Sony of Canada recently revealed its newest HD camcorder, the HDR-TG1 at the Sony Store in Yorkdale Mall, Toronto, ON.
The Handycam is being billed the world's smallest full HD camcorder (1,920 x 1080). A believable claim given its diminutive dimensions of 32x119x63mm (WxHxD) and weight of 300g with the battery in.
Marketing Manager, Camcorders and Digital Imaging Peripherals for Sony of Canada Mia Ozawa stressed that in keeping the dimensions down though, the HDR-TG1 doesn't sacrifice imaging quality of a full feature set. The face of the Handycam is mimalistic; key functions like zoom (10x optical) and switching between still and video capture (the camcorder also captures up to 4MP stills) is looked after by a small dial that sits where the user's thumb falls. It has a satisfying and intuitive feel. Other functions are mapped to the touchscreen, a feature that will be seen in all Sony HD camcorders in 2008. Another unique and welcome feature is instant-on. Rather than flipping switches, twisting dials or pressing buttons, opening the 2.7-inch LCD viewscreen instantly turns the camera on. It is ready to capture full HD video near instantly.
Thanks to its diminutive size, the HDR-TG1 has an optional leather case (TGA Case, sold seperately) that can realistically be worn on your hip using the belt loop. It looks something like an oversized cellphone pouch. Perhaps not the most fashionable statement but a heck of a lot more attractive than the tourist’s dangling camcorder necklace approach.
The shell of the HDR-TG1 is made of pure titanium which offers a scratch-resistant and attractive finish while keeping the weight down.
Included is a 4GB MemoryStick ProDuo that would retail for about $80. With the included memory card, users can capture up to 30min of high-def, highest quality video. Dialing the quality back to HD LP mode offers a more usable 1.5hr. With the recently released 16GB MemoryStick ProDuo card ($329, sold separately) users can capture 110min at best quality and up to nearly six hours of HD video at LP.
At the launch event, Ozawa highlighted three key features for the Handycam HDR-TG1:
Face detection: In both still camera and video mode, the Handycam focuses on human faces in the shot and “adjusts to make the human face most beautiful,” she says. Video demos highlighting the effect were quite impressive. By covering part of the face of a mannequin before the video rolled, the scene was somewhat dark and the skin tones unnatural. Removing the covering and revealing the mannequin’s eyes, the scene slowly changed as values were adjusted to best expose the scene for the face. The result wasn't jarring and once the gradual change was completed, the video showed a much more pleasing scene and a much more flattering shot. A similar demo for focus showed similar results though here the effect was near instantaneous.
x.v Colour Technology: The HDR-TG1 has a colour range that is nearly twice that of standard RGB (1.8 times to be exact, Ozawa says). Another demo (on Sony Bravia HDTVs naturally) showed an impressive picture and made the broader colour range apparent in highlight areas of several different still and moving scenes. For example, an arrangement of flowers showed detail items that the standard RGB image lost.
Enhanced sound: 5.1 sound in an HD camcorder isnt new. Using a microphone arrangement to take better advantage of sound to help paint the picture or tell the story isn't new. What is new is a more focused sound that is linked to the camcorder's zoom. A demonstration of video shot at a dragon boat race offered audio from the whole scene – left, right and centre – in the video while taking the wide view. As the camera zoomed in on one particular racing boat, the sound changed and followed the scene, isolating the sound from the boat that was the focal point of the shot. Pulling the zoom out brought sound from the surrounding scene back in to the video.
Ozawa says the HDR-TG1 will be avaialble in Sony Stores and in the usual retailing suspects in early May for $999, including a 4GB MemoryStick ProDuo memory card.
The Handycam is being billed the world's smallest full HD camcorder (1,920 x 1080). A believable claim given its diminutive dimensions of 32x119x63mm (WxHxD) and weight of 300g with the battery in.
Marketing Manager, Camcorders and Digital Imaging Peripherals for Sony of Canada Mia Ozawa stressed that in keeping the dimensions down though, the HDR-TG1 doesn't sacrifice imaging quality of a full feature set. The face of the Handycam is mimalistic; key functions like zoom (10x optical) and switching between still and video capture (the camcorder also captures up to 4MP stills) is looked after by a small dial that sits where the user's thumb falls. It has a satisfying and intuitive feel. Other functions are mapped to the touchscreen, a feature that will be seen in all Sony HD camcorders in 2008. Another unique and welcome feature is instant-on. Rather than flipping switches, twisting dials or pressing buttons, opening the 2.7-inch LCD viewscreen instantly turns the camera on. It is ready to capture full HD video near instantly.
Thanks to its diminutive size, the HDR-TG1 has an optional leather case (TGA Case, sold seperately) that can realistically be worn on your hip using the belt loop. It looks something like an oversized cellphone pouch. Perhaps not the most fashionable statement but a heck of a lot more attractive than the tourist’s dangling camcorder necklace approach.
The shell of the HDR-TG1 is made of pure titanium which offers a scratch-resistant and attractive finish while keeping the weight down.
Included is a 4GB MemoryStick ProDuo that would retail for about $80. With the included memory card, users can capture up to 30min of high-def, highest quality video. Dialing the quality back to HD LP mode offers a more usable 1.5hr. With the recently released 16GB MemoryStick ProDuo card ($329, sold separately) users can capture 110min at best quality and up to nearly six hours of HD video at LP.
At the launch event, Ozawa highlighted three key features for the Handycam HDR-TG1:
Face detection: In both still camera and video mode, the Handycam focuses on human faces in the shot and “adjusts to make the human face most beautiful,” she says. Video demos highlighting the effect were quite impressive. By covering part of the face of a mannequin before the video rolled, the scene was somewhat dark and the skin tones unnatural. Removing the covering and revealing the mannequin’s eyes, the scene slowly changed as values were adjusted to best expose the scene for the face. The result wasn't jarring and once the gradual change was completed, the video showed a much more pleasing scene and a much more flattering shot. A similar demo for focus showed similar results though here the effect was near instantaneous.
x.v Colour Technology: The HDR-TG1 has a colour range that is nearly twice that of standard RGB (1.8 times to be exact, Ozawa says). Another demo (on Sony Bravia HDTVs naturally) showed an impressive picture and made the broader colour range apparent in highlight areas of several different still and moving scenes. For example, an arrangement of flowers showed detail items that the standard RGB image lost.
Enhanced sound: 5.1 sound in an HD camcorder isnt new. Using a microphone arrangement to take better advantage of sound to help paint the picture or tell the story isn't new. What is new is a more focused sound that is linked to the camcorder's zoom. A demonstration of video shot at a dragon boat race offered audio from the whole scene – left, right and centre – in the video while taking the wide view. As the camera zoomed in on one particular racing boat, the sound changed and followed the scene, isolating the sound from the boat that was the focal point of the shot. Pulling the zoom out brought sound from the surrounding scene back in to the video.
Ozawa says the HDR-TG1 will be avaialble in Sony Stores and in the usual retailing suspects in early May for $999, including a 4GB MemoryStick ProDuo memory card.
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