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Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam Is World's Smallest 1080p HD Camcorder
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 3:00 PM on April 3, 2008
Meant more for geeky vacationers than pros, Sony's calling its HDR-TG1 Handycam the world's smallest "full HD" camcorder, packing 280 grams into a 1.3 x 4.7 x 2.5-inch titanium frame. Sony is all about face-detecting as of late, which comes standard here on both video and still shooting. It can identify up to eight mugs, and supposedly adds extra "encoding bits" to faces for the best possible rendering of your subjects. Unfortunately, Sony's still forcing the Memory Stick standard upon the world, this time, a choice between PRO Duo or PRO Duo Mark2. (How many more MS flavors can we stand, Sony??) It'll be US$900 in May, though you can pre-order tomorrow online. Full press release below. [SonyStyle]
SONY ROLLS OUT WORLD'S SMALLEST FULL HD CAMCORDERJUST IN TIME FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION
SAN DIEGO, Apr. 2, 2008 - The new pocket-sized Sony HDR-TG1 Handycam® camcorder's weighty high-definition capability will appeal to vacationers who prefer to "travel light."
This diminutive camcorder weighs in at only ten ounces. It has an ultra-portable body measuring just 1.3-inches wide by 4.7-inches tall by 2.5-inches deep.
It is a full-featured camcorder that can record 1920 x 1080 HD video and 4-megapixel digital photos directly to Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo™ or PRO Duo Mark2 media cards. Its size and full recording capability makes it the world's smallest full HD camcorder.
Another bonus for any traveler is the camcorder's durable titanium body and special hard coating that makes it highly resistant to scratches and quite fashionable.
It ships with a supplied 4GB PRO Duo Mark2 media card so it's ready to go straight out of the box and you don't have to make space in your travel bag for extra discs or tapes.
"Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980's, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries," said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. "This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection."
Face Detection for the Best Possible Picture
This new model incorporates face detection technology for both video and still images, a technology also shared with select Sony Cyber-shot® digital cameras. It can identify up to eight faces in the camcorder's 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen, and automatically adjust focus, exposure, colour control for natural-looking skin tones, and when photos are taken, flash control.
The model also allocates more encoding bits to a detected face during the encoding process for the best possible picture when people are the subjects.
Not Just Another Pretty Face
The camcorder features advanced video and audio technologies with simple, intuitive operation. It is equipped with a high-quality Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar® 10x optical zoom lens and 2-megapixel ClearVid™ CMOS sensor with Exmor™-derived technology, engineered to minimize picture noise.
The camera's BIONZ™ processing engine also features noise reduction capabilities in addition to fast processing speeds. This engine powers the model's dynamic range optimization feature, which automatically adjusts under- or over-exposed areas in a picture. These technologies together produce high-resolution video and photos with natural colour reproduction and rich details.
Audio is recorded in Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound and features a built-in zoom microphone, delivering clear recordings of your subjects along with the video.
Designed to be the perfect travel companion, the HDR-TG1 camcorder will ship with supplied accessories in May for about $900. There is also an optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) that includes a battery, travel charger and pouch for about $100. Plus, there is a custom-fit case (Sony LCM-TGA) for about $50.
All can be purchased, along with other accessory options, direct at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (sonystyle.com/retail), at authorised dealers nationwide, and at military base exchanges. Pre-orders begin on Apr. 4 at www.sonystyle.com.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
abs121
Posted April 18, 2008 9:09 PM
The Handycam has just appeared on sonystyle australia, but the want $1599 for it!!!! that is a bloody rip off! im so sick of getting shafted like this.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
Posted 4:00 PM 3/4/08
@JPQsat: Sony Ericsson K850 cellphone uses both Memory Stick Micro and SD Micro.
There... one phone you can buy from them.
I also don't like Sony forcing Memory Sticks... though they aren't bad, but they are more expensive.
