Customer Reviews

Sony HDR-TG1 4MP High Definition Handycam Camcorder with 10x Optical Super Steady Shot Zoom (4GB Memory Stick Included)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have this camera and a Canon HF10 so I'm going to lift some of the AVCHD-specific stuff from my HF10 review.

I bought the HF10 for it's super-fast focus when shooting my kids' sporting events. I bought the TG1 for it's superior portability. I'm happy to say both are awesome cameras. One big negative for the Sony camera is that 16gb of memory (Memory Stick Pro Duo Mark 2) costs 2.5 times as much for this camera as it does for the HF10 which uses SDHC. That's a complete rip off but no other HD video camera fits in your pocket like this one so that's the price you pay for portability. Battery life is another price you pay but I got every video I wanted, in great quality, from the beach this past weekend and had plenty of battery and memory to spare. If you're going to film long events this is not the camera for you. In still camera terminology think of it as pocket point-and-shoot and not an SLR.

This is a fantastic camera but people need to have more realistic expectations of what to expect from AVCHD. It is a highly compressed format so using this camera in low-light conditions is going to produce pretty "grainy" results. In good lighting AVCHD output from this camera can produce some really great looking results in HD but don't kid yourself into thinking you're going to get professional HDTV quality. This is a point-and-shoot.

This is a great camera if you use a Mac but you will probably find it very frustrating if you use a PC...

I use both Macs and PC and I have to tell you that you that PCs suck for AVCHD - you will waste a lot of time and pull your hair out. I'm sure PC video software vendors will address this eventually, but seriously folks if you want to do this the easy way get an Intel-based Mac (caveat: only Intel based machines using Leopard support AVCHD) and use either iMovie or Final Cut Express 4. Both of these programs (iMovie 08 and FCE4) just LOVE this camera (and Canon HF10 and hard disk-based Sony AVCHD as well) and they work like a charm. Video making has never been this easy. FCE4 lets you mix AVHCD, HDV and SD video on the same timeline and save in whatever format you want so it's worth the $200 if you want to do that or have more exacting control over your videos. It is basically a (lightly) stripped-down version of Apple's excellent professional video software (Final Cut Pro) and it is very good. For most home videos iMovie 08 (which comes in iLife 08) will be just fine. No, better than fine. You will LOVE how easy it is to create great movies with iMovie 08 and how easy it is to save them in a variety of formats and sizes and share them with friends and family. It is a piece of cake to edit movies in iMovie 08 and then put them on a Mac Web Gallery (at up to 960x540 which is higher than DVD quality) for family members to see or dump them out on a DVD (using iLife 08's iDVD) for your family members who are less tech savvy. You can even dump them out to 1080p Quicktime movies if you desire. I enjoy sticking movies of the kids on my wife's iPhone so she can show them to her friends.

I've had no problem transferring the movies directly from the camera but you do need to have the camera plugged into the AC to do it. You can avoid plugging the camera into your Mac to transfer the files by getting a memory stick reader. You can get a Transcend M5 reader here on Amazon for under $10 and it works great with the Memory Stick Duo Mark2 cards.

The video camera is just acting like a USB reader when you connect it to your Mac anyway - it is the file layouts that the software recognizes. When read in and converted to Apple Intermediate Codec at 1920x1080 they will balloon in size. If you want to store the raw video in a more compressed way you can simply copy the root directory of the card to another directory and copy it back again later. If you're working with AVCHD you need to buy the biggest hard drives you can afford. 60 minutes of video will use up something like 50Gb of storage on your Mac when converted to 1920x1080. If you just want great looking home video to show on your HDTV, but don't want to go broke on hard drives, Apple offers to import the movies at a slightly lower resolution (960x540) which takes up a LOT less space with very little drop in quality. I have been making home videos and showing them on an Apple TV at that resolution and they look stunning. The quality difference between that resolution and full HD isn't that big of a deal.

If you want to try to get truly professional-quality video you should avoid AVCHD cameras and stick to the HDV format concentrating on cameras with larger sensors. But this is great camera for HD home videos at a great price.

