Performance

The Sony HDR-TG1 utilizes a single 1/5-inch CMOS sensor with a gross pixel count of 2,360,000 and an effective pixel count of 1,430,000. This is a smaller chip than the 1/3-inch sensor on Sony's HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12. It is also much smaller than the large 1/2.5-inch CMOS chip found in the Sanyo VPC-HD1010. Just taking the sensor size into account, it would seem the smaller HDR-TG1 wouldn't come close to matching the results achieved by Sony with the larger HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12. Interestingly, this was not always the case. As you'll see, especially in our low light performance tests, the HDR-TG1 performed strongly—occasionally even outshining its larger brethren.

Sony HDR-TG1 at 3000 lux in auto mode

 

Sony HDR-CX12 at 3000 lux in auto mode

Samsung SC-HMX20 at 3000 lux in auto mode

To begin our testing with the HDR-TG1, we first shot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart at an even, bright light (3000 lux). We then grabbed frames from that footage and compared them to the frames captured from other camcorders that have made their way through our labs.

In our testing, the HDR-TG1 produced a surprisingly good image in bright light. The colors appeared vibrant without being oversaturated (like the Panasonic HDC-SD100 and the Canon HF100). The colors also looked nearly identical to the HDR-CX12.

Sony HDR-TG1 at 100% crop

Sony HDR-CX12 at 100% crop

 

The biggest weakness of the HDR-TG1 came in sharpness, where it didn't quite match the performance of the HDR-CX12 (albeit, the margin is small). Text and lines between colors clearly showed more blur and artifacting on the TG1. In the image above, look at the top and bottom of each letter in the text. Notice how you can see horizontal lines running through the lettering on 'Sony HDR-TG1.' Because the HDR-CX12 has a crisper image, these horizontal lines are barely noticeable in its own image. Other than sharpness, however, the two camcorders had a fairly similar performance in our lab, which means Sony didn't sacrifice much image quality in exchange for portability.

Sony HDR-TG1 in auto mode

Panasonic HDC-HS100 in auto mode

 

Outside of the lab the HDR-TG1 still produced a nice image, but in side-by-side shooting with the Panasonic HDC-HS100 you can start to see where the TG1 has some weaknesses. In the images above, look at the trees in the background and the shadows in the foreground. The Sony lacks the sharpness of the Panasonic in both instances—displaying a slightly hazy image in the bright light. The colors still look great on the HDR-TG1, but the sharpness is not up to par. The Sony does pick up more detail in the darkest parts of the image, due to the fact that its colors aren't as saturated or deep.

Sony HDR-TG1 in auto mode

Panasonic HDC-HS100 in auto mode

 

Indoors, the HDR-TG1's lack of sharpness was not nearly as noticeable when compared side-by-side with the Panasonic HDC-HS100. In the two images above, the main difference you'll notice is color saturation. The Panasonic clearly has deeper reds and darker shadows compared to the Sony, but the question as to which image is actually 'better' is really personal preference.

Sony HDR-TG1

Sony HDR-SR12 (which should be identical to the HDR-CX12)

Note: These two images were not recorded at the same time

 

Here is a comparison with the Sony HDR-TG1 and the Sony HDR-SR12. Both camcorders produced a nice image of the pipe, but at when viewing it at 100%, the HDR-TG1 misses the subtleties of the the pebbled metal surface and other areas of fine detail. Granted, the HDR-SR12 only did a little better. The fact that the HDR-TG1 produces such a comparable image to both the HDR-SR12 and HDR-CX12 suggests Sony did a terrific job developing its processors.

Overall, the HDR-TG1 gave a strong performance in video quality, producing the best images we've seen from an ultra-compact camcorder—and often holding its own against larger models.

Video Resolution* (18.75)*

We test video resolution by shooting a DSC Labs video resolution chart under consistent, bright light. We then analyze the footage watching it on an HD monitor. The HDR-TG1 produced a horizontal resolution of approximately 625 line widths, while the vertical resolution was measured at approximately 600 line widths.

Impressively, this is an identical score to the Sony HDR-CX12 and the Sony HDR-SR12. Scoring as well on video resolution as its big brother models is a remarkable feat for the HDR-TG1.

Low Light Performance* (4.12)
*We tested the low light performance of the Sony HDR-TG1 in three stages—comparative analysis, color accuracy/noise/saturation testing, and sensitivity evaluation. In our comparative analysis we shoot a DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart at 60 and 15 lux, then compare the results with similar camcorders we've also tested in our labs. 

Sony HDR-TG1 at 60 lux in auto mode

Sony HDR-CX12at 60 lux in auto mode

Samsung SC-HMX20 at 60 lux in auto mode

 

At 60 lux, the HDR-TG1 again produced a solid image that was very similar to the HDR-CX12. The TG1 had more noise, and more noticeable blur around text and in between colors. The HDR-CX12 was again sharper than the HDR-TG1, but the two camcorders did produce similar images overall. Compared against other manufacturers, the HDR-TG1 appeared darker than the Panasonic HDC-SD100, but had better color saturation. The Sony was sharper in black and white areas, but the Panasonic had less blur between the colors. Both the Samsung SC-HMX20 and the Canon HF100 had a brighter, sharper image than the HDR-TG1 at 60 lux.