As for the camcorder... nice, but not my thing. I'd rather cash some more money and get an HDD model, with all the extra possibilities for accessories and stuff.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
liquidsoapdispenser
Posted 3:41 PM 3/4/08
I can't help but wonder if these tiny HD cameras are similar to the 14 megapixel compacts... The specs entice consumers, yet the actual image quality fails miserably when compared to lower-res cameras. I can't say that's the case with this camera, but that's my guess.
liquidsoapdispenser
craig
Posted 3:27 PM 3/4/08
I refuse to buy anything that relies on a variant of Memory Stick.
craig
JPQsat
Posted 3:22 PM 3/4/08
What another MemoryStick format??!!?? Hey, Sony, you make really great products and all, but why the hell are you ''sticking'' with proprietary memory card format that piss everyone.
If you think it's more profitable, you are so wrong, myself and a lot of people i know are not buying some Sony products for the only reason that it does not work with SD cards.
No Mylo2 for me, no ericson phone, no digital camera and no handycam for me, but thank god for the PS3 universal card reader.
JPQsat
EaGle1337
Posted 3:15 PM 3/4/08
sweet. can anyone cough up $1,500 for me?
EaGle1337
adkitchen
Posted 3:13 PM 3/4/08
Voyeurism in HD!
adkitchen
daftrok
Posted 3:05 PM 3/4/08
WHOO 1080p!
daftrok
flame500
Posted 4:48 PM 3/4/08
This looks nice but latelyy the memorystick format has become so convoluted and annoying.
MS --> MS magic gate --> MSpro --> MSduo --> MSduo MK2?!
It seems sony just wont let go of this nearly defunct format that every day looks more and more like an SD card.
flame500
J.T.
Posted 4:35 PM 3/4/08
Quick, Giz, review this damn thing for me. I haven't purchased a new video camera in years, and really didn't even consider using one until a friend of mine showed me the quality of video she got out of a newly-purchased HD Sony camera she just got. Our friend's wedding up on my 1080p HDTV looked amazing, and now I'm suddenly in the market... as soon as they slim down to sizes like this!
J.T.
cyborgtroy
Posted 4:22 PM 3/4/08
Gizmodo, I think you understand that all of your posts are going to be very underwhelming for a while, at least for me.
Ever since the LED post, I will simply be unable to think of electronics on their own as exciting for a while.
cyborgtroy
ekoshyun
Posted 6:31 PM 3/4/08
Goddamn Memory Stick. Can't they get it through thier heads no one likes the stupid things?
ekoshyun
KuroiNaito
Posted 11:07 PM 3/4/08
wait.....I thought it was the worlds smallest 1080i camcorder not 1080p....
KuroiNaito
phi
Posted 12:42 AM 4/4/08
What I wanna know is: 1) What kind of compression is it using? 2)Battery Life? 3)How does it do in low light?
phi
pedrolito
Posted 1:22 AM 4/4/08
Every one can take a deep breath and relaxe, MS Mark II is not a new format, it's only a faster memory stick.
pedrolito
DaOtter
Posted 1:22 AM 4/4/08
@flame500: You mean like Betamax, mini-disk, and Blu-ray (yes, I know BR won, even though it was inferior as a medium)? Sony has a history of proprietary formats that piss the world off and cost everyone more money.
DaOtter
jetexas
Posted 1:21 AM 4/4/08
@phi: It's using AVCHD compression, which is what you'll also find in Canon and Panasonic flash camcorders. However, Sony has crippled Vegas Pro, so it only reads Sony's AVCHD, which really pissed me off when I got my Canon HF100 this week.
