Review: Sony HDR-TG3 AVCHD Camcorder


Sony has billed it as the world's smallest, slimmest high definition camcorder. It promises much - but is it really "the perfect partner for nights out or weekends away"? Well, it depends on what you get up to!


Image of Sony HDR-TG3 AVCHD Camcorder handheld
For some odd reason, Sony has decided to call this remarkable new high definition camcorder the HDR-TG3 in Europe and the HDR-TG1 elsewhere - predominantly in areas where the NTSC television system is used.

Whilst it's understandable that they should seek to differentiate such products in a minor way, it's a mystery as to why they need to give it a completely different (and very confusing) moniker in various parts of the globe. To be fair, they're not identical - the TG1 has some key differences if the manual is correct.

That aside, the HDR-TG3 (we'll call it that for now) joins an already formidable line-up of HD Handycam products from Sony that use not tape or spinning discs (whether DVD or hard disc drives) but solid-state flash memory cards to store and playback full-specification 1920x1080 HD movies and digital stills in addition to providing an option to record and replay standard definition movies in MPEG2 mode. Of course, coming from the company that produces Memory Stick cards rather than the more widely-used SD(HC) variants, this camera uses Memory Stick PRO Duo cards (of which a 4GB card is supplied in the box).

Along with Panasonic and Canon, Sony has been ploughing massive resources into the revolutionary AVCHD format for a good couple of years now and must surely be seeing some kind of payback on its investment into a format that relies on a heavy video compression called MPEG4-AVC/H.264 and which is designed specifically to enable recording of true high definition video to tapeless recording devices. Whilst AVCHD is certainly not without its faults, the benefits brought about by the use of this technology shouldn't be overlooked as manufacturers seek to satisfy an apparent high demand for smaller, lighter, better quality camcorders.

First Impressions


The Sony HDR-TG3 comes in a beautifully packaged box. It's not often we mention the quality of packaging, but in this case it would be a crime not to discuss it. Carry this out of the shop and you'll feel like you've bought something special. On opening it, you'll discover a mass of bits and pieces designed to help you to shoot, playback and share your clips in lots of ways. In relation to the size of the box it comes in, the camcorder itself is quite small and - another surprise - quite heavy. It comes with a handy docking station into which the cam sits not only for recharging but also for making connections via USB 2.0, DC mains and A/V output to TV or analogue recorder. Digital connections, such as HDMI (cable not included) and Component (cables included) are provided on the camera itself, along with addition DC-input point and AV-out connector. There's no provision for S-Video output, note.

Open the LCD screen and the camera switches itself on (although there's a separate Power button on the outer rear of the body). It makes cute jingly noises when you switch it on and also when you make menu choices using the 2.7" Hybrid LCD touch screen. You can turn them off, it should be added, since they'll drive you and others barmy after a while.

Image of Sony HDR-TG3 with Handycam docking station
Main control functions are determined using both the main Power/Control dial at the upper rear position of the main body (see picture at top of page) with more function-specific choices being made by touching the many and varied options presented to you on the LCD screen.

In common with other mainstream Sony Handycam products, the TG3 uses touch-screen technology as the means for selecting everything from basic settings in both movie and stills modes to changing manually-controlled values during recording and playback - things like focus, exposure and audio input levels. It's a bit of fiddle and some users don't like it. It's easier with larger LCD screens, and you'll soon get used to it.

The camcorder feels good to hold although, to re-iterate, it's much heavier than you'd expect it to be given its size and shape. However, it has a nice ergonomic design that means it can be slipped into a pocket or bag when not in use and it's not too conspicuous when in use. It's definitely designed with the casual "on the go" user in mind.

Features and functions


The camera uses a 1/5in ClearVid CMOS sensor and Sony's proprietary BIONX and x.v.Colour processing to generate its 4 megapixel images. For the technically-minded, this translates into an effective 1,430,000 pixels for use in 16:9 widescreen and 1,080,000 pixels in 4:3 movie modes, plus 1,490,00 and 1,990,000 for equivalent stills modes. In order to counteract hand-held wobbliness, Sony has incorporated SEIS (Super Electronic Image Stabilisation). High definition resolution is the full 1920x1080 specification, though only 1080i (interlaced line mode) is provided, with no option to record in either 1080p or even 720p modes. Unlike several competing products - particularly the Panasonic HDC-SD9 and the Canon HF100 and HF10 AVCHD camcorders, the TG3 doesn't provide a so-called 25P Cinema Mode (in which frames are recorded in one complete scan for that questionable but still much desired film-like effect). It does, however, have a "Progressive Shutter" but that's not quite the same thing.

According to Sony's documentation, the TG3 is capable of writing up to 65 minutes of full-specification AVCHD movie clips to its supplied 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo card when recording with the HD SP (7 Mbps) data transfer rate or up to 280 minutes at the same rate on a 16GB card. The highest HD FH (16 Mbps) rate is fractionally lower than both the Panasonic and Canon models referred to above, but still very impressive when viewing the results of shooting on the highest quality setting. The four HD recording options (all of which generate 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution pictures) are:
If you're uneasy about shooting high definition clips with your newly-acquired TG3 or whatever reason (maybe you have a computer that just can't handle AVCHD yet) then don't worry - you can record in standard definition MPEG2 format video (the same format as used by non-HD video systems like DVD and HDD.