Sony HDR-TG1 at 15 lux in auto mode

Sony HDR-CX12 at 15 lux in auto mode

Samsung SC-HMX20 at 60 lux in auto mode

At 15 lux, which is very low light, the HDR-TG1 lost a tremendous amount of color and experienced a sharp increase in noise. In this test, the HDR-TG1 was soundly defeated by the Sony HDR-CX12. While their brightness is similar, the HDR-TG1 lost a good deal of sharpness and color saturation while shooting at 15 lux. The HDR-TG1 produced the dullest image at 15 lux of light compared to the Panasonic HDC-SD100, Canon HF100, Samsung SC-HMX20 and Sony HDR-CX12. Also, like the Sony HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12, the HDR-TG1 does not have any of the special record modes found on Canon and Panasonic models. The Canon HF100 (as well as the HF11 and HG20) records in both 24P and 30P modes as well as the normal 60i. In these other record modes, Canon produced amazing low light performances. The Panasonic HDC-SD100 (as well as the HDC-HS100 and HDC-SD9) offers a 24P Digital Cinema mode, although the results aren't nearly as impressive as Canon's.

Our second stage of testing is where we look at the color accuracy, noise, and saturation levels. First, we shoot an X-Rite Color Checker chart at a consistent 60 lux. We then export frame grabs to Imatest imaging software for evaluation. According to Imatest, the HDR-TG1 produced a color error of 14.7. In comparison, this score was significantly worse than most comparable HD camcorders, including both Sony's HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12, as well as Canon's HF100 and Panasonic's HDC-SD100. Currently, the front-runner in low-light color accuracy is the Samsung SC-HMX20.

The noise from the HDR-TG1 measured at approximately 1.5675%. As with color error, the HDR-TG1 couldn't stand up to its larger, horizontal-shaped competition. Sony's HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12 both recorded a bit less noise, while Panasonic's HDC-SD100 bettered the HDR-TG1's noise percentage by more than half. The HDR-TG1 did score better than the Canon HF100 in noise, but the HF100 has a variety of recording options that can drastically improve both color accuracy and noise levels (something that makes it difficult to directly compare to the competition). Lastly, the Sony HDR-TG1 produced a saturation level of 61.91%.

The third stage of low light performance testing analyzes sensitivity. We attach the camcorder to a waveform monitor as we slowly lower the light in small, steady increments. The waveform monitor measures exposure in IREs, which is the standard measurement used in broadcasting. We lower the light until the camcorder is generating a peak of 50 IRE. The HDR-TG1 was able to produce 50 IRE at 13 lux of light, which is a strong showing for the little camcorder. The HDR-TG1 has a smaller CMOS sensor (1/5-inch) than much of its HD competition (specifically the 1/3-inch chip found in the Sony HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12). Interestingly, because the HDR-TG1 has a smaller concentration of pixels on its sensor, it actually outperformed the other Sonys in low light sensitivity. Sony's larger camcorders, the HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12, both produced 50 IRE at 14 lux. The Panasonic HDC-SD100 required the same amount as the HDR-TG1 (13 lux) to reach 50 IRE. The Canon HF100 required slightly less light, needing 11 lux to produce 50 IRE (although the Canon had much better sensitivity when recording in 24P mode). The Samsung SC-HMX20 leads the pack, producing 50 IRE at only 5 lux.

Overall, it is clear that Sony wasn't able to squeeze as much low light performance into the HDR-TG1 as it could with its larger camcorders. The scores were generally a notch below the Samsung SC-HMX20, the Canon HF100, the Panasonic HDC-SD100, and the Sony HDR-CX12. If you're concerned about capturing magnificent nighttime imagery, the HDR-TG1 will disappoint. Nevertheless, the camcorder did put up a worthy fight against some of the toughest competition in the HD market, as well as producing the best images and test results we have seen from a camcorder of its size.

Stabilization* (7.3)*

The Sony HDR-TG1 is equipped with Sony's Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization System, an optical image stabilization system (OIS). We tested the camcorder's ability to reduce shake in our lab using our specialized device. On speed one, which mimics a shaky handheld recording, the HDR-TG1 reduced 68% of the shake. At speed 2, which approximates the motion of using the camcorder in a moving car, the camcorder reduced shakiness by 75%.

These are good scores for such a compact camcorder and are comparable to Sony's HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12, both of which have heavier, wider, and longer designs.

Wide Angle* (9.4)*

We tested the wide angle capabilities of the HDR-TG1 in our lab and measured it at 47 degrees. This is slightly narrower than most camcorders we measure, but still wide enough to accommodate most shooters. In comparison, the Sony HDR-CX12 measured at 49 degrees.

