Sony TG3E / TG1 camcorder review
By Thomas Ricker 
posted May 15th 2008 12:49PM
posted May 15th 2008 12:49PM
Update: Added .m2ts formatted video samples for download.
Touchscreen User Interface
While people tend to love or hate touch-screens, we generally consider ourselves lovers, not haters of the once novelty display technology. We're willing to sacrifice those deliciously tactile buttons to the gods of gadgetry in exchange for a more compact device with bigger screen and cleaner overall design. That love affair ends with the TG3E. The touchscreen offers no value-add to the consumer here, only distraction. Oh, where to begin...
Intuitive, the TG3E is not. We're ashamed to say that we were forced to reference the user manual for the most mundane tasks more than once during our two weeks of continuous use. Some options, such as setting the date and time, are so deeply or obtusely buried within the menus that we were left with no choice but to spin-up the CD and search the PDF. This ain't no VCR, regularly adjusting the time is an important task on a camcorder if you want your images and videos cataloged as you move around time zones -- especially if you are carrying multiple imaging devices (which we were).
We did manage to figure out most of the features by the 2nd or 3rd day of heavy usage -- an eternity given the breadth of devices we've used over the years. And seriously Sony, a minimum of seven taps just to delete a picture or video when we're limited to just 25 minutes of 1080i video on the included 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card? There are two methods for deleting content. The first requires 7 taps and is useful when deleting the photograph or video you just took, which, let's face it, happens all the time in the age of digital imaging: Play -> [touch photo/video to delete] -> Others -> trash can -> delete -> yes -> Ok. Another method requires 8 taps: Home -> Others -> Delete -> Delete -> Delete -> [touch photo/video to delete] -> Ok -> Yes -> Ok. The latter does, at least, allow you to select multiple, non-sequential shots for deletion all at once. Nevertheless, we can review and delete an image on our Casio Exilim compact camera and images or video on our Xacti HD700 camcorder in only 3 clicks.
Another complaint is that the touch-screen UI approach requires two hands to operate -- the right hand holds the pistol grip while the left punches away at the display. The result is an overly cumbersome system which more than once caused us to miss the early action we would have caught with our Xacti -- a camcorder which opts for a slimmed down UI and joystick for nimble, one-handed navigation. Let's be clear though, this two-handed criticism is leveled at all touchscreen camcorders, not just the TG3E.
Maybe it's just us, be we rarely do any video editing or slideshow viewing directly from the camera -- built-in HDMI jack or not. Our approach is to shoot video and photographs, dump them to disk, and then process them using a more powerful computer with a large desktop display. Regardless, Sony stuffed the TG3E with a bevy of organizational features like face, date, and roll indexing and a playlist manager. All of which allow you to (in theory anyway) quickly search and pinpoint specific moments you've captured for playback. A bit overzealous since the solid state TG3E can't exactly hold hours of 1080i video. As such, all these playback "features" come across as a lot of unnecessary fluff at the cost of simplicity and usability.
Naturally, the UI isn't everything. In fact, you'll likely begrudgingly master its idiosyncrasies just as we did. Hell, we all learned to use XP didn't we? In fact, many of us now refuse to give it up even though a prettier, sexier sibling has hit the streets. The true test of this 1080i camcorder is in the image quality. We'll get to that in a sec.
Let's shoot some video
What can we say, the TG3E is small, the world's smallest 1080i camcorder. As such, it's as portable as you'll get. While we wouldn't say it was comfortable snaking about in the front pocket of our obligatory white-linen, resort trousers, it is pocketable without causing too much of an excited SpongeBob bulge. Unfortunately, the short battery life and minimal out-of-the-box storage meant regular trips to the power jack and USB cable to recharge the battery and free up space.
Memory is of course expandable: Sony says that an ($80) 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo will snag 55 minutes of AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i video (highest quality) while a ($220) 16GB card pushes capacity to almost 2 hours of continuous 1080i recording. Naturally, Sony also offers lower quality recording options including an AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i mode and SD, MPEG2 mode for up to 85 minutes or 2.5 hours of video on that same 4GB card, respectively.
