A 25x optical zoom and 450x digital zoom will bring your shots closer, and Sony SteadyShot image stabilization technology will help to keep shakes and wobbles out of your video. For audio, the DCR-TRV520 offers 16-bit PCM digital stereo with 12-bit dubbing. If you prefer to shoot in the 16:9 widescreen ratio, this is also an option. To compose your films, you can use either the standard eyepiece viewfinder or a 3.5-inch swivel color LCD display.

With Sony's LaserLink feature, playback can be a snap--you just aim the DCR-TRV520 at the LaserLink receiver on select Sony TVs from up to 16 feet away, press play, and enjoy your videos directly on your TV--without wires or cassette adapters.

If you're planning to digitally edit your videos on your computer, the Sony includes an industry standard IEEE 1394 port (also known as iLink and FireWire) for image transfer and a Control-L (LANC) interface for connection to editing equipment.

Sony's Super NightShot infrared system lets you capture footage in two modes. In standard NightShot mode, the camera uses available visible and infrared light to illuminate the subject. With Super NightShot, an infrared LED on the front of the camera acts like an infrared spotlight: to the naked eye, it just looks like a standard red LED, but it produces enough infrared light to effectively illuminate the area in front of the camera.

The camera includes numerous extra features, including 14 picture effects and a five-mode audio-video fader, end search (which automatically forwards your tape to the end of the last footage shot), edit search, seven-mode program auto exposure, pass-through analog AV inputs, and an intelligent shoe for accessories.