Format

Compression* (7.25)
*The Sony HDR-TGI records high definition footage in AVCHD format, which has become the standard method of compression amongst HD camcorders. The camcorder can record high definition footage in four quality settings: HD FH (16Mbps), HD HQ (9Mbps), HD SP (7Mbps), and HD LP (5Mbps). The HDR-TG1 can also record in three standard definition settings: SD HQ (9Mbps), SD SP (6Mbps), and SD LP (3mbps). The compression options on the HDR-TG1 are identical to those found on its big brother, the Sony HDR-CX12.

Sony is behind the competition when it comes to maximum bitrates, trailing both JVC and Panasonic (who offer 17Mbps), as well as Canon (who is topping the competition with 24Mbps, the maximum bitrate of AVCHD). The HDR-TG1 does, however, have the highest bitrate amongst ultra-compact camcorders—beating out Sanyo's HD1010 which has a 14Mbps bitrate in its highest quality.

The MemoryStick slot on the Sony HDR-TG1

Media* (7.0)*

The HDR-TG1 records solely to solid state MemoryStick Pro Duo cards, just like the Sony HDR-CX12. Having no internal memory, it's good that Sony ships the HDR-TG1 with a 4GB MemoryStick included (something the Canon doesn't do with the HF100). If you want to maximize the portability of your camcorder, it would be a wise decision to purchase more or higher capacity MemoryStick Pro Duo cards—otherwise you'll need to have a computer, DVD burner, or storage device handy to constantly dump your footage.

The MemoryStick compartment is behind the same flip door as the battery on the camcorder's back side. One unfortunate condition with this placement is that the card cannot be removed or replaced while the camcorder rests in its docking station as the design of the dock doesn't give room for the door to flip open.

The approximate recording and playback times when using the supplied 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card:

Editing* (4.0)*

More pieces of consumer editing software are beginning to work smoothly with AVCHD footage, but it isn't compatible with everything. Check the specs of your editing software before you purchase any camcorder that uses AVCHD compression.

Even if you have compatible software, editing with AVCHD can be a difficult, power-hungry process for many computers. With older computers or those with insufficient hardware, editing may quickly go from being an enjoyable hobby to an aggravating, time-consuming chore.

The HDR-TG1 comes packaged with Picture Motion Browser software—a little program that assists with importing footage and allows for some basic editing. The software is not supported on Mac OS.

 

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control

• Automatic Control (7.0)*
  

The Sony HDR-TG1 is the kind of camera you want to pull out of your purse or pocket in time to catch candid moments before it's too late. It isn't suited for professional productions where levels and adjustments must be finely tuned and perfectly calibrated. That being said, most users will find absolute comfort with Sony's automatic controls. Like most consumer camcorders, the HDR-TG1 comes with Sony's standard 'Easy' setting. Pushing the Easy button found in the camcorder's LCD cavity puts the HDR-TG1 into a completely automatic setting—only allowing the user to point, shoot, and adjust the zoom.

The auto exposure performed admirably, often taking less than a second to adjust to even intense changes in lighting conditions. The HDR-TG1 often tended to over-expose in high-contrast lighting situations (like a car driving in front of the camcorder on a very bright day). Like most Sony products, gradual transitions between varying light conditions worked impressively, with transitions handled smoothly and evenly (rather than in one quick burst like an on/off switch).

The auto white balance worked very well outside, but ran into problems with indoor lighting. Shooting outside, in bright light, the camcorder immediately adjusted the balance settings to produce soft colors with the intense light. The colors looked less saturated than side by side comparisons with the Panasonic HDC-HS100, but they appeared to be more accurate on the HDR-TG1. Under various indoor lighting conditions the camcorder had a number of difficulties. Incandescent lighting gave the image an expected orange hue and fluorescent lighting produced substantial color discrepancies. Overall, if color is very important to you and you do a lot of indoor shooting, it would be very helpful to learn how to manually light balance the HDR-TG1.

In bright and moderately lit areas the autofocus feature performed very well. Most images came into focus in less than 2 seconds. Under low and mixed light situations the HDR-TG1 ran into more problems attempting to focus. We found numerous instances where focusing took from 5-8 seconds. The HDR-TG1 will run into some problems trying to capture crisp images during a night of clubbing or in dark street scenes.

To utilize some of the camcorder's more specialized automatic features, you must turn off the Easy setting and rejoin the realm of manual mode. When the Easy setting is off you can explore the one-touch scene selection features that automatically tailor the camcorder's settings to a specific scenario. The scene selections are found in the Camera Menu and include the following options: Auto, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow.

Other automatic features include Spot Focus and Spot Meter. Both display a large frame around the screen when activated. Simply press the part of the screen you want to focus or expose and the camcorder will automatically adjust the settings accordingly.

