We'll go ahead and let those
other guys battle
it out for the "
world's smallest" camcorder title -- meanwhile, Sony's just cranked out the one to
really pay attention to. The HDR-TG1 Handycam checks in at just 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs ten ounces, all while boasting the ability to capture those oh-so-precious vacation moments and unannounced streaking episodes in
1080p 1080i. Aside from that, it'll snag stills at 4-megapixels and holds everything on MS Pro Duo / Pro Duo Mark2 cards, while the 2.7-inch touchscreen keeps your eyes glued to the action. Furthermore, you'll find a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, BIONZ processing engine, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio recording and a bundled 4GB Pro Duo Mark2 card for $900. Get ready -- this one's comin' at you next month. Video of Japanese model after the break.
Update: Will be called the HD TG3E in Europe.
[Via
AkihabaraNews]
posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 1:04AM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jimmy @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:08AM
lies. all lies. who's the april fool now??? HUH???
Jimmy @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:09AM
Wait... crap. today is april 2nd isnt it. GAH!!! epic fail on my part right there. ima go bury my head in sand now...
Ellianth @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:12AM
"Jimmy
Jimmy @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:08AM
lies. all lies. who's the april fool now??? HUH???"
What time zone are you in? Because your post was on April third.
Jimmy @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:17AM
US-Pacific. ya... it does say april 3rd there doesn't it. now i look like an even bigger NOOB @ LIFE. basically, I fail.
Robert in Texas @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:09AM
Useless unless it has image stabilization which it doesn't appear to have.
Josh Warner @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:02AM
But it does come with your very own rootkit! Just plug it in and away it goes...
Seriously though, you have a point. Cameras this small have serious blur issues (my digital ELPH is a perfect example) and without stabilization of some sort I can't imagine getting anything better than youtube-quality shakycam out of this thing. Handheld, anyway.
Also a sensor that small with almost 2 Mpxl crammed in likely has crappy sensitivity; couple this with the inherent instability of such a small body and you get a failure. This is only really useful as a 'world's first/best/biggest/smallest' bragging rights device.
clak @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:12AM
Now that's a beautiful projector.
y3k.nik @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:43AM
go die!!!!!!
Kamokazi @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:21AM
Pro Duo....Mark2?!?!?!
When did I miss another useless Sony format.
For pete's sake, Sony, give it up...embrace SDHC, you know you want to!
knowsbetter @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:23AM
I'll stick with my canon TX-1 (under 400 bills) which does hd video using SD cards and takes 7 megapixel stills. Oh and its smaller than the sony.
Andrew Ries @ Apr 3rd 2008 5:06PM
@knowsbetter
However, the TX-1 has rather poor video quality in low light.
Geir E @ Apr 3rd 2008 8:43AM
You kind of failed on that one, Mark 2 is just a certification that the writing speed meets the demand of AVCHD products. So in other words, a faster pro duo card than the older ones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD
Beside, SD with its three sizes and a complete wilderness of what supports sdhc and what does not. Bought my first 8gb sdhc card now and of my four devices that supports sd micro this is the only one that supports sdhc.
Kamokazi @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:11AM
@Geir
Hence the question marks. And if you get technical, that could be considered another format by some.
Yes, as of late, SD has become a little more confusing with the addition of two sizes and SDHC. But at least the smaller sizes are required to include a full-size SD adapter (and they often include a MiniSD one as well) And the naming scheme generally makes sense. Mini is smaller than regular, and Micro is smaller than mini. SDHC stands for SD High Capacity. The only real question is if a device supports it, which is the fault of the device manufacturer for not making it clear.
But it's still no comparison to MemoryStick. You have the MemoryStick, MemoryStick Select, MemoryStick Pro, MemoryStick Pro Duo, MemoryStick Duo, MemoryStick PRO-HG, MemoryStick Micro/M2, and now this Mark2 crap (which might be the same as PRO-HG??). Now try to tell me SD is more confusing.
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:09AM
Well said Kamokazi, my thoughts exactly.
spacegravity4me @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:07AM
I only read the price and the I read "Video of Japanese model after the break." Where was she!?
Nick @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:42AM
Um.. So is this 1080i or 1080p? The gallery says 1080p, while the title says 1080i..?