The user interface on this camera is better than the Canon HDF10 for reviewing your video but sucks for adjustments on the fly. Adjusting exposure manually is a pain in the butt and the UI for it obscures a lot of the picture. I wish they had added a dial or button set for adjust exposure and/or backlighting control on the camera. In bright light the screen gets washed out enough that it is hard to tell if your exposure is really that great or not but I did find a neat trick. In bright sunlight the screen is easier to see if you tilt it at an angle forward rather than trying to keep it straight up and down. This is where a viewfinder would really help. But these are minor nits because the camera does a good job at exposure control on its own.

Still photos absolutely suck on this camera. Get a proper still camera if you care about stills. This is true of all of the video cameras - don't count on them taking decent stills unless you want to use them at very low resolutions. They're going to be better than the camera on your mobile phone but that's not saying much :)

As I said earlier this is a very compact point-and-shoot camera that shoots HD video and for that it's excellent. The beautiful thing about this camera is that it fits comfortably in your pocket. No other HD video camera out yet (as of 28-May-2008) can make that claim. For that reason you'll probably take it with you more often and pull it out for a quick video here and there. To me that makes it worth the price of the expensive memory cards because your memories are priceless - especially of your kids growing up.

Other reviews have fairly described the pros and cons of the TG1. I own a Canon HV20 for "tripod events" - nothing beats HDV for image quality and low-light performance, and I always use a quality Senneheiser wireless mike for subjects greater than 10 feet away. But there are too many moments in life - of one's kids, mostly - that are over by the time you go get the beast, make sure there's room on the tape and juice in the battery. These are what the TG1 was designed for - it's your second camera, for the moments that normally get away.

I think the design and execution of the TG1 are brilliant. The IS and face detection work very well. Yes, I would have loved a mike input and an exposure button. But my guess is that Sony made these decisions of omission very carefully. If you have been waiting for a decent-quality shirt-pocket HD camcorder - as I have been ever since flash-memory models hit the market - didn't you expect to pay four figures for the early-adopters' privilege? Just think about it - this machine is roughly 30% smaller than its nearest competition, and Sony brought the price point for such exquisite miniaturization down to a level competitive with the other premium flash-memory camcorders. Every extra button or dial would have driven up the price of the unit. Design simplicity may have been a motivator as well - the camera's native point-and-shoot capability is just fine for about 75% of the moments most of us are trying to capture, and more buttons would make the unit a bit more geeky.

BTW, I have not had any trouble importing and manipulating AVCHD on my Lenovo T61 Thinkpad. The video editor is certainly meager - one can divide and trim the videos, and that's about it. But the DVD-AVCHD burning utility is fantastic. I had about twenty minutes of video from my first week with the camera. It took about 15 minutes to burn them onto a 25-cent DVD-R, and watch it on my Blu-Ray player (BDP-S350), and the daylight images were beautiful and sharp, even on a big screen.

From shooting my kids for the past week indoors and out, I have one other thought about the TG1's low-light drawbacks - they are more than outweighed by what I call 'form-factor-comfort'. It's not just the delay in getting out my big HDV unit that lets those little moments get away - the size of the tape units is inherently conspicuous and inhibiting, and my kids become self-conscious. The TG1 is roughly the size of my iPod, and its small size makes it much less intrusive in real-time. The little goofy moments when my 15, 13, and 8 year old kids all act like they're three years old are not perturbed by the TG1. This kid-comfort factor is of inestimable importance, in my opinion.

There might be two diametrically opposite subsets of first-time buyers who might consider this unit as their primary camcorder. First are tech-savvy young parents who are aware of the camera's limitations, but want to be able to grab a video with one hand while holding their baby with the other. The second would be techno-challenged people who happen to already own a blu-ray player (this may, admittedly, be a very small group).

Is there an early-adoption penalty? There is, always. Future cameras will be incrementally smaller, or slightly better in low light. But you only want an LCD so small, and the most critical limiter of low-light ability is the light-gathering ability - namely the size - of the lens. So until there is some great new video codec or a new chip technology, low-light performance won't be improved significantly without having a thicker unit. The most realistic expectation one might realize by waiting is having true 1080p resolution. But my kids get older, and less goofy, every day - 'damn good' now trumps 'even better' a year from now.