Spot Focus tool

The HDR-TG1 has two automatic shutter controls: Auto Slow Shutter and Color Slow Shutter. With both of these modes off, the camcorder will not drop below a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. Turning on Auto Slow Shutter boosts the camcorder's ability to record in low light situations by allowing the shutter speed to drop as low as 1/30th of a second. With Color Slow Shutter activated, the camcorder will go to speeds as low as 1/4th or 1/2 of a second in low light conditions. These two settings, while boosting low light performance significantly, will distort and blur any motion that comes into frame. Auto Slow Shutter is often workable (although the choppiness of motion is absolutely visible), but Color Slow Shutter blurs motion so intensely that it is barely worth using.

*Overall Manual Control (3.25)
*Utilizing manual controls with the Sony HDR-TG1 is an unpleasant experience. If you're someone who likes manipulating specific controls while you record video, this is not the camcorder for you. The HDR-TG1 does not come equipped with a 'Cam Control' dial found on other recent Sony models such as the HDR-SR12 and the HDR-CX12—giving the user no choice other than the touch screen when it comes to manual control. Touching your way through the convoluted menu system on the small, 2.7-inch LCD just to change a simple setting like exposure or focus can be very time consuming, especially when making fine tuned adjustments. Most users will likely stick to the automatic controls out of sheer annoyance with the touch screen system. The interface also makes fine adjustments excruciatingly difficult, as buttons and icons (not to mention your fingers) clutter the screen and get in the way of the image you're attempting to focus or expose correctly. Sony's HDD camcorders, the HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12 do offer larger, 3.2-inch LCD screens. The extra half-inch of space does make using the touch screen interface more bearable.

That being said, the HDR-TG1 does allow you to adjust a variety of manual controls, which is better than ignoring the option all together. The manual controls are all accessed via the touchscreen menu on the camcorder's LCD screen. Most options are found in the Camera Menu in the lower right corner—things like focus, exposure, white balance, and effects. Some controls are also found in the Movie Settings menu, which is hidden inside the first tab of the Home Menu in the upper left corner. Here you'll find record mode options, steadyshot, digital zoom settings, face detection, and numerous others.

Zoom (5.0)

While zoom triggers are traditionally manipulated by the index finger of the shooting hand, the design of the HDR-TG1 shakes up this age old concept. The HDR-TG1 zoom ring is positioned around the record button and is meant to be manipulated by the user's thumb. The ring's grip is strangely positioned on the left side of the camcorder and could make zooming very awkward for those accustomed to normal, right-sided zoom toggle placement.

Zoom Power Ratio (10.0)

The HDR-TG1 has a 10x optical zoom, which is the same offered by nearly all upright compact camcorders including Sanyo's VPC-HD1010 and VPC-HD700, Canon's HV10 and TX1, as well as Sony's older DCR-PC1000.

The digital zoom can reach all the way out to 120x or can be limited at 20x in the camcorder's settings.

Focus (5.5)*

The manual focus feature is accessed via the first tab of the Camera Menu on the LCD touch screen. Focus is adjusted by pressing the 'near' and 'far' icons until you get the desired focus. Focusing is often a precision-oriented task and Sony makes things even more difficult with the touch screen system. The 2.7-inch screen display simply doesn't offer enough room for easy focus adjustment. With all the buttons, icons, and text, you're left with about half of the screen with which to focus your image. Clicking on the Display button won't help either as it does nothing to clean up the screen. Sticking with autofocus or experimenting with the Spot Focus feature is probably a wise decision.

Exposure & Aperture (4.75)

Exposure adjustment controls on the HDR-TG1 are located on the second tab of the Camera Menu and are adjusted in the same way as manual focus. Pressing the plus and minus buttons raises and lowers the brightness of the image until the desired effect is obtained. Just as with focusing, adjusting the exposure is a crowded affair. The HDR-TG1 offers 32 exposure increments, which is comparable to other Sony camcorders.

The HDR-TG1 does not have a setting for adjusting aperture—a feature found on Sanyo's VPC-HD1010 and VPC-HD1000.

Shutter Speed (0.0)

The Sony HDR-TG1 does not offer any manual control over shutter speed, an option offered by most other HD camcorders, but absent from the HDR-TG1 as well as the Sony HDR-CX12. As with aperture, Sanyo's VPC-HD1010 and VPC-HD1000 both offer the ability to adjust shutter speed.

White Balance (5.5)

The HDR-TG1 offers a manual control over white balance with the One Push feature found in the third tab of the Camera Menu. Focusing the camcorder on a white or neutral colored object and then activating the One Push button will manually adjust the white balance to the object the camcorder is focused on. While the One Push feature worked well enough, the HDR-TG1 is lacking overall with white balance controls. It doesn't have a WB shift feature that allows you to bump the color temperature up and down a few degrees (a feature found on Sony's HDR-CX12, HDR-SR12, and HDR-HC9), nor does it have the plethora of white balance presets offered by Canon on their HD camcorders. The HDR-TG1 offers indoor and outdoor white balance presets, a far cry from the seven separate presets offered by Canon.

Gain (0.0)

The camcorder does not offer any adjustments in gain control. Only Panasonic offers this feature on consumer camcorders.