This function is selectable in the Playback menu (oddly enough) and remains as default until you change it back. Note that you can't, however, convert HD to SD clips in playback mode - it only plays back what's recorded and no more. In standard definition (MPEG2) the rates are:
The F1.8-2.3 Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens' optical zoom is 10x (3.2mm to 32mm) with a digital zoom option of 120x, with zoom control being achieved by rotating a dial that forms part of the cluster at the rear of the camera into which the Record Start/Stop button is also found.

Other key features include Face Detection (in which the camera picks out human faces and tracks them in the frame as it maintains optimum image processing on skin tones, etc), variable electronic shutter speeds ranging from 1/2 second to 1/8000th seconds and Backlight Compensation (in which you can over-ride the effect of a strong light overpower your foreground subject).

As with other competing models, the TG3/TG1 also features Smooth Slow Recording, enabling users to generate slow-motion recording during the actual recording of clips. It's also possible to shoot still images whilst actually recording - known as "Dual Recording" mode.

Image of the top of the Sony HDR-TG3, showing 3-channel microphone
Like the Panasonic HDC-SD9, the TG3 offers 5.1 Surround Sound recording onboard - although in this case it achieves this through the use of a 3-channel zoom-effect microphone which is designed to mimic the action of the zoom lens in and out. It also sports a built-in video liht, which doubles as a flash light, for use when additional illumination is required.

Despite the target market, Sony has wisely included full access to manual controls - focus, exposure, sound levels, shutter, etc. - and these are accessed through the impressively-designed graphical menu system using the LCD touch-panel display. It's a bit of a fiddle, and one wonders to what extent these facilities will be used by casual users who seek only to grab quick video clips whilst on the move. We'll see - but they're useful to have and shouldn't be overlooked.

The supplied Sony NP-FH50 Li-ion battery pack and tiny Memory Stick PRO Duo memory card slot into the rear of the camera (effectively the whole rear section against which the palm rests when in use, as pictured at the top of the page) behind a large flap that slides open. Both the battery and the card be be changed independently. The battery, it should be noted, remains in the camera during charging and when inserted into the Handycam docking station. Charging is very quick - we got a full charge from zero in less than an hour.

Connectivity


The HDR-TG3 offers a combination Composite Digital output port whose cable connector breaks out to the Red, Blue, Green connectors required to connect to a HDTV display. There's a similar AV Composite output jack and supplied cable, though it should be noted that there's no provision for S-Video output on this model. The HDMI terminal supports the HDMI-mini type connector (cable not supplied, but available as an optional accessory).

The provision of the Handycam docking station, into which the camcorder sits when the battery is being charged and when connection to analogue display devices is required, is very useful indeed. In fact, the docking station can stay where it is permanently if required; when returning with the camera, simply drop into the slot to recharge the battery and to view clips.

Transfer of movie clips and images to Windows/Vista and Apple Mac computers


A mini-USB 2.0 socket and cable is provided for transfer of movie clips and images to a suitable WindowsXP SP2 and Vista PC (Picture Motion Browser software CD included) or Apple Mac computer. Note that for transfer to, and editing of, AVCHD movie clips on an Apple Mac, an Intel-based Mac is required running OS10.5 Leopard or higher. No additional software is required as the Mac will import clips via USB 2.0 for editing in iMovie '08.


Performance


You don't need to take the camera out into bright sunshine to see just how well it performs. In reasonable interior conditions (in our case a brightly-lit office on a sunny day) the images are crystal clear and well resolved. Even the inevitable mid-day desktop clutter looks good in the viewfinder, with objects being pin-sharp even when the camera is panning across them whilst recording at the highest of the four settings. Even at the lowest 5Mbps setting, the images are still pretty good, although an increased shimmering and image noise is more immediately recognisable, even in the LCD screen. Outdoors, the pictures are fabulous. A summer garden containing lots of brightly-coloured flowers and greenery is perfectly rendered when shot on a tripod (a standard screw-thread is provided) and also in hand-held mode.

Image: Grab from Sony HDR-TG3

Above: This image is derived from a 1920 x 1080i HDR-TG3 clip taken under manual control and in which the exposure was set in "spot" mode, where the active area was the yellow object in the foreground. Taken in the highest quality HD FH (16 Mbps) mode and reduced to 650 pixels width in Apple Preview.

Image: Frame grab from Sony HDR-TG3

Above: This image is derived from a 1920 x 1080i HDR-TG3 clip taken using Spot Focus control. The active part of the image was the foreground leaf. Once the area was defined, the TG3 re-focused from detail in the background very quickly. Taken in the highest quality HD FH (16 Mbps) mode and reduced to 650 pixels width in Apple Preview.

