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  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Left

  • Right

  • Top

  • Bottom

  • Size & Weight Comparison

  • In the Box

  • Performance

  • Color

  • Low Light Color

  • Noise

  • Low Light Sensitivity

  • Low Light Noise

  • Low Light Color

  • Motion

  • Video Sharpness

  • Testing Samples

  • Usability

  • Ease of Use

  • Auto Mode

  • Auto Controls

  • Handling

  • Portability

  • Battery Life

  • LCD

  • Stabilization

  • Manual Focus

  • Manual Exposure

  • Miscellaneous Controls

  • Auto Controls

  • Audio Controls

  • Editing

  • Features

  • Compression

  • Media

  • Slow Motion Modes

  • Still Features

  • Lens & Imaging System

  • LCD

  • Connectivity

  • Battery

  • Media

  • Still Features

  • Other Features

  • JVC Everio GZ-X900 Comparison

  • Sony HDR-XR520V Comparison

  • COMP 3

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Left
  • Right
  • Top
  • Bottom
  • Size & Weight Comparison
  • In the Box
  • Performance
  • Color
  • Low Light Color
  • Noise
  • Low Light Sensitivity
  • Low Light Noise
  • Low Light Color
  • Motion
  • Video Sharpness
  • Testing Samples
  • Usability
  • Ease of Use
  • Auto Mode
  • Auto Controls
  • Handling
  • Portability
  • Battery Life
  • LCD
  • Stabilization
  • Manual Focus
  • Manual Exposure
  • Miscellaneous Controls
  • Auto Controls
  • Audio Controls
  • Editing
  • Features
  • Compression
  • Media
  • Slow Motion Modes
  • Still Features
  • Lens & Imaging System
  • LCD
  • Connectivity
  • Battery
  • Media
  • Still Features
  • Other Features
  • JVC Everio GZ-X900 Comparison
  • Sony HDR-XR520V Comparison
  • COMP 3
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery

Introduction

The HDR-TG5V is not a top-of-the-line camcorder when it comes to performance. In fact, it more closely matches up with mid-range camcorders in that regard. Its benefits stem from a sleek design, durable body, and unique handling experience.

Design

Front

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Back

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Left

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Top

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Bottom

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Size & Weight Comparison

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In the Box

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Performance

Color

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The Sony HDR-TG5V measured a color error of 4.54 in our bright light testing. This is a decent score, although it is a bit worse than some of the top-level camcorders on the market. The TG5V had a saturation level of 90.44% in this test as well, which means its colors were strong and vivid. More on how we test color.

The HDR-TG5V's bright light image definitely looks good. Colors are strong and crisp even though they weren't as accurate as other high-end camcorders. Still, the TG5V did actually do better in this test (slightly) than the Sony HDR-XR520V. The Color Error Map above shows that the HDR-TG5V was most accurate in producing blue tones, while the rest of the tested colors were off by roughly the same amount. The camcorder has no color modes or color adjustment options for fine-tuning your image.

Since the TG5V has no color adjustment options, the above image is a sample frame pulled from our bright light color testing in auto mode (with a manual white balance). Below are comparison images between the HDR-TG5V and similar camcorders. The TG5V definitely stands up well to the competition. It captures deeper colors than both the JVC GZ-X900 and Sony HDR-XR520V and its image has quite a bit of 'pop.'

The Sony HDR-TG5V captures colors with decent accuracy, it is up to you to decide what image is actually the best. Some may prefer the softer colors captured by the JVC GZ-X900, while others may prefer the over-saturation on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. Much of what makes a color performance labeled as 'good' is based on personal preference. As long as a camcorder The Sony HDR-TG5V is definitely in the mix as well—it rendered colors just as well as the best of them.

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Low Light Color

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In our low light testing, the Sony HDR-TG5V came close to matching the results from Sony's high-end HDR-XR520V. Admittedly, the TG5V's color accuracy was a bit worse and captured less saturated colors, but the results from the two camcorders weren't all that different. The TG5V measured a color error of 5.59 and a saturation level of 63.66 in this test. More on how we test low light color.

The big story here is how much better the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 performed with this test. The Sanyo captured a significantly brighter image than the TG5V, and its colors were exceptionally vibrant (possibly too vibrant for some tastes). Below you can see how the TG5V looks compared to the competition. It managed a better picture than the JVC GZ-X900, which had weak colors and a green hue that coated its entire low light image. The TG5V rendered an image that looks similar to the Sony XR520V, but its colors were a bit duller and darker than its larger, more expensive cousin.

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Noise

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Noise levels on the HDR-TG5V were very good in bright light. The camcorder averaged 0.425% noise in our testing, which is better than average, but a bit worse than the Sony HDR-XR520V managed. With the HDR-TG5V you can expect to have relatively noise-free video in bright light. More on how we test noise.

The crops above don't show much noise, mainly because the four camcorders we used as comparisons did very well with this test. What the crops do show is the difference in sharpness between the four camcorders. The Sony HDR-TG5V definitely captures a bit less detail than the rest of the camcorders. Its numbers are fuzzier and it is more difficult to see a distinction between the lines on the vertical trumpet. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is similar to the HDR-TG5V, but we measured slightly better results for the Sanyo in our video sharpness test. The JVC GZ-X900 leads the pack when it comes to sharpness, which you can read about more in the next section of this review.

{{comparison_bars title="Noise Score Comparison", attribute="Noise Score", xLabel="Noise Score"}}

Low Light Sensitivity

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The Sony HDR-TG5V did a pretty good job in our low light sensitivity test. The camcorder required 15 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor—a performance that was nearly identical to that of the Sony HDR-XR520V and last year's Sony HDR-TG1.

We tested the HDR-TG5V in auto mode with its auto slow shutter feature disengaged for this test (we do this for all camcorders that include this feature). Auto slow shutter allows the camcorder to drop to a 1/30 of a second shutter speed in low light situations. This enables the camcorder to produce a brighter image, but it can result in choppy footage and motion trails as a side effect. According to Sony, the HDR-TG5V has a low light sensitivity of 5 lux when using auto slow shutter. More on how we test low light sensitivity.

The big thing to notice here is the horrendous sensitivity from the JVC GZ-X900, which had one of the worst overall low light performances of the camcorders we've tested in 2009. Also notable is the very good performance from the Sanyo VPC-HD2000; a performance that is better than the Sony HDR-TG5V. Still, there's really nothing to complain about the Sony HDR-TG5V here. For the camcorder to have just as good sensitivity as the larger Sony HDR_XR520V is very impressive.

{{comparison_bars title="Low Light Sensitivity Comparison", attribute="Low Light Sensitivity Score", xLabel="Low Light Sensitivity Score"}}

Low Light Noise

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Noise was definitely noticeable on the Sony HDR-TG5V's low light footage. In our testing, we measured noise levels at 1.56%, which is not terribly high, but is enough noise to notice with the naked eye. This noise percentage is a bit higher than what we got with the Sanyo VPC-HD200 and almost double what the Sony HDR-XR520V registered. The HDR-TG5V's noise performance isn't bad, however, and many camcorders—like the JVC GZ-X900—do much worse in this test. Overall, we'd say the TG5V had average noise levels in low light. More on how we test low light noise.