Other Manual Controls (6.0)
Tele Macro – This feature allows you to focus in on extremely closeup macro shots from a distance. When activated, the camcorder's zoom is automatically fixed at the maximum 10x. Tele Macro does help bring extreme closeups into a solid focus, but it is not a relevant tool for the casual videographer. Any adjustment to the zoom toggle while in Tele Macro mode automatically disables the feature.

Face Detection – The Face Detection feature locates people's faces in the frame and automatically adjusts the image settings to focus, illuminate, and color them correctly. You can set the feature to use frame guides while detecting faces allowing the user to follow along as the camera finds faces within the image. It is difficult to notice any change in image quality, but with the frame guides on it is clear the HDR-TG1 is capable of locating the faces being recorded. Sony claims the HDR-TG1 can detect up to 8 faces in a single frame, but in trying the feature out we were never able to get it to detect more than 4 faces in an image.

Guide Frame – This setting displays a tic-tac-toe-like grid on the screen in order to assist with framing and shot placement. The grid is only there to assist the user and does not appear in the final shot.

Zebra – Turning on the Zebra control adds the display of black and white stripes to areas within the image that are overexposed and too bright. The sensitivity can be set at 70 or 100 with both of these settings consistent with IRE levels.

x.v. Color – This setting allows the HDR-TG1 to record in the xvYCC color standard, which is a new color standard for HD broadcast. You will only notice a difference if the footage is played back on an xvYCC compatible television. If the camcorder is connected to a television that does not support xvYCC the information is ignored and the TV displays the regular image.

Still Features

Still Features* (7.5)

A simple flick of a button switches the Sony HDR-TG1 to its still camera setting. A separate shutter button is handily located just underneath the zoom ring to the right of the LCD. The shutter button utilizes the standard auto focus system—a blinking green circle appears when the shutter is pushed halfway down and the circle stops blinking when the subject in frame comes into focus. Pushing the shutter all the way down takes the picture. A small hand appears on screen if the auto-flash feature detects that a flash will be needed. Stills are captured in JPEG format and can be taken in four sizes: 2304 x 1782, 1600 x 1200, 2304 x 1296 (widescreen),  and 640 x 480. Sony lists the HDR-TG1 as capable of capturing 4.0 megapixel still images, but the camcorder has an effective pixel count of 1.99 megapixels for stills.

The HDR-TG1 has its flash prominently placed atop the lens in the front of the camcorder. The flash can be set to auto, on, or off as well as having the ability to adjust the flash level from low, normal, and high. Redeye reduction and face detection are also included features.

The HDR-TG1 uses the same menu for manual still controls at it does for video, therefore the control options are identical as well as located and adjusted in the same manner.

The Photo Settings menu offers different options and adjustments and can be found under the Home menu. It contains the following items:

The Photo Playback menu contains the following options:

**
**

Still Performance* (11.98)*

The still performance of the Sony HDR-TG1 was tested by photographing an X-Rite Color Checker chart under bright, even light. These stills are then run through Imatest imaging software to analyze color accuracy, noise, and saturation. We shot the chart under a variety of exposures and pulled the best results. HDR-TG1 produced a color error of 5.01, which was an excellent result. It was nearly identical to the strong score achieved by the Sony HDR-CX12, putting both camcorders ahead of the rest of the competition.

The HDR-TG1 also scored fairly well on noise, coming in with an approximate measurement of 1.32%. The score is comparable (although, slightly better), than the noise percentages produced by the Sony HDR-CX12 and Canon HF100. All these camcorders score significantly worse than the Panasonic HDC-SD100 and the Samsung SC-HMX20, which have impressively low noise percentages. The HDR-TG1 produced a color saturation of 102%.

The HDR-TG1 was capable of producing impressive stills, which was something unexpected considering its small 1/5-inch sensor. The color accuracy, noise level, and saturation were all either comparable or better than the results achieved by the larger Sony HDR-CX12. Don't go tossing your digital still camera in the trash, though. Like every HD camcorder that passes through our labs, the photos captured by the HDR-TG1 aren't near the quality you can expect from a dedicated still camera.

Still Resolution* (9.25)*

We tested the still resolution of the HDR-TG1 by shooting an ISO 12233 resolution chart under bright, even light. The best results the camcorder produced were 993 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) with a 5.1% undersharpening. The vertical resolution measured at 704 lw/ph with a 31.9% undersharpening.

These results are far lower than the numbers achieved by some of the top camcorders (like the Sony HDR-CX12, the Canon HF100, and the Samsung SC-HMX20), but they are actually very good for a camcorder that captures stills at 2304 x 1782 resolution. The HDR-TG1 did score better than the Panasonic HDC-SD100. Again, these results can't hold a candle up to any decent dedicated still camera.

