Shawn,

What manual controls would I be giving up? I would think that the PDX10 would be more of a pro camera vs. the 900 and would have more manual features. Also I read some problems with audio capturing with the PDX10. I'm using a Mac and Final Cut Express so am I going to have this problem?

I also use Mac and FCE, and have no problems capturing audio.

I'm not especially familiar with the 900, but doesn't it have independent NDs and independent gain control? The PDX has neither of these, although it seems to be officially true that it has undocumented and automatic internal NDs. There are a couple of major threads around here about this.

The PDX has an "exposure" control, WB, independent audio channel controls, a heap of shutterspeeds, and the same custom presets and auto/focus/lock switch and button in the front that the PD170 has.

It's more of a pro's holiday cam. Perhaps Sony sought to keep the cost of it down, and also have it not threaten PD150 sales? Peculiar omissions, perhaps, but a brilliant little cam nevertheless.

<<<-- Originally posted by Paul Chun : Also I read some problems with audio capturing with the PDX10. I'm using a Mac and Final Cut Express -->>>

Paul, you should be fine in the audio department. The problem seems to be related to the firewire drivers and NLE software on some versions of Windows.

Shawn, I haven't seen a 900 either but I'm willing to bet that exposure control is pretty much the same as the PDX-10, which is also the same as my VX-2000. From bealecornerAs you mention, the PDX-10 has "double secret" internal ND filters that pop in to force the camera's aperture to stay in the sweet spot of the lens. As you turn the exposure wheel in manual mode the camera will decide whether to actually change the iris opening or drop in one of the ND filters instead. So you do have full manual control, but you aren't always sure whether it's over the iris or ND filter wheel. Interesting that Sony has never documented this.

Tweaking a TRV 900
 

Are there any tweaks or tools out there so you can change factory settings on these cams.
In specific, I need to use auto focus a lot. I shoot a lot of hand held, close, fast moving stuff. Is there a way to speed up the factory set auto focus motor?

Am I insane....or are there cameras out there that have naturally fast focus.

Paul

TRV900 - is it possible to flash the firmware?
 

Hello guys, here's my first post on this board.

I recently bought a TRV900 - the Japanese version! I don't speak any Japanese, so I labelled all controls with English P-Touch stickers. Fine, but what about the menus?

Has any of you guys ever heard about the possibility of flashing TRV900's firmware? If it can be flashed, then it can be flashed with the English firmware too! There's got to be a way to do it. I wouldn't mind opening the TRV900, if need be, but I'm guessing it can be done through LANC or by "booting" from a "rigged" memory card.

I'd greatly appreciate your comments on this.

Have you seen John Beale's website? It is a great resource for this camera. In particular, this section discusses messing around with the firmware: http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/service.html. From what I gather, the RM-95 is no longer available however.

John Beale's site was the first place where I looked for this, to no avail. I even wrote to John and he isn't aware of anyone flashing the TRV900 firmware, so I ended up on this forum to seek help.

I also have the service manual and I couldn't find any info about flashing the firmware.

I'm sure it can be done. They have to do it at the factory when they put the camera together. Any Sony insiders on this forum?

Last year there was some discussion of hacking the firmware on the TRV-950. One of the sites mentioned was http://lea.hamradio.si/~s51kq/DV-IN.HTM. While it doesn't specifically deal with your question there is an explanation of how to dump and load firmware. So theoretically it seems possible to copy the firmware from an english camera and upload it to yours.

However this all seems like a lot of trouble and more importantly, you stand a good chance of making your camera inoperable.

Final Cut Express to TRV900 to Monitor
 

I'n new to all this. Trying to monitor Final Cut Express on TV set thru TRV900. Mac G5 firewire to 'DV in/out' on TRV900 to S-video to Sony TV.

Everything works except Final Cut out to TRV900. I've captured from camera to G5 thru this setup and I can monitor TRV900 playback and camera thru this setup.

TRV Manual says it should say "DV In" on screen, but it doesn't. I can't find setting on TRV for DV input. Can't find setting on Final Cut Express for Firewire output (except in Easy Setup Box - and I've tried "DV-NTSC" and "DV-NTSC Firewire Basic" and "DV converter" but still no luck.

Any ideas? Thanks

I have encountered a similar problem many times. The only solution I've found is to trash your FCE/FCP preferences.

Don't forget to reset your scratch disks after trashing the preferences.


Mike.

"nevermind... found it."
 

Just found it in Final Cut Express:
View (Menu) - Video - Firewire.
It's all good.
Thanks for being there.