Above, you can see how each camcorder handled shooting in low light. The HDR-TG5V has some noticeable noise and its image is quite fuzzy. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 recorded less noise, but its image is discolored and splotchy (it is also much brighter than other camcorders). The JVC GZ-X900 is clearly the goat in this bunch. Its image is very noisy (close to 3% noise) and is completely discolored with a cool, green tint. Being a high-end camcorder and much more expansive than any of the other models shown, it shouldn't be too surprising that the Sony HDR-XR520V was the best of the bunch. Its low light image is sharp, has minimal noise, and consistent colors. The Sanyo does have its benefits as well, however, particularly in its ability to capture such a bright low light image.

{{comparison_bars title="Low Light Noise Score Comparison", attribute="Low Light Noise Score", xLabel="Low Light Noise Score"}}

Low Light Color

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In our low light testing, the Sony HDR-TG5V came close to matching the results from Sony's high-end HDR-XR520V. Admittedly, the TG5V's color accuracy was a bit worse and captured less saturated colors, but the results from the two camcorders weren't all that different. The TG5V measured a color error of 5.59 and a saturation level of 63.66 in this test. More on how we test low light color.

The big story here is how much better the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 performed with this test. The Sanyo captured a significantly brighter image than the TG5V, and its colors were exceptionally vibrant (possibly too vibrant for some tastes). Below you can see how the TG5V looks compared to the competition. It managed a better picture than the JVC GZ-X900, which had weak colors and a green hue that coated its entire low light image. The TG5V rendered an image that looks similar to the Sony XR520V, but its colors were a bit duller and darker than its larger, more expensive cousin.

{{comparison_bars title="Low Light Color Score Comparison", attribute="Low Light Color Score", xLabel="Low Light Color Score"}}

Motion

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The HDR-TG5V captured good motion in our test, but there are many similarly-priced camcorders out there that did better (the JVC GZ-X900 and Sanyo VPC-HD2000, for example). The HDR-TG5V records all HD video at 1920 x 1080 with a 60i frame rate. It does have a slow-motion option (Smooth Slow Record) that shoots at 240 frames per second, but the videos it produces are low quality and have strict, 3 second time constraints. More on how we test motion.

Video Sharpness

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The HDR-TG5V is not a top-notch camcorder when it comes to video sharpness, but it still put forth a decent performance. In our test, the TG5V measured a horizontal sharpness of 600 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 550 lw/ph. These numbers are lower than what you'll see from most high-end camcorders (like the Sony HDR-XR520V or Canon HF S11), and they are more akin to the average sharpness scores on mid-range models (like a Panasonic HDC-TM10 or JVC GZ-HD300). Still, we don't want to give the impression that the HDR-TG5V doesn't capture sharp video—it does—it simply isn't a top-level performer in this category. More on how we test video sharpness.

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Testing Samples

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Usability

Ease of Use

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The only buttons on the HDR-TG5V are a shutter button, a record button, and a zoom toggle. That's it. The camcorder doesn't even have a power switch! This setup, however, doesn't actually make the HDR-TG5V any easier to use than its predecessor, the HDR-TG1. In the process of downsizing, Sony got rid of a very important button on the HDR-TG5V—the Easy button. The Easy button is the holy grail of buttons for beginners, as it puts the camcorder into an entirely automated mode, and even locks users out of accessing the menu for fear they'll adjust something they shouldn't be fiddling with. Well, the TG5V doesn't have an Easy mode, which means it doesn't have any sort of dedicated auto mode.

Still, the HDR-TG5V isn't that difficult to use. Its sparse body design is comforting for beginners, and the LCD touchscreen, while annoying to use, is quite intuitive. Sony also doesn't offer many manual controls, which simplifies things for novice users who would have no use for them anyway. Sony's new menu system, however, isn't very simple to use or understand. There are too many options, too many funky navigation techniques, and too little space to press the buttons on the LCD. If you don't know the location of a specific control, it may take you a while to sift through the 24-page menu to find it. Sony's terrible instruction manual doesn't help out much either.

Auto Mode is confusingly called Dual Shot mode

The HDR-TG5V features a brand new menu setup that Sony just recently rolled out on its latest camcorders. The redesign has its benefits—and its share of problems—but one thing's for sure, it definitely looks sleeker and more sophisticated than Sony's previous menus. Nearly every option on the camcorder is located under one main menu, which is quite a bit different from Sony's confusing Home Menu vs. Camera Menu setup it had on previous models. The problem with housing every option under one menu, however, is that the menu becomes exceedingly long—24 separate screens long, in fact.

Sony tries to make up for its long menu by providing numerous navigation options. You can scroll through the menu page-by-page, but that takes quite a while to get through all 24 screens. Another option allow you to jump from section to section by pressing the double-arrowed buttons on the LCD. This allows you to move through the menu quickly, but you can easily skip over vital controls this way. Also, the double-arrow section buttons don't always appear on the LCD and you have to tap the space in between the regular scrolling arrows to bring them up. Even if you go through the menu this way, there are still 14 different sections, which means you still have a lot of tapping to do.

The third way to navigate the menus is hard to explain and may be frustrating the first couple times you try it. You can scroll through the menus as if you're quickly rolling a scroll-wheel by holding your finger on the LCD and sliding it up or down. The farther you slide up or down, the faster the menu will scroll by. The problem is, you have to place your finger tip on the far left of the LCD while you do the scrolling (the little area that shows 3 horizontal lines). This doesn't give you much space, especially if you have large fingers, to slide your finger up and down. In fact, the small surface area of the LCD touchscreen is one of the biggest problems of the menu system. The navigation buttons are tiny, close together, and often unresponsive, which makes navigating the menu all the more difficult.

Ah, but Sony has one more trick up its sleeve with its new menu system—customizable menus. You can setup six different options to appear in a quick-access menu called My Menu that appears in both recording and playback mode (with different options available for each). Any option that is found in the camcorder's regular menu directory can be set to one of the six available spaces on the My Menu list. This is a great idea by Sony and it definitely helps get over the fact that the regular menu has far too many options and is terribly difficult to navigate. My Menu is a bit difficult to access, but once you know where it lives it isn't too bad. When you're in the regular menu, you have to press the menu button in the lower left that is flanked by an arrow on each side. This button switches you over to My Menu and it also brings you back to the main menu when you press it again.

Auto Mode

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In a very surprising move, Sony didn't include its popular 'Easy' button on the HDR-TG5V. Eliminating this button doesn't diminish the quality of the camcorder's automatic controls, but it does make the TG5V more confusing to work with. On other Sony products, beginners can simply seek out the 'Easy' button and take comfort in the fact that the camcorder is running entirely on cruise-control.