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (7.5)*

Being a compact camcorder, the Sony HDR-TG1 wants to define itself with words like, easy-to-use, automatic, and point and shoot. The feature most helpful in illustrating this is Sony's Easy button. Pushing the Easy button takes all the guesswork out of recording video; it immediately puts all the camcorder settings on auto and it even hides the camera options menu that permits you to play with these settings. Pushing the Easy button also increases the size of the text and icons displayed on the LCD screen making them easier to read and select, but also shrinking the amount of space available on the LCD to actually view your image. Working in the Easy setting and relying on the HDR-TG1's auto controls will usually provide you with a quality picture and you can avoid the clutter and mess of the touch screen menu. This is by far the most comfortable way to use the camcorder.

The Sony HDR-TG1 in hand

** Handling*** (3.5)
*The pistol grip, upright design of the HDR-TG1 may alienate users who are accustomed to the traditional hand-strapped camcorders that dominate the market. Others, however, may feel liberated by the unique, strapless construction the camcorder brings to the table.

The lack of a hand strap does make the HDR-TG1 more prone to drops and slips. The camcorder ships with a wrist strap that can be attached to the base of the camcorder, although the strap doesn't really provide any safety or support. Hoisting the HDR-TG1 around by the wrist strap is an accident waiting to happen; it forces the product to dangle like a worm at the end of a fishing line.

The rectangular frame of the HDR-TG1, while allowing for pocket-sized portability, can be a real nuisance when gripping the camcorder. The smooth and sleek design, with no presence of ridges, curves, or grips makes it difficult to get a firm hold on the body. Also, the fact that the lens just barely extends out from the base of the camcorder (making it almost a perfectly smooth rectangle) leaves the user with nothing to rest their hand on while shooting. The rectangular shape and 90 degree angled design seems like an ideal way for Sony to make a sturdy, balanced camcorder that can stand upright on its own with ease (like the Canon HV10 and TX1 and the Sony DCR-PC1000). For reasons unknown, Sony added an oh-so-slight curve to the bottom edge of the HDR-TG1. This curvature, in addition to the camcorder's extremely narrow base, makes it very difficult to stand upright on its own. The only way we could get it to work was by rotating the LCD screen 180 degrees and tucking it back into the body. Even with this option, the camcorder was extremely wobbly.

The HDR-TG1 just doesn't want to stand up on its own

A positive aspect with the handling of the HDR-TG1 is the camcorder's balanced weight. At first impression, the HDR-TG1 feels a bit heavy in comparison to its size, but this extra weight actually makes it easier to control the camcorder steadily by hand. Sony makes a big deal about the HDR-TG1 being crafted from 'high-quality pure titanium' in an effort to reduce the scratchiness of the surface. The body does feel solid and the coating is definitely more scratch-resistant than the hard plastic most camcorders are covered in. These are all signs that Sony put a good deal of effort into making the HDR-TG1 truly a durable, pocket camcorder. The lack of shiny surfaces also limits the amount of fingerprints present on the camcorder (with the notable exception of the LCD touch screen). However, even with all these features and additions to the camcorder's body, it is definitely not 100% scratch or fingerprint resistant. If you carry the HDR-TG1 around in your pocket all day, with keys and coins jostling up next to it, it will get nicked and worn eventually. Fingerprints, while they are more difficult to notice, do appear on some of the shinier parts of the camcorder as well as the darker portions of the body.

Also, after 20 minutes of straight use the right side of the camcorder started feeling warm to the touch. Prolonged use didn't make the camcorder any hotter, but it maintained a consistent warmth until it was turned off.

Menu* (6.0)*

Apart from the Record, Zoom, Power, Easy, and Shutter buttons the HDR-TG1 squeezes the rest of the controls into its LCD touch screen menus. Accessing all the manual video and photo controls through the touch screen is definitely a time consuming annoyance, but at least the camcorder allows the possibility of control and adjustment. Controls are often embedded and difficult to find making navigation through the menu system very difficult for unfamiliar users. The first menu is the Camera Menu which houses all the manual controls that determine image quality, produce effects, and manipulate audio.

The Camera Menu on the HDR-TG1

The Camera Menu contains the following options:

The Home Menu, which is accessed by pressing the small button in the upper left corner with an image of a house on it, controls more of the camcorder's settings and internal workings. There is an abundance of settings compiled in these menus so navigation can be extremely difficult.

The Home Menu on the HDR-TG1

The Home Menu contains the following options:

Portability* (7.25)*

It's a tough decision as to whether you can consider the HDR-TG1 'pocket-sized.' It is definitely a very compact camcorder and it fits into loose pockets with ease (although snug jeans would tell a different story). The HDR-TG1 is not something you can just slip into your pocket and forget about; it's heavy and bulky enough to constantly remind you where it is. The camcorder's dimensions are 32x119x63mm (1 5/16 x 4 3/4 x 2 1/2 inches) and it weighs in at 300g (10 oz.) with the battery pack installed—making it slightly thinner, lighter, and narrower than the comparable Sanyo VPC-HD1010. The HDR-TG1 is very similar in size and shape (although twice the weight) to the Pure Digital Flip Ultra. However, these two camcorders shouldn't even be in the same conversation; the HDR-TG1 is capable of producing video and images that Pure Digital couldn't even dream of.