Trv900
 

hi, i am a new member and came here to get some info on TRV900s

i have pretty much decided on this camera for many reasons but still want to know as much about it s possable before i make a purchase.

how is the audio, lowlight and is there widscreen format?

thanks alot
brad

The TRV-900 is an older camera which is the consumer version of the PD-100, like the TRV-950 is to the PDX-10. With 1/4" chips it won't be as good in low light as the VX-2000 but should be a little better than the TRV-950. It has a widescreen mode but it crops and stretches like the VX-2000 so you lose quality in that process. The TRV-950 has a little better widescreen mode and the PDX-10 is much better at that.

The TRV-900 has a loyal following however. John Beale has extensive TRV-900 resources on his website; have you seen them? http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/index.html

I presume you're talking about getting a second-hand TRV900 Brad. They were introduced in 1997 and quite a few of them suffered from internal microphone failure, so do check this out on the camera you have your eye on. Less well documented was the early versions ability to crinkle the tape. This only happened when you had filmed say 55 minutes of the 60 mins and then hit 'rewind', but it's a nasty noise to hear.

Other than those two things it is indeed a fine camera with lots of photographic control. Fully working 6 bladed iris, a switchable ND filter, progressive scan (at a reduced frame rate) and it takes the big NP-F batteries (as the VX2100 does). It's about 1.5 stops less sensitive than the VX2000, but overall it's a mighty fine camera.

tom.

TRV900 vs. VX2000 as backup to PD170?
 

I am looking at getting a backup/b-roll camera to my PD170.
My TRV38 just isn't cutting it.
It will mainly be used as a lock down shot for wedding ceromonies.

Will the TRV900 match up reasonably well with the PD170? With what I have seen on ebay, I think I can get a TRV900 for about $1000-1200 less than a VX2000.

Or should I just try and save some more $$$ and get the VX2000?

Thanks

Budget aside I would want a camera that is closer in capabilities to the PD170. The VX2000 with its similar 1/3" 3CCD configuration will more closely match the PD170 in PQ and low light performance (as you know a wedding must).

Also, I believe the TRV900 has been discontinued a lot longer than the VX2000 and you run the risk of higher mileage.

Thanks

Unfortunately, budget is a big concern. I just spent all the money I had on the PD170.
I was hoping to sell the TRV38 for a few bucks and then buy a used TRV900 or PD100 to replace it.
I figure they have to be better than the 38 and I can also use one of them as my family camera since they have a similiar form factor as the TRV38.

Budget always stops me dead in my tracks. I don't think you would have a problem matching up footage between the TRV900 and PD170 unless they are both taping the same low light ceremony.

I had trouble using a PDX10 with a wedding last year (along with my VX2000) but I believe the TRV900 handles better in dim lighting. The TRV900 has larger CCDs (1/4" vs 1/4.7") and fewer pixels per CCD (380k vs. 1070k).

There's good and bad things associated with your choice of a TRV900 as second back-up cam. First the good things, and this comes from personal experience. The 900 and PD footage will cut together seamlessly, and if you've not gone too far off the norm with the PD's custom preset it'll be hard to tell the footage apart.

The downside is the low light performance, though as Tommy says it's better than the PDX/950. The other thing is the age of the 900, though there are of course many good examples about.

Look out for failing in-built microphones and be aware that some 900's had a nasty habit of crinkling the tape when put into the rewind mode having filmed for 50 minutes plus. You can avoid this by rewinding in the PD or DSR-11, whatever.

But if I were you Jeff I'd go the distance and get a VX2k. It's had a much better reliability record than the 900, it'll see better in the gloom of the church, the presets can be set to match and the optics are exactly the same. Yes, that's the one I'd go for.

tom.

Why go from TRV900 to XL2?
 

Being somewhat of an amateur after reading these posts,what would I,or anyone else for that matter,gain from going from the Sony TRV900/950 to the Canon XL2 ?
Would we see an immediate increae in quality/resolution/colour etc.
I have had good results with the TRV900 being a 3 CCD cam and am interested in a more expert view.

The differences are so profound I don't know where to begin... off the top of my head these are some of the advantages:

1. interchangeable lenses, including fully manual if desired (although $$$)

2. option for BW CRT high resolution viewfinder (also $$$)

3. True progressive scan CCD's with 24p and 30p modes. This permits you to shoot at the full 480 lines of vertical resolution instead of ~360 lines used for interlaced cameras like the 900.

4. 1/3" CCD's vs 1/4" on the 900 or 1/4.7" on the 950. Means better low light response, less vertical smear.

5. Far more options for picture control in terms of parameters which can be tweaked via menus.

6. High resolution 16:9 mode. Big difference from the cropped 16:9 on the 900.

I'm sure there are others, but these cameras are just in completely different leagues. Of course you would expect this from a design that is several years newer and a price that's at least 3x more than a 950 for the base model. There would be disadvantages as well though, it's bigger and heavier for one thing.

Boyd,thanks for the informative reply.
Guess I should start saving....