Even though there is no dedicated auto mode on the TG5V, its auto controls work quite well. Autofocus was fairly quick, very accurate, and can even focus on subjects that are just 3.2mm away (this is the equivalent of holding a piece of paper flat against the lens). In addition to the regular autofocus, there is also a Spot Focus feature on the TG5V that allows you to tap the portion of the screen you want to bring into focus. There's also Spot Exposure, which does the same thing for exposure, and dual Spot Focus/Spot Exposure that sets both functions at the same time.

Auto exposure and auto white balance both got the job done, although the camcorder did have some trouble with correcting for backlight. There is an auto backlight setting on the TG5V, but even with it turned on the camcorder couldn't always compensate for backlit subjects very well.

Sony poured a lot of interest into Face and Smile Detection on its new products this year, and the features don't disappoint on the HDR-TG5V. Face Detection works in both video and still mode and can detect up to 8 faces in one frame. We found the feature to detect faces quickly and accurately, although it had some trouble detecting faces that took up a good chunk of the frame with (i.e. extreme close-ups).

Smile Detection is another nifty feature that enables the camcorder to automatically snap a photo when a subject within the frame smiles. Many traditional videographers probably won't be too keen on this feature, but it can be a useful tool—particularly if you are holding the camcorder out at arms length trying to photograph yourself. The sensitivity of Smile Detection can be set to High, Medium, or Low, and we definitely noticed the camcorder being fairly liberal with what constitutes a smile when we used the High setting. You can also set smile priority to Child, Adult, or Auto, which is good if you're shooting a large group of people who may not be able to smile in unison. While we do find these features intriguing, we understand that they are very gimmicky and aren't all that useful overall. We would have much rather Sony included options for manual shutter speed and aperture control than the TG5V's extensive set of Face Detection features.

Low Light Modes - The HDR-TG5V doesn't have any special low light modes like Sony's NightShot feature. All it has are a few scene modes that are applicable in low light (Twilight and Candle) and an auto slow shutter option. The auto slow shutter, which is a feature found on most consumer camcorders, allows the shutter speed to drop down to 1/30 of a second in low light situations. This improves low light performance, but it also makes moving subjects look choppy and adds motion trails to the video. Without auto slow shutter, the camcorder won't use below a 1/60 of a second shutter speed. The Candle scene mode allows the camcorder to use even slower shutter speeds (down to 1/2 of a second).

Scene Modes - The HDR-TG5V has a variety of scene modes, including a new Candle setting that was not found on the Sony HDR-XR520V. The scene modes include: Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Candle, Sunrise & Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Portrait, Spotlight, Beach, and Snow.

The iAuto mode button is difficult to find, but when you do find it the option for turning on the mode looks like this.

Auto Controls

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Focus - The HDR-TG5V has two manual focus options: regular focus adjustment and spot focus. The regular focus adjustment doesn't work very well with the camcorder's touchscreen system. Two buttons are located on either side of the LCD screen and you tap them (or hold them down) to manually focus the image. An icon in the center of the screen does display the focal length,but it does so in meters with about 10 different numeric increments. Using this system, it is very difficult to get a precise focus due to the finicky nature of the touchscreen and the fact that the LCD is cluttered with icons, buttons, and information while you are trying to focus.

Spot Focus, on the other hand, works far better. It allows you to simply tap the portion of the screen you want to bring into focus and the camcorder does the rest. This feature makes very good use of the touchscreen system. The camcorder also has options for Spot Exposure and another setting that does Spot Exposure and Focus at the same time.

Exposure - Exposure is one of the few manual controls that you can actually adjust on the Sony HDR-TG5V. The camcorder offers 28 increments of exposure control, although no numeric values are listed. All adjustments are made using the touchscreen by tapping plus and minus buttons located on the left and right of the LCD. You can also hold down the buttons for quicker adjustment.

It should be obvious that this system does not provide very accurate or precise adjustment because of the lack of any numeric exposure values. On a positive note, 28 increments of exposure adjustment is quite a bit more than we normally see on a camcorder. There's also a useful Spot Exposure feature that is very similar to the Spot Focus option we discussed in the previous section.

Aperture - There is no manual aperture control on the HDR-TG5V. This is quite a big absence for a camcorder, but it isn't that surprising—Sony doesn't even offer aperture control on its high-end consumer camcorders. Full aperture control is available on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and the JVC GZ-X900 has an aperture-priority setting.

Shutter Speed - There's also no way to manually set shutter speed on the HDR-TG5V (again, this feature is absent on all consumer camcorders from Sony). By not including aperture or shutter control, Sony does make its camcorders simpler, but it also severely limits their versatility and diminishes interest amongst experienced videographers. You can still alter the shutter speed on the TG5V by turning on the auto slow shutter feature. This doesn't allow you to control the shutter, however, but instead enables the camcorder to drop to a 1/30 of a second shutter speed in low light situations. Some of the camcorder's scene modes also change the shutter speed, but none of them allow you to manually control it.

White Balance - Thank goodness the HDR-TG5V has an option for manual white balance because the camcorder's white balance presets are severely limited. In addition to the manual option, the TG5V has white balance settings for Outdoor, Indoor, and Auto. Sony's 'One-push' manual white balance feature actually works very well with the camcorder's touchscreen system. You simply point the camcorder to a white or neutral target and press a button on the LCD. This task is easy to perform and it calibrates the camcorder's color temperature very well.

Gain - Since the HDR-TG5V doesn't offer aperture or shutter speed control, we're not surprised to see it doesn't include gain adjustment either. Having some sort of gain control has become a more common inclusion on consumer camcorders this year. Panasonic is the only manufacturer to offer complete control, although the aperture has to be open all the way in order to use it. Canon has an AGC limiter feature on the HF S11, HF S10, and HF S100, while JVC offers an AGC on/off setting. Sanyo also includes gain control in the form of ISO settings that work in video mode.

Zoom - Zooming is performed using the circular ring located on the back of the HDR-TG5V. The ring feels a bit awkward because you push it up (clockwise) to zoom out and you push it down (counter-clockwise) to zoom in. Since most zoom toggles are horizontal and pushed side-to-side, this unique circular controller takes some getting used to. One benefit of this design is the fact that you can do everything with your thumb; zooming doesn't require the use of an index finger like on other camcorders.

There are no secondary zoom buttons on the camcorder's LCD, which is something that has become a common feature on many camcorders. There are also no zoom speed settings, although the circular ring does allow you to control zoom speed variably by applying more or less pressure on the ring.

The HDR-TG5V is equipped with a 10x optical zoom, which is good for a camcorder of its size. The larger Sony HDR-XR520V only has a slightly longer optical zoom at 12x, and the JVC GZ-X900 only packs in a 5x optical zoom. If you want to increase the zoom using digital magnification, there are options for 20x and 120x on the HDR-TG5V. However, using these digital zooms will result in lower image quality. We recommend sticking with the 10x optical unless you desperately need a close-up.

Handling

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Like the Sony HDR-TG1 before it, the HDR-TG5V is definitely an unusual camcorder. Its compact, upright design puts it somewhere in between a Flip camcorder and a traditional mid-range model. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, mainly because of its lack of protrusions and rectangular shape, but it's also large enough to be a nuisance. This camcorder isn't like a cellphone or a Blackberry that you can just slip into your pocket and forget about—it weighs a little more than half a pound and is over an inch thick.