An interesting addition to the HDR-TG1 is the small USB Terminal Adapter that ships with the camcorder. This adapter allows you to forget about the docking station when it comes to connecting the camcorder to a computer. The adapter fits on any mini USB cable and plugs into the docking port at the base of the HDR-TG1. Now you don't need to bring the docking station with you on your vacation or trip. The adapter, while still not as good as having an actual USB port on the body of the camcorder, is a good move by Sony. It enhances the portability of the HDR-TG1, which is one of the main selling points of the camcorder.

The 4GB MemoryStick Pro Duo card that comes with the camcorder holds about 25 minutes of footage. If portability is a key issue for you, you'll probably want to invest in some more or higher capacity MemorySticks—otherwise you'll need to bring something with you to dump your video files onto (e.g. a laptop).

Sony offers a semi-soft carrying case for an extra $50 that enhances the elegant look look of the HDR-TG1 more than actually improving portability. The carrying case, which is not to be confused with a 'camera bag,' looks more like it would hold a pair of sunglasses than it would a camcorder. It also further pushes the HDR-TG1 as a hip lifestyle device (like an iPod or a Rolex) rather than a technological tool.

LCD and Viewfinder* (7.0)*

In order to keep things compact but still have good viewing ability, the HDR-TG1 is set with a 2.7 inch LCD screen with a resolution of 211,200 pixels. While the small screen helps the camcorder with its sleek portability, it can become a bothersome issue with the onscreen menu selection. The screen often feels too tiny when trying to navigate between various buttons and thumbnails. The LCD has excellent brightness adjustment under the display settings menu as well as a back light boost that gives the image an intensifying upgrade. Boosting the LCD backlight, however, will significantly limit the camcorder's battery life.

There is no viewfinder on the HDR-TG1.

**

Battery Life*** (9.3)*

The HDR-TG1 comes shipped with an NP-FH50 rechargeable battery pack. We tested the battery life by running the camera continuously with the LCD open. No special features, manual controls, menus or zooms were engaged during the duration of our test. In our testing, the battery lasted 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes).

Because the HDR-TG1 has an enclosed battery slot, larger or over-sized batteries will not fit into the battery compartment.

 

 

 

 

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

*

Audio (4.0)*

Being an ultra-compact camcorder, the Sony HDR-TG1 has understandably limited audio features. The built-in microphone takes up half of the camcorder's top side. Placing the microphone here puts it out of the way from noisy, rubbing fingers, but makes it somewhat prone to picking up overhead sounds—not to mention the shooter's own voice and breathing. The microphone recording level can be set to normal or low in the Camera menu. Also, there is a built-in Zoom Mic feature that Sony claims will focus audio recording on your subject in conjunction with the camera's zoom lens.

There is no headphone jack or mic jack on the HDR-TG1—both features that are offered on the Sanyo VPC-HD1010. There is also no accessory shoe on the HDR-TG1, as can be found on the Sony HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12.

Playback* (5.0)*

Playback on the HDR-TG1 is accessed via the touch screen interface. The bottom left corner has a little button with a 'play' icon, which takes you to the various clips you have shot and images you have taken. Each clip appears on the screen as a thumbnail and clicking on them begins their playback. After opening a clip, all the playback control options appear on the screen (stop, rewind, play/pause, fast forward, slow motion, etc.). Volume control does not appear on the screen, but instead must be accessed by going through the camera options menu. The touch screen VCR controls fill almost a quarter of the small LCD screen, definitely obstructing the playback image. Pressing the Display button on the left side of the camcorder wipes the screen free of the informative clutter, while tapping the screen or hitting the Display button again brings back the controls. Unfortunately, if the LCD is folded in for viewing convenience the Display button is no longer accessible, leaving the screen impossible to clear.

The Playback Menu on the HDR-TG1

The playback menu contains the following options:

**
***

The Sony HDR-TG1,

sitting in the docking station.*
Connectivity* (6.0)*
The HDR-TG1 has all the basic connectivity options, but some of them are minor difficulties to deal with. A mini-HDMI port is located on the camcorder behind a flip down door that feels flimsy enough to snap off at any moment. Also located on the camcorder is another hinged door that covers the DC input and AV port. The AV port is not a universal connector and can only be connected with the RCA and component cables shipped with the camcorder (or purchased from Sony).

                      

A small docking station ships with the HDR-TG1 and provides the camcorder with extra ports. The docking station, which connects to the bottom of the camcorder, fits snugly and has an extra DC input and AV port as well as a mini-USB connector. Sony also ships the camcorder with a small, Dedicated USB Terminal Adapter, which allows you to connect the camcorder directly to a computer without using the docking station. The adapter allows any mini-USB cable to connect to the camcorder via the docking station port on the bottom of the HDR-TG1. This is an improvement over previous Sonys like the HDR-CX12, which required the camcorder to be docked in order to connect it to a computer. The methodology, however, is far from perfect. The USB Terminal Adapter is small, cheap, and easy to lose. Plus, since it's Sony's own peripheral adapter, it would be nearly impossible to replace. While it is still a step below actually having a USB port right on the camcorder, it's a move in the right direction for Sony, as it enhances the portability of the HDR-TG1 immensely.