So do your research, read all the subjective and technical reviews you can, and remember the compromises inherent in the very smallness you seek. You won't find the best image quality and low-light performance unless you go HDV. But for a great second camera, you won't go wrong with the TG1.

I recently bought the TG1 and Sanyo HD1010 and posted a comparison clip on Vimeo.com

Overall, I found the image stabilization to be very good, but the video had muted colors and looked less detailed than that from the Sanyo.

Here are some things I really liked about the camera:
-built in lens cap
-slightly smaller size than Sanyo HD1010
-high quality metal body (titanium)
-matching case (extra cost)
-5.1 audio recording
-memory card plays directly on PS3

Here are thing I didn't like:
-Memory sticks are very expensive compared to SD cards, I found around 4x the cost
-The battery life is rather short, only around 45 minutes (vs 120 min).
-AVCHD are difficult to edit, can not be easily uploaded to Vimeo or Youtube without first editing on the computer. Sanyo's MP4 files can be uploaded directly.
-No in camera editing ability, can not even join or cut parts of clips
-Not able to record at 1080p
-No external mic or headphone jack
-Touchscreen has small buttons
-The menu structure is confusing
-No printed manual / comes on CD, I couldn't even find it online. My Macbook Air has no CD drive.
-It sometimes does not save the setting changes if allowed to power down on it's own. You have to press the power button after you are done making setting changes.
-No remote control included. Makes it difficult to watch clips on the TV unless you have a Sony Bravia TV which can control the camera.
-HDMI cable not included. It uses a mini HDMI cable as well.
-HDMI port is not on docking station, Mini HDMI on camera, so you have to plug it in every time instead of just docking it.
-No ability to change volume while playing a video on the camera. You have to exit out and go into a menu to adjust the playback volume.
-Playback screen only shows three thumbnails at a time, I couldn't figure out how to show many thumbnails at once.

Overall video capability of the TG1 is pretty good
The most appealing and useful feature is the ultra portability.
Also the startup time is very short. With the compact size, fast startup
time and easy to use design you will end up using this camera at many places/occasions and more often than the bulky ones.

Once you start recording video you'll be stunned by how pictures are wonderfully shown on its little LCD. The picture quality though not as good as professional 1080 videos but very good for the camera of this size. I had earlier tried Sony CX7. The quality is lot better than CX7.

Low light picture is horrible - very grainy and lot's of noise, worse than SD tape cameras. But this something you have accept with such a tiny camcorder.

Can you believe - there is no remote control. You have sit next to you TV browsing through and selecting your video and pictures unless you want to play all of them in the sequence they are and without fast forwarding.
All camcorders had remote control. I wonder why not TG1. Perhaps it's because of the compact size.

The good news is the TG1 overcomes something that many competitors, Sanyo included, are failing at. Image Stabilization (IS) is amazingly stunning and precise whether or not you are Zooming. As far as Auto Focus (AF) is concerned, the TG1 doesn't overkill but offers good performance particularly in Macro Mode which, like the IS, is astonishingly impressive.

Plus:
Very Compact and Stylish
Fast start up time , very easy to use
Good video
Good AF even in Low Light
Great IS

Minus:
Grainy pictures, noise in low light
No remote control
Poor Photo Mode
Needs Sony proprietary Software to edit video on your PC

I bought this a week ago, and the best thing about the HDR-TG1 is the size and shape, they fit in my front pocket and I can take it any where I go. The reason I bought this camera was for its size and portablity and HD and it perfectly matches my requirement al though I was thinking I could use this for all purposes including still images but the still images are not good.

Pros:
Size, and Shape
Great user interface both the front buttons as well as the on screen
Great Video footage but not as good as u see on HD TV broad casts
Great charging and connecting to the computer, u dont need to charge battery seperately hence its always ready to use

Cons:
Bad still images, horrible in low light condition
Sony should have supplied the HDMI cable, and the compnent cable they applied is too small, and I had to buy an extender switch to connect to my 65inches TV
The provided software is useless, its so difficult to even trim video, u can as well throw it away, al though there are not much choice for the AVCHD format. I tried convert the Video in mpeg but it does not play on quick time or Windows Media player, I think I may be missing a codec, but it has no way to save on standard codec, hence I cannot put videos on web as mpeg.