While the rectangular design of the HDR-TG5V does make it more portable, it also makes it harder to grip. The camcorder doesn't have an ergonomic design like the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and its lens doesn't hang over the body of the camcorder to give you something to rest your finger on. The TG5V does have a very sturdy body, however, and its titanium-build is both scratch and finger-proof resistant. The glossy new touchscreen LCD, however, collects more fingerprints than a crime scene detective.

Using the HDR-TG5V as a simple point-and-shoot device is quite simple. The camcorder has only two buttons and one zoom ring, and all of them are accessible using your thumb on the back of the device. So, if you just pick up the camcorder and start shooting, it is actually a quite pleasant experience. When you dig deeper, however, the HDR-TG5V begins to reveal itself as an overly-complicated product. The menu is complex and very long (24 separate pages), and the navigation setup is awkward and confusing—mainly because it uses Sony's finicky touchscreen system.

Sometimes the lack of buttons actually makes the camcorder more difficult to use. For example, there is no power button on the HDR-TG5V. To turn it on and off you simply open or close the LCD panel. The problem is, the camcorder automatically shuts off after a few minutes of inactivity. The only way to get the camcorder to turn back on at this point is to close the LCD and then open it again. This is a minor issue, but it is really quite silly for Sony to eliminate something as simple as a power button.

There are also no dedicated buttons for switching between still mode and video mode. Instead, to move between these modes you must press the start/stop record button or the shutter button halfway down. When we did this, we often found ourselves pushing the buttons a bit too hard, which resulted in either an unwanted photo being captured or video recording beginning by accident. Simply put, this isn't a good design.

These dedicated buttons give you quick access to aperture and shutter speed controls.

Portability

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The HDR-TG5V is more portable than last year's HDR-TG1, if only because the TG5V contains 16GB of internal flash memory compared to the card-only TG1. The HDR-TG5V is also a tiny bit smaller (just by a few millimeters) and roughly 20 grams lighter than the HDR-TG1. In a way, the built-in GPS is also a good for portability—it can help if you're trucking the camcorder around all over the place, as you can tag your footage by location.

The HDR-TG5V is not a pocket camcorder like the Flip or the Sony Webbie HD MHS-PM1, but it can still squeeze into a pocket more easily than most camcorders of its class. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 has a large, bulbous head (where its lens is) that makes it difficult to fit the camcorder in your pocket. The JVC GZ-X900 has roughly the same proportions as the HDR-TG5V, although it is a bit longer and wider.

The provided docking station with the HDR-TG5V also raises some portability concerns. The HDMI and USB ports aren't found on the camcorder itself, which means you must bring the docking station along whenever you want to connect the camcorder via one of those ports. Sony does smartly include a small USB adapter that plugs into the slot-dock at the base of the camcorder, however, so you can do without the dock when connecting the TG5V via USB.

Battery Life

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The provided battery on the HDR-TG5V lasted for 95 minutes in our battery test (1 hour, 35 minutes). This is an average performance for a camcorder of its size and class, but the thing to note about the HDR-TG5V is that its battery compartment is enclosed. This means you cannot use larger, longer-lasting battery packs with the camcorder—something that is commonly done with traditionally-shaped, horizontal camcorders. Of course, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 has an enclosed battery compartment as well (although its provided battery did have a bit more juice than Sony's). More on how we test battery life.

The TG5V's battery compartment is located on the back side of the camcorder, behind a thick, sliding panel. The panel does an excellent job protecting the battery compartment and it is designed seamlessly to appear like there isn't a panel at all (like a hidden door).

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LCD

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The LCD screen on the HDR-TG5V is the same size as on last year's HDR-TG1, but it has undergone Sony's new panel redesign. The screen now sits in a perfectly flat bezel so there is no indentation between the panel and the LCD (much like on Canon's high-end models). This definitely makes the LCD look much sleeker, but it may also attract more glare to the screen. The entire LCD is coated in a glossy finish, which also adds to the amount of glare it collects.

The LCD is 2.7-inches in size, has a resolution of 211,200 pixels, and uses touchscreen technology. Another problem with the new panel's glossy coating is that it actually picks up more fingerprints than previous Sony touchscreens. The TG5V's LCD also pales in comparison to the 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel screen featured on the Sony HDR-XR520V. As for the updates made to the camcorder's touchscreen system and menu organization—they aren't very good. We go into more detail about this in the Handling, Ease of Use, and Menu section (all above) of this review.

The LCD on the HDR-TG5V features 32 increments of brightness adjustment control, and its backlight level can be set to Normal or Bright. You can also set the color intensity of the screen with 16 different increments. The camcorder does not have a viewfinder.

Stabilization

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The HDR-TG5V is equipped with Sony's SteadyShot stabilization system and the results were quite good in our testing. In fact, the TG5V's impressive stabilization may represent its single biggest advantage over the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which had horrible stabilization. The stabilization system used by the TG5V is digital, which means it may result in some image degredation when used. Sony's higher-end models, like the HDR-XR520V and HDR-CX500V use optical stabilization systems. More on how we test stabilization.

In our low shake test, the HDR-TG5V was able to reduce 49% of the shake with SteadyShot engaged. You can see the results quite clearly in the graph below. The blue lines represent the movement of the camcorder with stabilization turned off, while the more compact red lines show its motion using SteadyShot. In our high shake test, the camcorder fared a bit worse and was only able to reduce shakiness by 42%. In comparison, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000's digital stabilization system couldn't do anything to reduce the shake in our test. In fact, the camcorder actually shook more with image stabilization turned on.

The HDR-TG5V couldn't match the stabilization results acheieved by its larger cousin model, the Sony HDR-XR520V. This is expected, however, as the XR520V is much heavier and larger than the TG5V. Another thing we noticed with the TG5V was that the camcorder had some trouble maintaining focus during our shake test. Focus would go soft every now and then, although the camcorder did regain it after a few seconds. We must note that we only noticed this when we repeatedly shook the camcorder for an extended period of time (more than a few seconds), as we do in our stabilization test. You can see the image lose focus in our video below:

Manual Focus

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The adjustment dial makes accurate focus adjustments easy.

Manual Exposure

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The manual exposure controls are only found on the Contour app, not on the camcorder itself.

Miscellaneous Controls

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Tele Macro

When activated, the camcorder zooms all the way in (10x) and allows you to focus on very close subjects.

Guideframe

Splits the screen into nine equal squares by printing white lines over the image. These lines are meant to assist with framing and will not appear in your final footage.

Conversion Lens

Use this setting when Sony's 0.7x wide angle conversion lens is connected to the camcorder. According to Sony, Conversion Lens adjusts the stabilization system and focus to work accordingly with the wide angle converter.