 

 

 

Other Features

**What’s in the Box?

**

The HDR-TG1 comes with the following:

-Memory Stick Pro Duo 4GB

-AC Adapter

-Power Cord

-Handycam Docking Station

-Component Cable

-A/V Cable

-USB Cable (long)

-USB Cable (short)

-USB Terminal Adapter (with cap)

-NP-FH50 Rechargeable Battery Pack

-Wrist Strap

Other Features* (4.0)*

–*Smooth Slow Record is a rather entertaining feature. It increases the record rate on the camcorder allowing you to turn 3 seconds of recording into 12 seconds of extreme slow motion. The mode can capture some wonderful movement, but the 3-second time restriction really limits what you can record. It is very good for analyzing a quick motion like a golf swing or falling objects.
*

Digital Effects – *The HDR-TG1 won't fire up much excitement with its digital effects. The only option here is*Old Movie, which basically slows the camcorder's shutter speed down and adds a sepia tint to the image... very exciting.

Picture Effects – Again, the HDR-TG1 is limited in the effects realm offering up only Black and White, Sepia, and Pastel.

Fader – Activating the fader feature adds a slow fade at the beginning and ending of your clips. The fades start when you press the record button and can be either black or white.

Quick On – If you close the LCD on the HDR-TG1 rather than pushing the Power button to turn it off, the camcorder goes into 'sleep' mode and enables the Quick On feature. While in sleep mode, when you open the LCD, the camcorder turns on quickly and is ready to record in seconds. The thing is, there really isn't too much difference in the amount of time it takes for the HDR-TG1 to turn on while in Quick Mode vs. being powered down completely. Quick mode saves you about 1 or 2 seconds of time.

Conclusion & Comparisons

**Conclusion
**Overall, the HDR-TG1 impressed us with its video performance. While low light results were less than ideal, the resolution and color rendering were better than we could have expected from simply reading a specs sheet. Its video performance is clearly a step below the quality of the Sony HDR-CX12 and HDR-SR12 and the other traditionally sized camcorders on the market. The fact that the HDR-TG1 even had the ability to compete against these camcorders is reason enough to consider its purchase.

Sony's Easy Mode makes the TG1 an excellent point-and-shoot device. The automatic features are up to par and the camcorder doesn't have any strange or confusing buttons on its body. However, while the camcorder is easy to use in auto modes, the LCD touchscreen is painstakingly annoying to deal with. If you feel like venturing even just slightly into the world of manual controls, the HDR-TG1 makes the transition difficult. Trying to change simple settings can be very difficult because of the embedded menus and confusing layout of the touchscreen interface. Experienced users and manual control aficionados be warned, the HDR-TG1 doesn't do much to accommodate your interests.

Video performance aside, the most important thing to consider with the HDR-TG1 is its shape and size. If you like the way it looks and feels in your hand, or if you're just downright frustrated with hand straps and traditional camcorders, the HDR-TG1 may be just what you've been looking for. Yes, its design is more prone to slips and drops, but that is something you have to worry about with every small piece of technology. Also, the fact that the HDR-TG1 has an extremely difficult time standing upright on its own is a huge drawback to the camcorder's handling. Setting up the camcorder on a chair or picnic table in an effort to capture a shot of the entire family will result in plenty of frustration. Make sure you're comfortable with these handling quirks and inadequacies before you purchase the Sony HDR-TG1.

If video performance is most important to you, there are far better camcorders on the market than the HDR-TG1. The Canon HF100 and the Sony HDR-CX12 both record to solid state memory and are exactly the same price as the HDR-TG1 ($899 MSRP). The Samsung SC-HMX20 is easier to use, has 8GB of internal memory, and has a remarkable picture quality for just $100 more. (If you're looking for a unique, stylish design, the Samsung also has you covered.)

Comparisons

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

The Easy button makes casual videography with the HDR-TG1 painless. Also, the upright shape and design can be appealing to many point-and-shooters.

Budget Consumers

The HDR-TG1 isn't a cheap digital pocket camcorder like the Pure Digital Flip or the Creative Vado. Its MSRP ($899) is identical to the Sony HDR-CX12, while offering slightly less video quality and lacking in numerous features.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

Despite having a lower pixel count resolution than larger HD camcorders, the HDR-TG1 took decent still photos. The fact that it is smaller than many digital cameras makes it a good choice as a hybrid.

Gadget Freaks

Like nearly all compact technology, the HDR-TG1 definitely has some appeal here. Its unique design and stylish look will make both friends and enemies jealous.

Manual Control Freaks

The HDR-TG1 has basic manual controls, but the camcorder would be a nightmare for users looking to constantly adjust the settings.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

The HDR-TG1 is a compact camcorder designed for travel and style. It's not for pros.

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