Sony needs to ditch the Memory stick and get with SDHC like everyone else, and if someone's going to pay over $500 for a software editing program that can do native AVCHD, I think Sony should be decent enough to make it support Panasonic and Canon AVCHD as well.
jetexas
frigg
Posted 1:02 AM 4/4/08
It's like a pimped-out Flip: an upscale version of a lowscale product.
frigg
powerball
Posted 1:50 AM 4/4/08
Quit whinning about memory stick you babies. Look at SD there are like10 kinds of SD variants out there. I've read that less than 1 percent of consumers share memory between devices on a regular basis. Cards are cheap, Sony never had the firmware issues that SD devices had, and since their aren't no crappy manufacturers making the cards you have much less chance of memory corruption. If you don't like Sony move on, and don't thank them for dropping millions on developing such cool gadgets. I'm sure they are going to miss you.
powerball
zarchitect
Posted 1:49 AM 4/4/08
4MP camera? I don't get it... Just create an ALL IN ONE already for crying out loud! Why do we need 2 gadgets when traveling when one should suffice? I don't care about memory sticks - just give me a product that delivers everything AV. Love the 5.1 audio. TZ5 is low on sound, decent on video, great on photo - @ 1/3 the cost... Unless you're in the pr()n industry, most people will need photo more than vid in their lives. The few 5 minute shots can't justify the need for a $900 iFLIP. Am curious about light-conditions - guessing it's good.
zarchitect
Lester56
Posted 1:29 AM 4/4/08
I was very excited until I read the memory stick format. I have no room for more memory formats. Sorry Sony.
Lester56
jetexas
Posted 2:40 AM 4/4/08
@powerball: Yes, there are three SD size variants, but they all slide into adapters to fit standard SD slots.
Between my jump/drive adapter, my MP3 player for jogging, my digital camera and my video camera, I easily have 10 SDs cards that I swap back and forth between them all. It's convenient, and they're cheap. I've never had any problem with SD or SDHC. In May, we'll have 32GB cards available. Why Sony won't give up on Memory Stick and get with the standard, I don't know ... but I won't buy Sony.
jetexas
CrownSeven
Posted 4:43 PM 3/4/08
Forget this thing and get yourself a Canon TX-1. Its a 7 mp camera that does 1080i hd video, uses sd media, and oh its under 400 dollars right now.
And I'm pretty sure its smaller than the sony.
CrownSeven
Worf
Posted 3:11 AM 4/4/08
Is it real 1080p? Considering Sony's other camcorders have "Full HD" on them, but they really only do 1080i. And some do a really bastardized 1080i at that (1440x1080 or somesuch - 4:3).
The sensor may be 1080p, but if the camcorder only records at 1080i... (which you need a 1080p sensor to capture, and a 1080p TV to view).
Worf
IANBlock
Posted 3:50 PM 3/4/08
why would a potentially awesome camera short sell itself with a memstick? Sometimes I wish I was CEO...
IANBlock
OmBass
Posted 11:05 AM 4/4/08
I agreee, would like to know if it is truly 1080P. Saw another article claiming it to be 1080i (maybe from Engadget).
Also agree with the WTF re: memory stick. Ditch that shite!!
And what sorta size are these video files going to be? 1080P on a memory stick makes me think WAAAAAAY freaking compressed :-(
Hope not cuz seems cool otherwise :-)
OmBass
darex
Posted 2:13 PM 4/4/08
Sanyo Xacti FTW (SDHC, 6MP, smaller) and that's the for the cheapest model!
darex
alvag20
Posted 4:30 AM 5/4/08
Owned the Sanyo Xacti for about 10 days. The image quality left much to be desired. Lets hope this is not the case with this sony.
alvag20
JimboDunky
Posted 7:45 AM 4/4/08
There are MemoryStick adapters out there. I have the Panasonic HDC-SD5 and regularly put my SDHC card in the SD card slot on my PS3 and AVCHD files play perfectly. Sony and Panasonic co-developed the AVCHD standard.
AVCHD prosumer camcorders are horrible indoors and aren't yet there when it comes to capturing fast moving subjects. I'm an early adopter mostly due the fact that the only moving part in my camcorder is the automated lens shield and dumping AVCHD files to regular DVD's yields them playable on any Blu-ray player.
JimboDunky