While 25 minutes or so of 1080i AVCHD recordings on the included 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card doesn't sound like much, that capacity can easily last for a few days of holiday video. However, we're intensely frugal with the footage we capture, rarely allowing any given recording to exceed 1 minute in length. Still, for a one week holiday, 4GB just wasn't enough total capacity, especially since we were snapping photos with the TG3E on top of all that HD video. Our parental paranoia of missing that perfect moment meant we were routinely purging unwanted footage (7 steps each time!) and then dumping the Memory Stick content to our laptop every day or two -- yes we brought our laptop, good thing too.
Time to edit
Moving images between our Intel-based MacBook Pro running OS X Leopard and the TG3E was a snap. Just tether the TG3E via Sony's proprietary "USB Terminal Adapter" cable and select "USB Connect" when it appears on the camcorder's display. At that point, iMovie and/or iPhoto launches automatically depending upon your configuration. However, the experience was far from flawless. To be fair, most of the problems are related to AVCHD in general and thus Sony and Panasonic share equal blame.
It's worth highlighting the fact that Apple's iMovie 08 only supports AVCHD on Intel-based Macs. Older PowerPC machines need not apply.
The first minor issue we encountered was disk capacity related. See, about an hour of 1080i AVCHD video transfered via iMovie 08 equates to about 40GB of disk according to Apple. As such, we quickly found ourselves deleting files like mad in order to free-up space on our suddenly itty bitty laptop hard drive. Unfortunately for the kids, their Disney flicks were the first thing to go. Once the imports started, they were verrrry slow. Import times were on an order of 3x longer than the length of the footage shot. As such, 20 minutes of video could easily take an hour or longer to transfer. Why? iMovie 08 does not support AVCHD directly, it converts the video to the Apple Intermediate Codec on the fly during import. Ugh, we must have missed that in Apple's fine print.
After getting the videos transfered, we discovered that iPhoto and iMovie were unable to automatically delete the images or video from the camcorder. Instead, we had to finger our way through the TG3E's deletion maze and choose "Delete All" under both the video and image deletion menu options. Fine given our constant shoot and dump-to-laptop approach. But this would have created havoc if we had been selecting individual files to transfer off the camcorder.
Our next unpleasant surprise was audio related. We're unable to export movies created within iMovie 08 at a full 1920 x 1080 resolution with the original Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound in tact. A real disappointment. This appears to be a limitation overcome by Final Cut Pro which, unfortunately, we don't have. iMovie strips the audio down to two channel stereo during the import process. Double ugh!
Unfortunately, it doesn't get any better when using the Sony supplied Picture Motion Browser v3.0 software (with relevant plug-ins) on our PC. While videos transfered very fast to the native AVCHD Windows-only software, we were unable to playback the imported .mt2s videos in the supplied AVCHD player. The latest official release (and even the latest nightly build) of VLC choked too. After a few hours of trying, we gave up. Regardless, the software was so tedious and coated in such a thick layer of Sony-coded drudgery that there was nothing we felt worthy of salvage. PC users will be going to third parties like Cyberlink, Corel, Nero, and others if they buy this camera.
Video and image quality
This is what it all boils down to right, the quality of the image, still or moving. At this point we could sit back and tell you that the 4 megapixel still images weren't as sharp as we'd like or that the colors tended to be over saturated. We could also comment on the camera's decent pickup (without pixelation) of fast action scenes under well-lit environments and how well the TG3E's electronic image stabilization seemed to handle shake under the camcorder's max, 10x zoom. We could even lament the heavy grain experienced under typical, in-home lighting. Instead, we'll just post a few examples for your own highly subjective grandstanding.
139MB: 1080i zen recorded outside under mid-day, equatorial sunshine
157MB: 1080i grain-fest shot indoors, late afternoon sunshine, near large French doors
219MB: 1080i shot outside under decidedly weaker, northern European sun at full 10x optical zoom
17.7MB: Exact same scene shot at 720p with Xacti HD700 at full 5x zoom (note wind noise, relatively shaky picture, and size of that file)
134MB: SMTH SLW REC slow motion mode -- we're suckers for slo-mo even if it's at the cost of image quality and limited to just 3 seconds of footage
70MB: 1440 x 1080 dancing robot (.m2ts format)
105MB: 1080i dancing robot indoors under overhead lighting on rainy day (.m2ts format)
We think the image gallery comparing identical scenes shot with the TG3E and four year old, 5 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z55 speaks for itself.