Auto Controls

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Focus - The HDR-TG5V has two manual focus options: regular focus adjustment and spot focus. The regular focus adjustment doesn't work very well with the camcorder's touchscreen system. Two buttons are located on either side of the LCD screen and you tap them (or hold them down) to manually focus the image. An icon in the center of the screen does display the focal length,but it does so in meters with about 10 different numeric increments. Using this system, it is very difficult to get a precise focus due to the finicky nature of the touchscreen and the fact that the LCD is cluttered with icons, buttons, and information while you are trying to focus.

Spot Focus, on the other hand, works far better. It allows you to simply tap the portion of the screen you want to bring into focus and the camcorder does the rest. This feature makes very good use of the touchscreen system. The camcorder also has options for Spot Exposure and another setting that does Spot Exposure and Focus at the same time.

Exposure - Exposure is one of the few manual controls that you can actually adjust on the Sony HDR-TG5V. The camcorder offers 28 increments of exposure control, although no numeric values are listed. All adjustments are made using the touchscreen by tapping plus and minus buttons located on the left and right of the LCD. You can also hold down the buttons for quicker adjustment.

It should be obvious that this system does not provide very accurate or precise adjustment because of the lack of any numeric exposure values. On a positive note, 28 increments of exposure adjustment is quite a bit more than we normally see on a camcorder. There's also a useful Spot Exposure feature that is very similar to the Spot Focus option we discussed in the previous section.

Aperture - There is no manual aperture control on the HDR-TG5V. This is quite a big absence for a camcorder, but it isn't that surprising—Sony doesn't even offer aperture control on its high-end consumer camcorders. Full aperture control is available on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and the JVC GZ-X900 has an aperture-priority setting.

Shutter Speed - There's also no way to manually set shutter speed on the HDR-TG5V (again, this feature is absent on all consumer camcorders from Sony). By not including aperture or shutter control, Sony does make its camcorders simpler, but it also severely limits their versatility and diminishes interest amongst experienced videographers. You can still alter the shutter speed on the TG5V by turning on the auto slow shutter feature. This doesn't allow you to control the shutter, however, but instead enables the camcorder to drop to a 1/30 of a second shutter speed in low light situations. Some of the camcorder's scene modes also change the shutter speed, but none of them allow you to manually control it.

White Balance - Thank goodness the HDR-TG5V has an option for manual white balance because the camcorder's white balance presets are severely limited. In addition to the manual option, the TG5V has white balance settings for Outdoor, Indoor, and Auto. Sony's 'One-push' manual white balance feature actually works very well with the camcorder's touchscreen system. You simply point the camcorder to a white or neutral target and press a button on the LCD. This task is easy to perform and it calibrates the camcorder's color temperature very well.

Gain - Since the HDR-TG5V doesn't offer aperture or shutter speed control, we're not surprised to see it doesn't include gain adjustment either. Having some sort of gain control has become a more common inclusion on consumer camcorders this year. Panasonic is the only manufacturer to offer complete control, although the aperture has to be open all the way in order to use it. Canon has an AGC limiter feature on the HF S11, HF S10, and HF S100, while JVC offers an AGC on/off setting. Sanyo also includes gain control in the form of ISO settings that work in video mode.

Zoom - Zooming is performed using the circular ring located on the back of the HDR-TG5V. The ring feels a bit awkward because you push it up (clockwise) to zoom out and you push it down (counter-clockwise) to zoom in. Since most zoom toggles are horizontal and pushed side-to-side, this unique circular controller takes some getting used to. One benefit of this design is the fact that you can do everything with your thumb; zooming doesn't require the use of an index finger like on other camcorders.

There are no secondary zoom buttons on the camcorder's LCD, which is something that has become a common feature on many camcorders. There are also no zoom speed settings, although the circular ring does allow you to control zoom speed variably by applying more or less pressure on the ring.

The HDR-TG5V is equipped with a 10x optical zoom, which is good for a camcorder of its size. The larger Sony HDR-XR520V only has a slightly longer optical zoom at 12x, and the JVC GZ-X900 only packs in a 5x optical zoom. If you want to increase the zoom using digital magnification, there are options for 20x and 120x on the HDR-TG5V. However, using these digital zooms will result in lower image quality. We recommend sticking with the 10x optical unless you desperately need a close-up.

Audio Controls

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The Sony HDR-TG5V doesn't have many audio features, which is one of the big differences between it and the Sanyo VPC-HD2000. The TG5V has a top-mounted microphone that records Dolby Digital 2-channel audio. The mic is positioned so it is out of the way from wandering fingers, but its top-mounting does mean it isn't directed towards the subjects being recorded. The camcorder has no headphone or external mic jacks—something that the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 includes.

The built-in microphone on the TG5V can be set to Normal or Low recording volume, which is meant to be adjusted if you are shooting in a very loud environment (like a concert hall). The mic can also has a Zoom Mic setting that enables the camcorder to center-in on picking up sound coming from the subject you are zoomed into. The feature uses digital processing to focus the audio recording on the zoomed-in subject, so the resultant audio may not have the best quality. Fortunately, the Zoom Mic feature can be turned on or off.

That's it for the TG5V's audio features. The camcorder has no wind cut (or high-pass) filter, nor does it have an accessory shoe or audio level controls. Below is a list of the audio features found on the HDR-TG5V and its comparison models:

Editing

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The memory card slot on the TG5V is located in the same place as the battery compartment—behind the sliding panel that takes up most of the camcorder's back side. This panel gives both the battery compartment and the card slot adequate protection and it closes tightly so it won't accidentally swing open while you are shooting. While Sony confirms that Memory Stick PRO Duo cards up to 16GB in size will work with the HDR-TG5V, only the record times for a 4GB card are listed in the camcorder's instruction manual. Here is a table of the approximate record times for the camcorder, as provided by Sony: For an overview of the software that ships with this and other camcorders, see our article: Video Editing Software For Your Camcorder{{product.brand.name}}-Included-Software.htm.

The HDR-TG5V ships with Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software version 4.2.00. This is the same editing software that comes with most Sony camcorders, so you may be familiar with it if you've used Sony products before. The software is a bit complex, but it does have a lot of features. You can upload video to internet sharing sites, burn DVDs, export footage back to a Sony camcorder, perform minor edits to your videos, and organize your clips in a variety of interesting ways. Unfortunately, the software is not compatible with Macs.

The PMB software definitely isn't the simplest piece of editing software around. It has a confusing layout and some of the advanced features aren't very intuitive. Also, the software opens up a new window each time you perform a task, which makes the software look more complicated than it needs to be. To Sony's credit, there are some simple options for creating DVDs and importing footage that automatically appear when you first connect a camcorder to your computer and open the software.

Importing video, which is the most important aspect of any provided video software, is pretty seamless with the PMB software. You can select clips to be imported individually, or you can move everything from your camcorder to computer at once. Once your files are imported, you can view them in calendar mode (by date) or in a number of different ways. The coolest feature is a map view, which shows the location your videos were taken on a map (if they were shot with GPS activated).