The TG1 is Sony's attempt at producing a premium quality ultra-compact camcorder. They touted it as the world's smallest full HD camcorder and yes the thing is very slim, and pretty much pocketable in a coat pocket. Much of the body is titanium metal with some kind of coating to help resist scratches. This is a camcorder that you could comfortably carry with you everywhere you go, which makes it a great choice as a secondary camcorder. It's great for the person who wants to travel as light as possible. I'm not going to write a verbose review describing every feature, because frankly, you can read much of what you need to know about its features, specs, in the marketing description above. Rather I'll just focus on the essentials of what I think of it as a user. I'm still experimenting with it so I will keep this review up to date if I discover anything new.

- Build: This thing feels solid and substantial. From what I gather, the body is basically all metal, mostly high-tech titanium alloy to save weight, and everything about it feels high quality. Easily meets my expectations for the price.

- Accessories: the package includes a docking bay so you can charge and transfer files from the camcorder without fiddling with cables. If you don't want to use the dock, it also includes a special cable that plugs into the dock connector which allows you to plug in a USB cable to transfer files. It includes brick charger that plugs into the camcorder or docking bay. You do not get any sort of case, nor does it include a remote (none is available). It's also missing an HDMI to mini-HDMI cable if you want to view your videos on your HDTV (note: there are some inexpensive online sources for this....you don't have to buy a $50-75 cable that your local big box store might be charging you). You get a 4GB memory stick which gives you around 30 minutes of video at highest quality, but of course if you lower the quality and resolution setting, you can get a lot more recording capacity. For my precious memories, I always kept it at the maximum quality setting. I recommend buying a 16GB memory stick for about $80 (as of early 2009) which gives you 2 hours of full quality recording which was enough for me to capture my one week vacation.

- Software: I don't have anything to report on this because I didn't even install it. People say it doesn't do much for editing so I've been looking at using other software to transfer and edit my videos. More on this later. You don't really need to install this if you have other editing software.

- Quality: if there is good light (e.g. daytime, outdoors). The quality is very good at the high quality setting. Being HD, the scenes are chockfull of detail that are lost on lesser non-HD camcorders. There is a small degree of graininess but nothing objectionable unless your reference is much bigger camcorder. However, the picture quality falls apart when the light level falls. It becomes very grainy and the focussing is slow and gets confused often. When I took the camcorder on side theme park rides that went into some dark areas, the camera lost focus fairly easily and seemed to "search and hunt" a lot and very slowly regain focus. The 10X lens is decent enough to capture a lot of detail, more than average for this size class. It's not particularly wide-angle (starts at 43mm) but it's about the same as others. The still picture is 4 megapixels which seems like it could be good enough on paper, but I suggest that any $150 point and shoot still camera will still take better pictures than this camcorder so. I think it is worth carrying around a real still digital camera rather than relying on the TG1 for still pictures for your precious vacation shots. The stabilization is decent, as good as my last two camcorders in that respect, so no complaints there.

- Battery: the real-time charge indicator indicates around 60 minutes of recording but in reality you'll get much less if you start/stop/shutdown your camcorder repeatedly. I'd estimate more like 30-40 minutes if you have that usage pattern. So you really want to have an extra battery with you if you plan to go all day recording on your vacation. The camcorder goes into "standby/quick start" mode every time for about 10 minutes when you first shut the LCD panel, and then finally shuts down completely after that. That could contribute to the diminished battery life if you film in short bursts over the day.

- Ease of use. The touch screen operation isn't that complicated to use if you are the type to not read the manual and you plan to use it in "fully automatic" mode most of the time. There were a few things I needed to consult the manual for, like how to get it into the "Fireworks" mode (which by the way, you'll want to use this mode because it locks the camera into long focus so the fireworks don't go out of focus and sets up a better exposure). I also had to look up how to get the camera hooked up to transfer the files (use the dock, flip on the display, press USB connection button on the screen). I scratched my head a little bit to figure out how to delete multiple clips at the same time but after playing with it, I figured it out by trial and error. I think this camera is about average in difficulty to use compared to every other camcorder I've used, no big surprises here.

