Faculty Development Room Gets New Digital Cameras

The Library's Faculty Development Room has recently received its new Sony Digital Video Camera, the DCR-TRV900. Combined with the video editing applications available, this is going to be an acquisition that should prove to be an outstanding resource for content development. Though larger, heavier, and pricier than most digital video cameras, the Sony DCR-TRV900 delivers virtually everything that demanding professionals want. It combines ease of use with excellent image quality. The DCR-TRV900 automatically generates a warning zebra pattern to mark overexposed areas in the LCD. The most unusual feature is a floppy disk drive; the DCR-TRV900 is the only DV camera capable of saving JPEG still images to a 3.5-inch disk (video is stored to the traditional DV tape). This makes transferring images to your PC a snap. Everyone who has used it so far has been very impressed with the DCR-TRV900's image quality. Its progressive-scan three-CCD system produces sharp, well-defined images while eliminating color aliasing. The zooms were butter-smooth, the auto-focus sure and quick. The DCR-TRV900 is a high-quality camera capable of producing excellent videos and stills. This makes it the digital video camera to beat for demanding users who want the best without going up to a full-blown professional digital video camera. We also have an excellent tripod with camera controls on the handle, which makes using the camera truly effortless. In addition, we've also received a new Sony Mavica Digital Still Camera, the MVC-FD97.

Like other Mavicas, it retains the ever-popular internal floppy disk drive, permitting images to be exported from the camera to host computer simply by removing the floppy disk, inserting it in the computer, and copying the files. What's different this time is that the MVC-FD97 also includes an internal slot for Sony's Memory Stick flash memory cards. With capacities currently running as high as 64 megabytes, the Memory Stick slot completely eliminates the space crunch produced by trying to squeeze 2 megapixel files onto a 1.44 MB floppy disk. The new design can record to either the Memory Stick or floppy, and copy easily between the two media types. Really, this brings the best of both worlds: The ease and convenience of floppies for sharing images, but the capacity and speed of Memory Sticks for extended usage. Sony also added a USB interface for direct image downloads from the Memory Stick.

Faculty interested in acquiring exceptional images should come by the Library's Faculty Development Room and see what these cameras can do for you!

Fred Bassett
Multimedia Project Specialist