Uploading video to YouTube and setting the software up to burn a DVD is also pretty easy with the PMB software. What we didn't like was the interface for editing your video clips. The system didn't use the intuitive editing timeline structure that is popular on most non-linear editing systems (like iMovie, Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut). We were also a bit confused by the Movie Tracer feature on the PMB software. Once we used it a couple of times, however, Movie Tracer actually revealed itself to be kind of cool, albeit difficult to use correctly. The feature automatically follows the motion of your camcorder in a selected clip and then pieces together a panoramic set of photographs from the clip. It is designed to turn a sweeping pan from a video into one, large photograph. Like we said, the feature is cool, but most of the time it didn't produce the results we were looking for.

Features

Compression

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The Sony HDR-TG5V records HD video using AVCHD compression. While AVCHD is the standard codec used for compressing HD video (except for tape-based camcorders), it can still be very difficult to work with on a computer. AVCHD files are large and full of information, so they take a very long time to transfer and process when you bring them from the camcorder to a computer. The files may also playback sluggishly on a weak computer, and the editing process can be frustrating and slow when AVCHD is involved. If you plan on doing lots of editing with your HD video, make sure you have a robust computer that can handle AVCHD.

Much has been said about the fact that Sony tops out with a maximum bitrate of 16Mbps for AVCHD recording. Both Canon and JVC offer 24Mbps recording in their camcorders, while Panasonic tops out at 17Mbps. To be honest, we haven't noticed too much of a difference between 24Mbps and 16Mbps, but it is possible you'll get more artifacting when using the lower bitrates to capture lots of motion and detail. Still, we'd like to see Sony bump up its maximum bitrate, just so it can stay competitive with other manufacturers if they really start to take advantage of the 24Mbps setting.

The advantage of the HDR-TG5V over many other AVCHD camcorders is the fact that it offers standard definition recording options. The TG5V has 4 HD video settings and 3 SD settings, so you have a wide range of video qualities to choose from. The standard definition settings use the MPEG-2 codec and create much smaller files than their HD counterparts. The inclusion of SD record modes are great for people who aren't quite ready to jump whole hog into HD video and still want an option for SD recording. All HD camcorders from Sony include options for standard definition recording, which is something not offered by many manufacturers (Sanyo and Samsung also offer this feature). Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media

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The HDR-TG5V includes 16GB of internal flash memory, which is its main upgrade over last year's HDR-TG1. The 16GB of internal memory is very useful, especially for a compact camcorder like the TG5V. It allows you to simply grab the camcorder and head out the door without having to worry if you've packed a memory card or not. Yes, the camcorder does have a Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot, so you can always record to a memory card if you fill up the 16GB of internal memory. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Slow Motion Modes

Still Features

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The Sony HDR-TG5V doesn't have too many still features, especially when you compare it to some of the impressive photo/video hybrid camcorders that are on the market. The camcorder can take still photos at a maximum resolution of 2304 x 1728, which is just under 4 megapixels. The TG5V's effective pixel count in still mode is just under 2-megapixels, however, which means its highest native resolution for photos is 1600 x 1200. This is a far cry from the native 9-megapixel capability on the JVC GZ-X900. Even so, our performance testing showed the Sony HDR-TG5V to take decent still photos, despite its minimal specs and features.

The camcorder can capture still photos while recording video, but sizes are limited to 2016 x 1134 (2.3 megapixels) when shooting in HD, and 1512 × 1134 (1.7 megapixels) when shooting standard definition video. These size choices are a bit odd, considering they don't match the resolution of the recorded video (1920 x 1080 for HD and 640 x 480 for SD). Again, you can only capture photos in these sizes if you do so while you are recording video, and these sizes cannot be changed in the camcorder's menu.

The TG5V prominently features a flash located around the lens on the front of the camcorder. The flash offers a Redeye Reduction feature, has three brightness levels (Low, Normal, and High), and can be set to auto, on, or off. There's also a self-timer on the camcorder, but it can only be set to 10 seconds.

All the manual controls available in video mode are also usable in still mode. In fact, the menu really isn't any different in still mode—all the video-specific controls are still there. When you select a video-specific option, the camcorder switches into video mode when you make a selection (and vice versa with photo-specific controls). This can be a bit confusing, as the camcorder doesn't do a good job specifically outlining what features work only in video mode or only in still mode.

Face detection is one feature that is probably more useful in still mode than video mode. The TG5V has an interesting feature called smile detection that automatically snaps a photo when your subject smiles. You can also set it to work while recording video by turning on Dual Capture smile detection. The setting works surprisingly well, although the camcorder definitely reads mouth movement as smiles on occasion. To avoid this, you can set the smile detection sensitivity to Low, which only takes photos when your subject gives a big smile (detection sensitivity can also be set to High or Normal).

The color accuracy on the HDR-TG5V's photos was very good. The camcorder measured a color error of just 2.98—significantly better than in our bright light video testing. That is also a better error number than any of the models we used as comparisons throughout this review. To make things even more impressive, the TG5V managed an excellent saturation level of 97.61%.

The HDR-TG5V produced bright colors in its still photos, and its image had a slight warm, orange look. This is contrasted by the cool, grey tone on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000's still photos. The JVC GZ-X900 also rendered strong, vivid colors (106% saturation), but its image was also darker and more contrasty than the TG5V.

Noise levels weren't terrible in the HDR-TG5V's still photos, but it measured more than double the amount of noise than it did in our bright light video testing. The camcorder averaged 0.92% noise in our still image testing, which is slightly less than both the JVC GZ-X900 and Son y HDR-XR520V measured. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had the lowest still noise levels of this set, with 0.77%.

Since the Sony HDR-TG5V only has an effective pixel count of 2-megapixels for photos, we didn't expect much from it in our still sharpness test. The camcorder didn't do half-bad, however, and it actually came close to matching the results from camcorders with much higher still image resolutions. At best, the TG5V measured a horizontal sharpness of 1953 lw/ph with 15.2% oversharpening. Its vertical resolution came in at 1140 lw/ph with 6% undersharpening. These numbers aren't that much worse than what the Sony HDR-XR520V and JVC GZ-X900 were capable of, which is quite a shock considering those camcorders have much larger sensors and much higher pixel counts.

The HDR-TG5V's performance isn't top-ntch, however, and there are many better camcorders out there for capturing still photos. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and VPC-CG10 both put forth impressive still sharpness results, as did the high-end Canon models (HF S11, HF S10, and HF S100), and the JVC GZ-HM400.

Lens & Imaging System

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Due to its compact design, the HDR-TG5V features a much smaller sensor (1/5-inch) than most camcorders in its price range. The sensor is almost half the size as the chip featured on Sony's high-end HDR-XR520V camcorder. Sony was able, however, to pack in a 10x optical zoom on the TG5V, and the camcorder also features an automatic lens cover. There is no filter thread on the Vario-Tessar Carl Zeiss lens, but Sony does sell a 0.7x wide angle conversion lens that is compatible with the camcorder for $100 (model name: VCL-HGE07TB).