Case: I like the optional LCM-TGA case which is made of leather, has a belt loop (but is a bit small so you need to use a narrow thin belt). The case is custom sized to fit the camcorder perfectly. I used it exclusively on my belt and I was able to draw the camera very quickly due to the magnetic clasp on the flap. If it's still in standby mode, you can be filming is a few seconds.

Software: As I said, I never installed the software, but I have a Apple Mac with iMovie 08, and I decided to buy Sony Vegas Platinum 09 ($85) for my PC with Vista to try as well. The issue with this camcorder and a lot of others is that they record in AVCHD format, which isn't handled by a lot of older editing software, even pretty recent versions of Adobe Premiere for example. The Mac OS/iMovie 08 recognizes the camera natively, but for some reason, when I rendered the movie to my hard disk, there was a lot of jaggies in the resulting movie using either Quicktime H.264 or MP4 movie codec at 1920x1080 settings even at high bitrate, but it looked good for generating DVD quality movies. When you import the movies on iMovie and opt to import them as full HD resolution, it eats up your hard disk space very quickly (2 hours ate up 100GB I think) because it converts them to Apple Intermediary format. I might upgrade to iMovie 09 to see if it works better. It was also very slow in generating even short movies so I also decided to give Sony Vegas 09 Platinum a try. I figured that Sony software would work well with Sony AVCHD files. Sony Vegas is a much more complicated and feature laden piece of software, which is fine, but it also keeps crashing on my project whenever I generate the movies. Why oh why does all this have to be so difficult? I'll report back if I discover more.

Some other thoughts:

Not being able to attach auxiliary lenses is unfortunate. I would have liked a wide angle lens option. Also there is no hot-shoe so you can't attach lights, or external mics. Too bad....it really limits this camcorder for just casual use.

So all-in-all, I'm pleased with this camera. My main points you should take away are:
- Slow focusing and below average low-light performance.
- Battery life could be better.
- Good daytime performance, and excellent build quality
- I still haven't found a good AVCHD software package to let me edit/generate movies easily and reliably. Still looking.

Edit:

I upgraded to Windows 7 with a new i7 CPU computer and the OS now plays these files like a champ. With the latest version of Premiere Elements, I can edit the files fine as well. AVCHD was just a bit too advanced but now mainstream computers can play and edit these files properly now

December 2008
I am writing this preliminary review after I saw all the negative ones here on Amazon. I am amazed on how people can differ so greatly on the exact same item. I think the negatives here are not fair for this nice little marvel of technology.

I bought this camera here on Amazon and have been playing with for about a week now. Let me start by saying that I take more video now than ever before, the key here is the size of the camera. I am an avid photographer & videographer and I usually go for high end equipment which also means large, heavy and complex controls. I already own 2 other Sony HD camcorders and I was looking for something I can keep in my pocket for those unexpected and spontaneous moments with the kids.

Let me tell you this is the perfect little camera for that purpose. If you are looking for a high end HD then you are looking at the wrong camera. Nothing on the market at this point will be comparable to the full size cameras and offer the size advantage of this little gem.

Now having said that, this statement applies to any camera that size, and that is true. However at this point there is only one other worthy competitor on the market and that is the Sanyo Xacti HD1010. I did very careful research for 3 weeks before I made my decision, I love Sanyo and had many good products by them. But there was one deal killer for me with the HD1010 and that was image stabilization. It is just terrible, really it should have went back to the design board. Shaky images is the Achilles heal of video. The Sony image stabilization on the other had is very impressive, Sony uses optical system vs. Sanyo which is electronic.

This Sony is not without criticism either, it records in AVCHD format which is really a pain in the butt to edit on windows or even to view right out of the camera. You must convert the file first to something Windows can understand, and unless you like to tinker with that stuff this becomes a headache. Windows just cannot handle AVCHD file without some conversion first.

You can use Sony Vegas, Pinnacle Studio 12 and a few other on the market and you must have a newer computer with lots of horsepower to keep up with this format. For Macs, all the newer Mac/Intel machines can handle AVCHD, older ones need some software additions. This is a limitation of all AVCHD at this point, so not unique to this camera. Sony, Canon, JVC and Panasonic all moved to this format now. The only way to avoid it at this point is to use tape based camcorders using HDV.