Other things we disliked... and liked
What, no headphone or microphone jacks Sony? Did you not notice these on the Sanyo Xacti HD1000 during your competitive analysis?
There's a long list of niceties including the look (sex in a box), the weight (light but not cheap), automatic lens cap, 3-second SMTH SLW REC slow motion recording, snappy image-stabilized 10x optical zoom, and HDMI jack right on the camera. We also like the Quick On mode which puts the camera to sleep for up to 15 minutes after you close the LCD. That means you can start recording in as little as 2 seconds vs. 5 seconds when the camcorder is turned completely off.
Bottom line
Overall, the TG3E is a winner of a product as long as you're setup to deal with the AVCHD file format. In other words, you should factor in the cost ($100 and up) of a proper AVCHD video editing software package with the purchase of the TG3E. For some of you, those who value ultra-portable convenience over the quality you get by carrying multiple devices, the TG3E could even replace your point-and-shoot camera on holiday. Not us though.
As much as we expected to, we simply can't give the TG3E an enthusiastic Engadget recommendation for one simple reason: Sanyo's XACTI HD1000. We used the HD1000 extensively at CES and it's nearly spec-for-spec identical to the TG3E. It also features a much simpler UI requiring only a single hand to operate, an external mic jack, and video recordings in the much more popular MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format for $250 less than the TG3E. Guess what our choice would be?
I watched robot m2ts file on nero showtime. awersome quility BTW !!!
I've been searching for reviews on this camera since I heard about it. I purchased the CX7 about a month ago for a trip to China and was absolutely blown away by the quality of the video so the idea of having something with similar (or better) video capture in an even smaller package sounded appealing. So, I was really happy to find this review...mainly because I wanted to make sure the footage was at least as good as the CX7 and that the battery life wasn't too bad. But I was really surprised at some of the negative aspects of the review. For example, I didn't really have an issue with the touchscreen on the CX7 and the TG1 has the same size touchscreen (my fingers aren't that small). I agree that the menu system could use a little bit of work because it takes 5 clicks to delete a file, but it didn't take long to get used to. I also didn't have any issues with the Picture Motion Browser software. I installed it on my notebook and an old desktop and didn't have any issues with the software. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't play back the files with WMP but the Sony software worked just fine. It didn't have any advanced editing capabilities, but I was able to quickly import videos, crop video footage, take decent jpg stills from the footage, and easily burn AVCHD or DVD video discs without any issues. It was as easy as selecting the files -> right click on Burn AVCHD or DVD, pick out the background template you want, and WHAM! Anyway, just my 2 cents. My experience with the CX7 was great. After seeing your footage, I've just put in the pre-order for the TG1.
Just what I suspected. Not at all worth the hype nor the money. Especially once you factor in Sony's use of that damn proprietary storage format.
I think the Sanyo HD1000 is better than this thing, but to be honest, they're neither one great hybrid cams. Meaning either the video or the photo quality is sacrificed for the other (usually the photo quality).
That being said, I think if Canon ever comes out with a successor to the TX1, that'll be the ultimate hybrid. Its already a great P&S camera (comparable to their other models) AND it shoots really decent HD videos.
I downloaded the .m2ts file and played it back on my PS3. I do not have other HD footage for comparison, but I thought the footage was quite good. The 5.1 audio was also a plus.
Like every camera/camcorder I bought in the past, they were not perfect. Form factor, and to my eyes, pretty darn good HD video quality, makes this my next video camera.
Only minus for me is that this thing doesn't get charged up via USB. So far, all my other gadgets(PSP, Phone, MP3 player, etc.) are all USB. Digital SLR and this camera will be the only ones that have their own dedicated charger. Oh well, cant have it all.
The sample video looked pretty good on my HDTV through my PS3. I didnt have a program to play the video but remembered how big Sony is into MPEG-2.
I found some Xacti HD1000 and Sony TG1 video samples on www.akihabaranews.com . Both the samples played fine on my PS3. The HD1000 seems to have a sharper picture than the TG1.