LCD

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The LCD screen on the HDR-TG5V is the same size as on last year's HDR-TG1, but it has undergone Sony's new panel redesign. The screen now sits in a perfectly flat bezel so there is no indentation between the panel and the LCD (much like on Canon's high-end models). This definitely makes the LCD look much sleeker, but it may also attract more glare to the screen. The entire LCD is coated in a glossy finish, which also adds to the amount of glare it collects.

The LCD is 2.7-inches in size, has a resolution of 211,200 pixels, and uses touchscreen technology. Another problem with the new panel's glossy coating is that it actually picks up more fingerprints than previous Sony touchscreens. The TG5V's LCD also pales in comparison to the 3.2-inch, 921,000-pixel screen featured on the Sony HDR-XR520V. As for the updates made to the camcorder's touchscreen system and menu organization—they aren't very good. We go into more detail about this in the Handling, Ease of Use, and Menu section (all above) of this review.

The LCD on the HDR-TG5V features 32 increments of brightness adjustment control, and its backlight level can be set to Normal or Bright. You can also set the color intensity of the screen with 16 different increments. The camcorder does not have a viewfinder.

Connectivity

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The HDR-TG5V doesn't have too many ports on the camcorder itself—only a DC-input and Sony's proprietary AV/Component-output located on the right side. These two ports are protected by a flip-out door that pops open when you slide it. Ah, but wait... there's more. The camcorder has a strange slot on its bottom that connects to a provided docking station. On this dock you'll find the rest of the necessary ports: USB, HDMI, an extra DC-input, and an extra AV/Component-output.

The problem with relegating ports to the dock should seem obvious. If you want to output video via HDMI, you need to remember to bring along the docking station. Also, if you lose the dock, then you have to purchase a new one from Sony if you want to use these valuable ports. Sony does have one more trick up its sleeve, however, when it comes to the USB connection. The TG5V comes with a small adapter that connects to the dock slot on the bottom of the camcorder and allows you to plug in a USB cable directly. The adapter even comes with a plastic carrying case that can be tethered to the provided USB cable (the camcorder comes with two USB cables; one is short, one is long).

We love the idea of bypassing the dock for USB connection, but the small adapter is easy to lose and is just as easy to forget to pack as the dock itself. We wish Sony had just put a dedicated USB port on the camcorder itself. Same goes with HDMI, which was conveniently featured on last year's HDR-TG1.

Due to its compact size, the HDR-TG5V doesn't have a lot of the connectivity options that are commonly found on larger camcorders.

Battery

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The TG5V's battery compartment is located on the back side of the camcorder, behind a thick, sliding panel. The panel does an excellent job protecting the battery compartment and it is designed seamlessly to appear like there isn't a panel at all (like a hidden door). Find out how the product:model/product:model performed in our battery life test.

Media

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The HDR-TG5V includes 16GB of internal flash memory, which is its main upgrade over last year's HDR-TG1. The 16GB of internal memory is very useful, especially for a compact camcorder like the TG5V. It allows you to simply grab the camcorder and head out the door without having to worry if you've packed a memory card or not. Yes, the camcorder does have a Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot, so you can always record to a memory card if you fill up the 16GB of internal memory. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features

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The Sony HDR-TG5V doesn't have too many still features, especially when you compare it to some of the impressive photo/video hybrid camcorders that are on the market. The camcorder can take still photos at a maximum resolution of 2304 x 1728, which is just under 4 megapixels. The TG5V's effective pixel count in still mode is just under 2-megapixels, however, which means its highest native resolution for photos is 1600 x 1200. This is a far cry from the native 9-megapixel capability on the JVC GZ-X900. Even so, our performance testing showed the Sony HDR-TG5V to take decent still photos, despite its minimal specs and features.

The camcorder can capture still photos while recording video, but sizes are limited to 2016 x 1134 (2.3 megapixels) when shooting in HD, and 1512 × 1134 (1.7 megapixels) when shooting standard definition video. These size choices are a bit odd, considering they don't match the resolution of the recorded video (1920 x 1080 for HD and 640 x 480 for SD). Again, you can only capture photos in these sizes if you do so while you are recording video, and these sizes cannot be changed in the camcorder's menu.

The TG5V prominently features a flash located around the lens on the front of the camcorder. The flash offers a Redeye Reduction feature, has three brightness levels (Low, Normal, and High), and can be set to auto, on, or off. There's also a self-timer on the camcorder, but it can only be set to 10 seconds.

All the manual controls available in video mode are also usable in still mode. In fact, the menu really isn't any different in still mode—all the video-specific controls are still there. When you select a video-specific option, the camcorder switches into video mode when you make a selection (and vice versa with photo-specific controls). This can be a bit confusing, as the camcorder doesn't do a good job specifically outlining what features work only in video mode or only in still mode.

Face detection is one feature that is probably more useful in still mode than video mode. The TG5V has an interesting feature called smile detection that automatically snaps a photo when your subject smiles. You can also set it to work while recording video by turning on Dual Capture smile detection. The setting works surprisingly well, although the camcorder definitely reads mouth movement as smiles on occasion. To avoid this, you can set the smile detection sensitivity to Low, which only takes photos when your subject gives a big smile (detection sensitivity can also be set to High or Normal).

The color accuracy on the HDR-TG5V's photos was very good. The camcorder measured a color error of just 2.98—significantly better than in our bright light video testing. That is also a better error number than any of the models we used as comparisons throughout this review. To make things even more impressive, the TG5V managed an excellent saturation level of 97.61%.

The HDR-TG5V produced bright colors in its still photos, and its image had a slight warm, orange look. This is contrasted by the cool, grey tone on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000's still photos. The JVC GZ-X900 also rendered strong, vivid colors (106% saturation), but its image was also darker and more contrasty than the TG5V.

Noise levels weren't terrible in the HDR-TG5V's still photos, but it measured more than double the amount of noise than it did in our bright light video testing. The camcorder averaged 0.92% noise in our still image testing, which is slightly less than both the JVC GZ-X900 and Son y HDR-XR520V measured. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had the lowest still noise levels of this set, with 0.77%.

Since the Sony HDR-TG5V only has an effective pixel count of 2-megapixels for photos, we didn't expect much from it in our still sharpness test. The camcorder didn't do half-bad, however, and it actually came close to matching the results from camcorders with much higher still image resolutions. At best, the TG5V measured a horizontal sharpness of 1953 lw/ph with 15.2% oversharpening. Its vertical resolution came in at 1140 lw/ph with 6% undersharpening. These numbers aren't that much worse than what the Sony HDR-XR520V and JVC GZ-X900 were capable of, which is quite a shock considering those camcorders have much larger sensors and much higher pixel counts.

The HDR-TG5V's performance isn't top-ntch, however, and there are many better camcorders out there for capturing still photos. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and VPC-CG10 both put forth impressive still sharpness results, as did the high-end Canon models (HF S11, HF S10, and HF S100), and the JVC GZ-HM400.