This Sony has fair low light performance compared to the full size HD cams, but the way I look at it is this, I have the fair image now to look at, when I had nothing before because I never carried the bigger camcorder everywhere. The kids have fun instantly watching to footage on the camera screen & I caught priceless moments that I would have otherwise never had. Not to mention that I can download the files in seconds on to hard drive and I view & edit using Sony Vegas, the freebie software that Sony send with the camera is lacking. If you own a PlayStation (PS3) you're in luck, you can view the video directly from the memory card or you can dump it on a regular DVD and view it in HD on the PS3.

If you want the ultimate video quality, then tape is still the way to go today using HDV. Even the top of the line AVCHD today the Sony HDR-SR12 is not capable of delivering the quality of the HDV & tape like Sony HDR-HC9. So it is all a matter of perspective.

The digital photo function on the TG1 is average, only 4mp, consider this part a bonus feature. If you are looking for a real high quality digital camera, the HDR-TG1 is not going to provide it for you.

The Sanyo on other hand uses an easier file format that works with most existing software and is readily recognized by Windows. That could be a big advantage for someone who has no interest in dealing with editing and software ..etc. To me that was never an issue though, I already do a lot of editing with my other HDV footage. Another plus for me was the compatibility of batteries, chargers & other accessories from the other Sonys I already own. I just could not deal with the very visible jittery video that the Sanyo produced.

All in all, I think this is an excellent buy, not perfect but I now have the memories when before I did not, how much is that worth? I don't think the kids will complain much when they grow up that the video was not shot on the top of the line camera of it's time !!

If you are buying this camera, it is strictly for the size and portability,and it does make a big difference between getting it on video or nothing at all. If this the only video camera you plan on buying then I recommend the HDR-SR12 if you don't mind the size. This HDR-TG1 on the other hand is truly a joy to hold and play with. It is very well made has a lot of heft to it, and feels solid.

What I like:
1. Size: extremely portable, shirt pocket size & can take it everywhere.
2. HD video: smallest on the market, very high quality in good light.
3. Exquisite finish & attention to details and truly a joy to hold.
4. Very fast video file transfer from card to computer.
5. Has tripod thread at bottom.
6. Superb optics with Carl Zeiss lens.
7. True 5.1 sound, very impressive audio in optimal conditions.

What I don't like:
1. Mediocre low light performance.
2. Sound recording poor in windy conditions.
3. AVCHD format hard to edit.
4. Photo function not impressive.
5. Battery life somewhat short (less than 1 hour record, 2 hour playback)
6. Accepts only 1 size battery NP-FH50 nothing bigger (must fit inside cam)
7. Cannot stand on bottom (has rounded finish)
8. No NightShot function like all other Sony videocams.
9. No camera case provided by Sony! (They'll sell you one for $39 !!)

I've tried out a number of high definition camcorders in the last few years and so far this is my favorite, even compared to bigger, more robust models. That's not to say that the HDR-TG1 isn't full featured. It is. It's also one of the most elegant and easy-to-use HD camcorders on the market today. Admittedly, I like Sony products a great deal but they've raised the bar here and the HDR-TG1 looks good, feels great, and produces video of such startling clarity that it can take your breath away.

Here's how the HDR-TG1 breaks down:

PROS:

- Insanely high resolution 1920x1080i video that's super sharp.
- Audio picked from the top mounted mike is clear and loud. I was worried this was going to be the weak point of the design, but the sound is tremendous and can even focus on specific targets when using face recognition mode.
- The titanium body makes it light and doesn't dimple, which is what I was worried about when it's in my pocket for long periods of time. Since it's brushed, no fingerprints ever appear. Very slick.
- Fast startup. I can take it out of my pocket and start recording in 4-5 seconds if it's not in standby and in 1-2 seconds if it is. Never miss a shot again.
- Very well designed menus usable by touch screen. Auto-scene indexing is excellent and the options for most features are quickly found.
- LCD is amazingly sharp and bright, even outside.
- Zoom control is about the most ergonomic I've seen on a camera, though I've found it's also easy to forget which direction to go in.
- One handed operation for all major features while recording.
- The automated lens cap is extremely handy and tries hard to keep the lens covered at all times except when actually recording.
- Battery life is good, if not stellar. Have not run out of power yet, but you'll need to be good about keeping it on the charging stand.
- Nice heft and just about perfect size. Fits easily in a coat or pants pocket. This thing is slightly smaller than it even looks in the pictures.
- The steadyshot makes a big difference in video quality compared to other compact HD camcorders. I've tried a number of other compact camcorders and with the resolution of HD, image stabilization is a must. The HDR-TG1's steadyshot may not be the very best but it produces very decent results compared to other camcorders in the same category.