Image of Sony HDR-TG3 AVCHD Handycam camcorder in use
We tested the MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression system to the full by panning left to right across pebbles on a pathway; this is a good test for any video compression system, and on playback we noticed the inevitable jitteryness caused by the compressor being overwhelmed by lots of changing information. This effect is due, in large part, to the effect of playing back using the camcorder's default 1080i (interlaced) frame-scanning mode rather than the preferred "p" mode of its competitors. That said, it still looked good to all but the most finicky eye (and there are plenty of those around).

Despite the upward-facing microphone cluster, the stereo audio (we couldn't monitor 5.1 channel surround) was actually very good, and the many varied sounds of birds and traffic noise in the official SimplyDV garden sound pretty good when monitoring on our Mac-based audio monitoring system. The effect of the so-called "zoom microphone" (in which the mic's sensitivity mimics the action of the zoom lens in and out) is less clear, however. Traffic noise is traffic noise, and the blackbird singing in the tree didn't really get any clearer when zoomed in either!

Operating the zoom is not so good. The zoom control isn't the usual left/right rocker switch but a dial on the main Power/Function dial cluster. It's difficult to operate to the point where you can't really perform a good steady zoom whilst recording in hand-held mode.

Allowing for the fact that it's necessary to use the TG3's LCD touch-screen in order to make selections and adjustments, the camcorder's menu system is actually pretty well designed and easy to find your way around. In the recording mode, the basic set of options appears along the bottom of the screen, and when individual items (or classes of item) are pressed, a set of icons appears inviting further selection of specific settings. The camera chirps at you with different different sounds when you press anything - though this can be deactivated.

There's the full range of manual controls, too - everything from focus (including spot focus), exposure (including spot exposure), white balance and microphone level setting. Having selected what you want to adjust as you're recording, it's simply a question of gently tapping the plus or minus values on the screen to increase or decrease accordingly. It sounds a pain (actually it is a bit of a pain!) but you get used to it.

Image: Sony DVDirect VRD-MC5 DVD Burner
What we liked the most was the spot focus and spot exposure - in this mode, simply tap the part of the screen to which you want to appear in focus (or better exposed) and it does it for you. That worked well and has remained selected.

You can, of course, set up playlists of your favourite clips; these can be played out to a Sony Bravia TV using Sony's own BRAVIA Sync via HDMI connection for playback control using a compatible Bravia TV remote control or transferred direct to DVD disc using Sony's optional DVDirect VRD-MC5 direct-connection USB burner drive (pictured left). This unit is the Sony equivalent of Panasonic's VW-BN1 Direct-to-DVD burner that is finding favour with many of the company's HD camcorder customers.

Conclusion


There's no doubt about it - the HDR-TG3 is a fabulous little high definition camcorder that will please all but the most finicky user. Its recorded pictures and sounds are very impressive indeed when shooting in all but the murkiest conditions (as we always say - don't shoot in murky conditions and you won't be faced with useless images). Even when shooting HD video at less than the maximum 16 Mbps data rate we were pleasantly surprised with the images we saw - providing there wasn't too much movement in the frame with lots of fine detail.

Image of Sony HDR-TG3 on its side, closed
What we were less pleased with was the position and operation of the zoom control. It needs to be operated by the user's right thumb when hand-held recording, and it's just to awkward to operate with any degree of fluidity. The camera body moves as you start to apply the required pressure. Also, the lack of frame-side controls (especially zoom and simple playback controls) is missed - this camera could really do with them in the way that other Sony Handycams are blessed with them. Whilst we're on the subject of the LCD screen, having to make the vast majority of changes using Touch-screen controls is fine in one sense but a bit annoying in others. Even the Menu button is touch-screen and it really ought to be a physical button which is accessible on the main body.

However, that's about all we can say against the camera. Importing clips and images via USB 2.0 (using the docking station) into an Apple Intel iMac, running on Mac OS10.5 Leopard, was flawless and the resulting Apple Intermediate Codec full-HD clips looked fabulous when viewed on a 24" LCD display in addition to be played back on a 19" HDTV monitor via HDMI. We didn't get a chance to check out the supplied Picture Browser software for Windows, however, but our PC isn't up to coping with AVCHD so we didn't bother!

All in all, a creditable effort from Sony that many users will appreciate greatly. It's a pity it uses Memory Stick cards rather than the more popular (and cheaper) SDHC cards, however.

Reviewed by: CB, May 2008. Sony HDR-TG3 product mages supplied by Sony UK Limited. Used by permission. Other images Copyright 2008 Colin Barrett / SimplyDV Limited.

Please note: The frame-grabbed images used in this review were acquired as follows: Shot at maximum quality using the Sony HDR-TG3E (Europe) model AVCHD camcorder, with clips saved to the supplied 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo card. Connected to a Apple Intel iMac via USB 2.0 and imported into Apple iMovie 08. Clips processed internally using the Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC) as full-resolution 1920x1080i .MOV clips. Selected clips opened in Quicktime Pro, and individual frames exported as still frames. These were then resized in Apple Preview with no other image processing whatever, except to reduce the size to 650 horizontal pixels and save as JPG at 70% quality setting. (CB)