TRV900 lens hood
 

Does anybody know if the Lens hood on the TRV900 is available for sale anywhere?

I have a lead on a TRV900 that does not have the lens hood.

Is the lens hood functional at all? Will I miss not having it?

Thanks

Searching for parts/acessories on Sony's consumer site only turned up things like batteries, straps, etc. However if you go to their professional site and search for pd100 then follow the appropriate links you eventually get to 51 pages of parts! I don't know much about the TRV-900 or PD-100, so maybe it's not a valid assumption that the lens hoods are interchangeable? Perhaps someone else can help with that.

Anyway, here's a link to Sony's "PartsPLUS" website. Unfortunately you can't link to individual pages within the site it seems: https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/PartsPlus.aspx

Depends where you live Jeff, but Sony parts are readily available in the UK.

The TRV900's hood is a beautifully made and rather expensive piece of kit consisting of 8 parts. It bayonets onto the lens but in so doing means you can't fit filters to the lens - they have to fit inside the hood itself. Of course this is very bad practice as the filters are a good 10 mm from the front element, and any dust etc is much more likely to be (auto) focused on. Not only that, but by fitting filters inside the hood you decrease the efficiency of the hood tremendously - you've effectively moved the front element forward by 10 mm but kept the hood in the same place.

If I were you I'd not bother with the official 900 hood - I'd go out and buy a Hoya collapsible hood in a 52 mm fitting. Much more efficient (especially if you're doing a lot of telephoto work), much cheaper and you can fit filters right up against the zoom lens.

tom.

Is this the lens hood you are talking about?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WD1V

That certainly looks like the one - matt black rubber with a fine red line round the circumference at the front. The hood can be pulled / pushed into three positions but beware - the 900 (along with very nearly all camcorders) masks the side-screen and the v'finder, so you might not be told of full frame cut-off till you see the full frame image on your pc. Time for a test or two.

But it's a great hood and if you're doing a lot of telephoto work on safari for instance, the hooding can be very efficient indeed - much better than the stock hood which is only efficient at the wide-angle end of the zoom of course.

tom.

Wide Angle lens for TRV900?
 

Did a search and didn't come up with much. What wide anlge converter lens are out there for the TRV900?
It has a 52mm thread size.

Check out the canon wd58

The 52 mm attachment thread size is very well catered for out there in wide-angle land Jeff. Sony make some, as do Tecpro, Raynox, Kenko, Century, Cavision and others.

What you really need to decide is if you want a full zoom-through and what power you want. The less powerful 0.7x converters seem to suit a lot of folk, but I for one want a good and powerful 0.5x if I've gone to all the hassle of fitting it.

If you do get a w/angle, do get a lens hood for it too. It's even more important to hood the lens because you've added more glass elements in front of your camera's zoom, and more elements = more flare.

tom.

I am looking for a full zoom through lens.
I know there is lots of 52mm lens out there. I guess I was asking for some personal experiences with any of them.
I had a Canon WD-58H on my old GL2, and I imagine that would be huge on a TRV900, would it not?

No, the Canon lens should be just fine on the Sony. You'll need a step-down ring (58 >52). You still have the lens? Give it a go.

tom.

I purchased a Wide Angle lens for my TRV900 ,a Vitacom 0.45X Semi Fisheye Pro AF and its OK except for vignetting at maximum wide,so best check it on the cam before purchase

Better yet - check it on the computer monitor, The cam's side-screen and v'finder mask off quite an appreciable chunk of the captured image.

topm.

I have a Raynox and do not recommend it. There''s vignetting at about 75% and alot of lens flare. Image is also soft when the lens is on.

That seems a little unfair Ernest, dismissing Raynox out of hand like that. You've not told us which model you bought, or whether it came with 52 mm attachment threads, or what the power is or if you have a filter between lens and zoom. "vignetting at about 75%" doesn't mean much to me.

I've just done a test of the Raynox QC505 for a magazine here in the UK, and I gave the lens my hearty recommendation. I tested it on a PDX10 and an MX300 and its performance is remarkable at the price. It won't suit Jeff (who started this thread) because he's after a zoom-through, but for anyone else it's a steal.

tom.

Sorry. You have a point. It's a .66x and it's labelled 3962-789-RAY

Is that the Raynox 6600PRO? I tested one of these too, with not the slightest sign of vignetting. It was also nearly devoid of barrel distortion and very sharp indeed. But it was not full zoom as the maker warned - past about halfway towards full telephoto the image grew softer and softer. I can live with that - after all, it's a wide-angle converter.

tom.

Thanks guys for all the suggestions and advice. I unfortunately sold my Canon Wide angle lens when I sold my GL2.
I think I might just use the wide angle lens that came with my PD170, I will just get a 52 to 58mm step up ring. Hopefully I won't need wide angle on both cams at the same time!

Thanks again