CONS

- The AVCHD format that the camera uses is not the most well supported HD video format out there. Many editing applications and video upload sites will not like the *.MTS files that the HDR-TG1 outputs. iMovie on the Mac is about the best for handling them though there are others. Bottom line: You will have to get used to some post processing of the files to use them elsewhere.
- The joint mount of the LCD display seems to be a design weak spot in an otherwise incredibly well built device. I'm having no problems right now but I can see how this might wear out in a year or two of regular use. I bought the extra warranty so I'm hoping Sony will just give me a new camcorder if this breaks.
- No audio input jack. Although it doesn't really seem to need it, but it's always a nice feature to have on a camcorder. But it would also make this little gem seem a little uglier.
- The still photos the HDR-TG1 takes are the typically awful ones you get from a camcorder CCD. No surprise here but it's definitely a downside; for good stills you'll still need to pack a dedicated digital camera.
- Connecting to USB on this device requires a special dongle or the base station. Not very convenient IMHO but they've tried very hard to make this iPod-like in terms of utter simplicity and understated elegance, meaning that there's really not much room to stick an ugly USB port on the body of this device without ruining the design. There is a dock connector at the bottom that turns into the USB port with dongle or dock (both included with the device.)
- Low light performance is not the strong point of this camcorder. The lens is just too small to gather enough light. That being said, its BIONZ processor does well compared to other compact HD cams. I just pack a portable light, though I wish the HDR-TG1's built-in flash was really a video light source since the still photo function isn't worth much anyway. Note: Well lit interiors record just fine, but candlelight and a little bit brighter do not come out as well.

All in all, the HDR-TG1 has become my new favorite camcorder since the size and features are just right and I end up having it with me for all occasions. I'd buy this again in a heartbeat and I'm using it almost every day now. Finally a compact HD camcorder with just about zero compromises.

I just picked this camera up and found the video to be very good. I'm running an XP machine and I'm able to upload the video and play it fine. I've heard folks say you need a fast and powerful machine to run the huge files but I have not had any problems with that. I already figured the video quality wouldn't be as good as other products out there buy my opinion is what good is better quality if you don't have the camera with ya? This puppy will fit in your front pocket.
The image stabilization and zoom are great. It focuses very well on moving objects and clarity is good. Digital picture quality is useless with this camera. One other big negative is Sony doesn't ship you the HDMI to MINI HDMI cable so you have to go find one. These are not cheap. If you go to best buy expect to pay $75 min. If you want to play HD from the camera to you HD plasma you'll need this cable or a converter.
They are not easy to find either.
Low light video seems to be ok and better than other products I've tried.
In general it's the smallest solution with good video I can find.

Pros: small, portable, easy to use, slick touch screen, compressed video formats look great (1080 in AVCHD and 720p in MPG format), 'Steady Shot' noticibly improves video, nice zoom and the still shots aren't half bad (has a tiny built in flash!), and *true* 5.1 surround! (5.1 or just stereo, your choice).

Cons: Not great in low light (including stills), battery time could be longer (I purchased a quick charging unit and another battery), memory is expensive (1/3 more than the average flash stick of comparable size), no mic input (windy days will kill audio).

WARNING: Do not expect ease of use with AVCHD format and MAC (long conversions given that you have the right software). However, with an upgrade to my Sony Vegas software on my PC, I am able to natively edit Sony's AVCHD format, and 5.1 surround. You can edit the SD format (720p MPEG) on a MAC.