Features:

• Digital8 format
• 20x optical/360x digital zoom
• 4-inch color SwivelScreen LCD monitor
• IEEE 1394 digital video interface
• NightShot with slow shutter option

Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Sony's line of ground breaking Digital Video equipment offers you unsurpassed creative and technological freedom. The bridge between DV cameras and PCs has now raised personal video recording standards to the highest possible levels. And with the Sony product line, you know you're getting the highest quality for all your personal video recording needs.

Amazon.com Product Description:
This camcorder features the new Digital8 video format, which records digital video and audio for outstanding digital quality with up to 500 lines of horizontal resolution. Handycam camcorders play back virtually any 8mm or Hi8 tape, and Sony's seven Program AE modes will make all of the necessary adjustments to the shutter speed, aperture, and focusing for a variety of indoor and outdoor situations. These AE modes consist of portrait, sports lesson, spotlight, beach and ski, sunset and moon, landscape, and low lux. With Sony's NightShot system you can capture video even when shooting in total darkness (0 lux) up to 10 feet away using the built-in infrared system. The camcorder also features eight picture effects: slim, stretch, mosaic, solarization, monotone, sepia, negative art, and pastel, and five fader effects: black, mosaic, bounce, monotone, and overlap. The new analog recording capability allows you to record from an analog source and converts to digital video through AV inputs.

Rating : - Great Video & Easy to Use
I've had the Sony DCR-TRV-510 for about three months now. It's been a lot of fun to use and learn. Straight out of the box, charge up the battery, slip in a tape and you're ready to record. With a little practice and skimming of the manual, you can create some perfectly acceptable and fun still (digital) pictures. On the video front, the camera is exceptionally easy to learn and use. It takes standard 8mm video tapes - cheaper and more readily available than mini-DV tapes. Zoom lens is excellent although once you pass the optical zoom range and go into the digital zoom, you will likely notice the "pixilation" (you can turn the digital zoom off.) Tapes can be viewed on the flip out screen - excellent image. One feature I especially like is the one that lets you find the end of the last video recording -- no matter where you stop on a tape, hit this button and it takes you to where you stopped recording. Low light capability is outstanding even without using the Night Light feature. Still pictures are fun. Easy to do once you've mastered the technique. The picture is only 640 x 480 so it is really only suitable for web stuff or 2 x 3 or 4 x 3 snap shots. Images may be downloaded to your computer using the enclosed serial link or a FireWire interface if you have one. Serial link may be slow but it works just fine for me. I took a couple hundred stills (and 2 hours of video) while on a 10 day cruise and they were fine. Camera can only hold about 20 still pixs internally (in the fine mode) so I would copy them from the internal memory to a separate video tape I decided to use for still pictures only. Once on your computer, you can play with them to your heart's content. Consider buying a second bigger battery. I bought the 8 hour battery - a little extra weight but lots of extra time. I also bought the IR link for the TV. Saves having to hook up wires to the back of the TV/-510 every time you want to view a tape. It works flawlessly. And get a good camera bag.