Shaocaholica @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:47AM
Why won't interlaced video die as a recording format for portable video devices? Seriously, its 2008 already. The biggest digital video consumer devices are all progressive (Computer Display, web video, DVD, BRD). Die already, die, die, die....
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:07AM
Agreed.
Ken @ May 17th 2008 12:32PM
The best looking consumer format is still 1080i thank you.
Eric Moritz @ Apr 3rd 2008 8:33AM
Looks a lot like this camera my co-worker got at bestbuy
$169 SDHC, 720p spits out .mov files
http://www.aiptek.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=R-AHDB&Category_Code=DC1&Store_Code=AS
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:07AM
Not to quibble but common, comparing a aiptek to a sony? I hate sony as much as the next (sensible) guy, but that's going a bit far methinks.
Eric Moritz @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:13AM
The difference is my wife will murder me for a $900 camera, but a $169 dollar camera keeps me alive.
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:32AM
Fair enough ;)
UKNigel @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:32AM
Also, the Aiptek cameras can be put into medium sized rockets to take one nice video before the parachute fails to come out and the camera disintegrates in a cloud of dirt.
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:59AM
Well I feel silly now, all good points.
John @ Apr 3rd 2008 8:35AM
The funny thing is the Japanese video shows a camcorder with english text all over it, it must suck to be them cause I don't see one asian character on the device in the video.
Wwhat @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:59AM
That zoom lever was designed after years of study on how to force people to make shaky videos.
Here's my question, does it do any progressive at lower resolution? it does mention one lower resolution but that's also interlaced.
Tony @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:18PM
I agree. We need 1080p camcorders!
Jason @ Apr 3rd 2008 5:19PM
It does have image stabilization. Just read about this camcorder over at another site and it says it has Super Stead Shot.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sonys-New-HDR-TG1-Pocket-Sized-AVCHD-Camcorder-34829.htm
required @ Apr 3rd 2008 6:07PM
The Sanyo Xacti HD1000 has a much better form factor.
maff @ Apr 3rd 2008 6:42PM
1080 i and p, can YOU tell the difference!?? lol!
Ken @ May 17th 2008 12:37PM
Of course not, but it's so fashionable to say 'die' to the interlaced formats. The fact is that any fixed pixel display converts interlaced to progressive anyway. But this will continue to go on as a result of people not knowing any better.
chrisrue @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:42PM
Picked up an Aiptek A-HD @ CC for $130 last month.
In a word... AWESOME!
A couple of posts about it here...
http://www.chrisrue.com/funcave/2008/03/while-in-redmond.html
http://www.chrisrue.com/funcave/2008/03/hello-kitty.html
Yeah, the pickup pattern on the audio is wacky beyond belief. But price/performance ratio of the Aiptek beats nearly anything out there.
Shoot-THIS @ Apr 6th 2008 5:45AM
I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) you'll see the difference between 1080i and 1080p when you try to put it in freeze frame. The 1080i (interlaced) will show TWO frames that are INTERLACED into ONE frame - (every other horizontal line of resolution is from neighboring frames, which basically amounts to a blurry or fuzzy picture). The 1080p (progressive) will show only ONE frame - (all horizontal lines of resolution are from the SAME SINGLE frame, thus giving you a crisper, sharper picture). Hint: Sony's multiple storage formats and multiple sized cards should be a warning sign that the company does NOT have the consumers best interests in mind! If you can afford to buy their latest products as soon as they're released, and learn how they work in record time, (and find them to become obsolete in record time as well) then of course, disregard this hint. For the rest of us, I think we'll wait and see which ones the PUBLIC will decide should survive before jumping on the "NEW PRODUCT" bandwagon. DAT recorders, mini disc players, laser discs and beta-max have come and gone... They were marketed as being the "NEW STANDARD".. Yeah, right.. The same promo was used to make us believe that "CD's will never scratch or skip". Was that a small error or a blatent deception? (cue applause) "Thank you, and GOOD NIGHT!"
adam @ Apr 12th 2008 3:35AM
But what I can find anywhere, is what damn format this cam captures. Divx? H264? AVI? MPEG? Is it too much to ask for a format spec, its kind of important.
chrisrue @ Apr 13th 2008 1:42AM
H.264
Ken @ May 17th 2008 12:33PM
The best looking consumer format is still 1080i. THAT'S why it 'won't die'.