Other Features

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Smooth Slow Record

This feature allows you to capture slow-motion video by increasing the frame rate to 240fps (4x faster than regular 60i). Unfortunately, Smooth Slow Record clips are limited to only 3-seconds in length, which are then played back as 12-second clips. Smooth Slow Record can definitely be a useful feature, and Sony markets it as an excellent way to capture a golf swing, but we found it a bit confusing to use. Sony doesn't explain the setting very well, so you need to play around with it a few times before it can be used correctly. The JVC GZ-X900 and HM400, as well as the Samsung HMX-R10 and Sanyo VPC-HD2000, also have slow-motion recording options.

GPS

Allows you to tag and organize your media based on where the footage was captured. The map system on the HDR-TG5V is surprisingly detailed, although it is a bit unwieldy to navigate. You can zoom in and out of the map using the camcorder's zoom toggle, and you can also move the map by dragging your finger along the LCD touchscreen. We can see taking advantage of the GPS feature during a family road trip or long vacation, but for most every-day shooting it isn't very useful. The GPS did occasionally take a while to determine out our current location, and leaving the GPS turned on for a long period of time will likely diminish the camcorder's battery life.

Fader

A fade-to-black or fade-to-white can be added to the beginning or end of your clips by using the Fader setting. Each time you want to add a fade, you must go into the camcorder's menu and turn on the fader feature (the setting turns off automatically after each time you use it).

JVC Everio GZ-X900 Comparison

The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 matches up with the Sony HDR-TG5V quite well. They both have an unusual, upright design and they put forth similar results in our video testing. The Sanyo has a better grip, superior low light performance, and more manual controls. The Sony, however, looks far more elegant, has a more durable body, and is more portable due to its rectangular design. Simply based on performance, we'd have to side with the Sanyo—it slightly edged out the HDR-TG5V in nearly every test. The Sony did kill the Sanyo when it came to image stabilization, however, while the Sanyo HD200 0 captured better still images.

Both camcorders have their issues when it comes to handling. The VPC-HD2000 features a terrible button design and a menu that is both confusing, outdated, and unattractive. If you like using touchscreens, the Sony's menu and navigation system aren't that bad. Yes, it has a long menu, but at least it isn't confusing—every option is located under one big menu, so things aren't hidden or tucked away. The Sony also has a much better customizable menu setup than the VPC-HD2000.

Another thing to note about the Sanyo is the fact that it uses the MPEG-4 codec to compress video. This compression system is less taxing on a computer than AVCHD, so it may be easier to work with for some people. Most editing software doe support AVCHD nowadays, however, so this is becoming less of an issue.

When looking at these two camcorders we definitely have to take cost into consideration. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 isn't technically available in the US yet, but you can find it at some retailers for around $699. This is a good chunk less than the $999 price tag of the Sony HDR-TG5V. Of course, the Sony does come with 16GB of internal flash memory, which does even out the cost a little. Still, we think the Sanyo is the better buy. It has more features, better performance, and, if you can find it anywhere, it is much cheaper than the HDR-TG5V. If you don't mind its cheap construction and unusual form factor, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000 is actually a very good camcorder.

Update: The Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2000 was ultimately selected as our 2009 Best Value of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.

Sony HDR-XR520V Comparison

Even though it has a horizontal design, the JVC GZ-X900 has a very similar size and weight to the HDR-TG5V. The two camcorders are almost perfectly rectangular, which makes them easier to slip into a pocket than most traditional camcorders. The GZ-X900 is also the same price as the HDR-TG5V ($999), so these two models make for an excellent comparison.

The biggest fault of the JVC GZ-X900 is its dismal low light performance. The camcorder simply cannot capture a usable image in low light unless you use a slow shutter, which creates motion trails and choppy footage, or you somehow boost your light source. The Sony HDR-TG5V wasn't a spectacular low light performer in its own right, but it did way better than the JVC GZ-X900. In bright light, the JVC GZ-X900 captured stellar video, although the Sony HDR-TG5V wasn't too far behind.

Both of these camcorders have some handling flaws. The Sony has its annoying touchscreen and its inability to precisely adjust manual controls. The JVC uses a Laser Touch strip system that can be just as finicky and annoying as a touchscreen. The GZ-X900 does have a few more manual controls than the Sony—including an aperture-priority and shutter-priority mode.

In our opinion, the Sony TG5V is the better overall camcorder here, mainly because of its stronger low light performance. We also think the Sony gives you more bang for your buck because it costs the same as the JVC, but it includes 16GB of internal flash memory (the JVC only records to memory cards). If you like the GZ-X900, but are looking for a more versatile product, check out the JVC GZ-HM400. It has similar specs to the X900, but its performance was much improved. It also has 32GB of internal memory, costs the same as the X900, and handles way better.

COMP 3

The Sony HDR-TG5V and the Sony HDR-XR520V are two very different camcorders. The X520V is Sony's top-line model and it costs roughly $500 more than the TG5V, so it may not be a fair comparison to look at these two side-by-side. The HDR-TG5V put up a surprising performance, however, and some of its numbers weren't that much worse than its more expensive cousin. Sure, the HDR-XR520V had a better low light performance and a sharper image, but the fact that the HDR-TG5V can even stand in the same company as the XR520V is quite impressive.

A considerable portion of the HDR-XR520V's exorbitant price tag stems from the fact that it has a 240GB internal hard drive strapped to its right side. This is a huge amount of storage space for a camcorder, and the HDR-XR520V is ideal for people who simply never want to deal with transferring footage from a camcorder to a computer or storage device. The HDR-XR520V also has more features than the HDR-TG5V, a cool control dial that allows you to precisely set manual controls, a much larger LCD screen, optical image stabilization, and an electronic viewfinder. Yes, it is way more loaded than the HDR-TG5V, but it also comes in a pretty bulky package.

Let's be clear, the HDR-XR520V is better than the HDR-TG5V in essentially every category—except portability. However, the HDR-XR520V's $1500 price tag definitely isn't in most people's budget. If you have your heart set on Sony, the HDR-TG5V isn't a bad option. Our tests showed that it can hang with the big guys even though its specs aren't as impressive.

Conclusion

The HDR-TG5V is a bit overpriced for what you get—a mid-range camcorder with a high-end price tag. Now, it isn't quite as expensive as most top-line models, but with an MSRP of $999, the HDR-TG5V is not for people on a budget.

The camcorder doesn't look like a cheap model either. It has a sleek design that is very fancy, elegant, and stylish. Its titanium body is also quite durable—far more so than most camcorders of its size. So, if you're basing your purchase on style over substance, the HDR-TG5V is definitely in a class of its own.

When you get down to it, however, the HDR-TG5V doesn't have the performance or the features that really justify spending around $1000 for the camcorder. Mid-range models from Panasonic, Canon, and JVC can get you similar (or better) quality video for far less money. There's also the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which has a similar upright design to the HDR-TG5V, but did significantly better in our testing.

Still, the HDR-TG5V did hold its own in our tests. It didn't fail at low light like the JVC GZ-X900, nor did it bomb in stabilization or any of our bright light tests. The bottom line is that it's a good camcorder that can capture quality video and decent stills. We just don't think it's worth a cool grand.

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Meet the tester

Jeremy Stamas

Jeremy Stamas

Managing Editor, Video

@nematode9

Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.

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