The camcorder emits an invisibleinfrared beam to light the scene. The resulting video is basicallyblack and white and lower quality than normal, but it's amazing thatyou can even get decent images in complete darkness.

Sony manages tooffer these advanced features in a digital camcorder at a decent priceby not including an LCD viewfinder--so if you prefer an LCD screen,you may want to consider another model. But if you prefer to shootthrough an eyepiece, this digital camcorder is a great value.