Negatives on the HD1000 is the image stabilization and picture quality suffers on fast moving scenes. However, the camera does have lots of features(shoe, headphone jacks, etc.) not found on the Sony.
Just picked up mine TG1 tonight. The battery life said on the box as 95 miniutes. Why would TG3 be 55 minutes only?
I love it.
OK, I have had my TG3E for 3 weeks now and am really impressed with it. The footage is really impressive for the size of the thing, the size is incredible, try putting the HD1000 in your trouser or jacket pocket!
There is obviously a compromise with every new item to hit the market. Could it possibly be down to funds, I went out and purchased six 16gb MS Pro Duo cards and 2 spare batteries. Already had a charger that plugs straight in to a shaver socket from my previous sony Camcorder so no cables to drag around there. The 16gb cards come with a tiny USB reader so again no need to drag around USB cables. This all fits in to a really small camera bag, less than half the size of my previous one, but no need to carry that around, just the camera.
I use Sony Vegas and have not had any issues with the software or creating different file formats from it, in fact converting the files is a breeze.
I do not find the UI to be that bad although they could make some improvements. Never had the need to delete any files as have the memory space, just dump the lot to my PC and do all the work there. Quite surprised about the long discussion about this as surely Engadget knows how much space HD footage takes so what did they expect from a 4gb card. I also found low light footage to be really good rahter than grainy.
I guess this is more of an executive "toy" camcorder rather than for the AV enthusiast/critic mainly due to the fact that to get the best from it you need to fork out quite a bit of money, xtra memory and batteries etc... but if you can afford it then at this point in time there is nothing that comes close to it. Sure there are camcorders out there which will give much better results, have a better UI and longer battery life but can you put them in your pocket, no you can`t. Take a look around at get yourselves a spare battery, extra memory and the BC-TRP (US version) charger (plugs straight in to a shaver socket) once you have the accessories you will see just how easy it is to carry this thing round and that outweighs any potential loss in quality with regards to the footage.
ps. I also own the HD1000 and I feel the TG3E outshines it in all aspects.
I am planning on staying away from AVCHD camcorders because of their problems handling motion and high computer processor demands.
A local American electronics store is stocking most of the new camcorders, so I was able to try some of them. All the new HD camcorders looked great on their small lcd screens. I plan on bringing my own memory card, so I can do some comparisons at home.
The store had the new Samsung HMX20 which shots full HD in 1080 60i/30p and SD 480 60p plus high speed SD video at 300 FPS, which was neat. Not sure which compression format the Samsung uses - it records to SDHC card.
JVC has new full HD 1080/60i camcorders that use MPEG2 compression and record to Hard Drives or Memory Cards.
Like others, I am looking for a camcorder to buy for the Summer.
Even though it's a digital camera, the Casio high speed camera shots photos, HD video and slow motion - an all in one camera.
I think if you read the interview of the TG1 designers/developers at their microsite you will soon discover who they are targeting the TG1 for and how it came about. Is there room for improvement - of course! But, don't miss the forest for the trees. This baby is designed for easy, carry along everywhere and shooting needs. The designers wanted a camcorder that we can carry around with as "normal" as carrying a digicam.
It is designed to be small so that you can carry with you at all times. It has titanium and hardened materials to take daily knocks, and it has an "Easy" function that is quite prominently displayed for no fuss shooting and should you want to muck around with settings to tweak to your liking, it allows you to step up to that.
If you are looking for pro or semi-pro features, this is not for you and it quite clearly states that.
For what Sony's designers wanted to achieve and target the TG1 at, I think they have achieved it superbly.
I've just bought this camcorder a few days ago and , as it seems you do, I always edit my footage on my computer .
At which point I was somewhat surprised by the result . I use an iMac G5 24" with FinalCut Express and if you look at something in motion, image by image, you have a kind of halo with tiny black lines - it seems to be one line of pixels out of two .
I downloaded your film "zen" and I get the same problem when wiewing it- so at least, it not due to my own camera .
Got any explanation? ( since I live in Paris, my camera records in PAL so that's not the origin of this disturbing phenomena )
jc langain paris france