Sony HDR-TG5V

Compression (8.75)

The Sony HDR-TG5V records HD video using AVCHD compression. While AVCHD is the standard codec used for compressing HD video (except for tape-based camcorders), it can still be very difficult to work with on a computer. AVCHD files are large and full of information, so they take a very long time to transfer and process when you bring them from the camcorder to a computer. The files may also playback sluggishly on a weak computer, and the editing process can be frustrating and slow when AVCHD is involved. If you plan on doing lots of editing with your HD video, make sure you have a robust computer that can handle AVCHD.

Much has been said about the fact that Sony tops out with a maximum bitrate of 16Mbps for AVCHD recording. Both Canon and JVC offer 24Mbps recording in their camcorders, while Panasonic tops out at 17Mbps. To be honest, we haven’t noticed too much of a difference between 24Mbps and 16Mbps, but it is possible you’ll get more artifacting when using the lower bitrates to capture lots of motion and detail. Still, we’d like to see Sony bump up its maximum bitrate, just so it can stay competitive with other manufacturers if they really start to take advantage of the 24Mbps setting.

The advantage of the HDR-TG5V over many other AVCHD camcorders is the fact that it offers standard definition recording options. The TG5V has 4 HD video settings and 3 SD settings, so you have a wide range of video qualities to choose from. The standard definition settings use the MPEG-2 codec and create much smaller files than their HD counterparts. The inclusion of SD record modes are great for people who aren’t quite ready to jump whole hog into HD video and still want an option for SD recording. All HD camcorders from Sony include options for standard definition recording, which is something not offered by many manufacturers (Sanyo and Samsung also offer this feature). Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various high definition compression types.

Media (7.61)

The HDR-TG5V includes 16GB of internal flash memory, which is its main upgrade over last year’s HDR-TG1. The 16GB of internal memory is very useful, especially for a compact camcorder like the TG5V. It allows you to simply grab the camcorder and head out the door without having to worry if you’ve packed a memory card or not. Yes, the camcorder does have a Memory Stick PRO Duo card slot, so you can always record to a memory card if you fill up the 16GB of internal memory. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of various media types.

Still Features (9.15)

The Sony HDR-TG5V doesn’t have too many still features, especially when you compare it to some of the impressive photo/video hybrid camcorders that are on the market. The camcorder can take still photos at a maximum resolution of 2304 × 1728, which is just under 4 megapixels. The TG5V’s effective pixel count in still mode is just under 2-megapixels, however, which means its highest native resolution for photos is 1600 × 1200. This is a far cry from the native 9-megapixel capability on the JVC GZ-X900. Even so, our performance testing showed the Sony HDR-TG5V to take decent still photos, despite its minimal specs and features.

The camcorder can capture still photos while recording video, but sizes are limited to 2016 × 1134 (2.3 megapixels) when shooting in HD, and 1512 × 1134 (1.7 megapixels) when shooting standard definition video. These size choices are a bit odd, considering they don’t match the resolution of the recorded video (1920 × 1080 for HD and 640 × 480 for SD). Again, you can only capture photos in these sizes if you do so while you are recording video, and these sizes cannot be changed in the camcorder’s menu.

The TG5V prominently features a flash located around the lens on the front of the camcorder. The flash offers a Redeye Reduction feature, has three brightness levels (Low, Normal, and High), and can be set to auto, on, or off. There’s also a self-timer on the camcorder, but it can only be set to 10 seconds.

All the manual controls available in video mode are also usable in still mode. In fact, the menu really isn’t any different in still mode—all the video-specific controls are still there. When you select a video-specific option, the camcorder switches into video mode when you make a selection (and vice versa with photo-specific controls). This can be a bit confusing, as the camcorder doesn’t do a good job specifically outlining what features work only in video mode or only in still mode.

Face detection is one feature that is probably more useful in still mode than video mode. The TG5V has an interesting feature called smile detection that automatically snaps a photo when your subject smiles. You can also set it to work while recording video by turning on Dual Capture smile detection. The setting works surprisingly well, although the camcorder definitely reads mouth movement as smiles on occasion. To avoid this, you can set the smile detection sensitivity to Low, which only takes photos when your subject gives a big smile (detection sensitivity can also be set to High or Normal).

The color accuracy on the HDR-TG5V’s photos was very good. The camcorder measured a color error of just 2.98—significantly better than in our bright light video testing. That is also a better error number than any of the models we used as comparisons throughout this review. To make things even more impressive, the TG5V managed an excellent saturation level of 97.61%.

The HDR-TG5V produced bright colors in its still photos, and its image had a slight warm, orange look. This is contrasted by the cool, grey tone on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000’s still photos. The JVC GZ-X900 also rendered strong, vivid colors (106% saturation), but its image was also darker and more contrasty than the TG5V.

Noise levels weren’t terrible in the HDR-TG5V’s still photos, but it measured more than double the amount of noise than it did in our bright light video testing. The camcorder averaged 0.92% noise in our still image testing, which is slightly less than both the JVC GZ-X900 and Son y HDR-XR520V measured. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 had the lowest still noise levels of this set, with 0.77%.

Since the Sony HDR-TG5V only has an effective pixel count of 2-megapixels for photos, we didn’t expect much from it in our still sharpness test. The camcorder didn’t do half-bad, however, and it actually came close to matching the results from camcorders with much higher still image resolutions. At best, the TG5V measured a horizontal sharpness of 1953 lw/ph with 15.2% oversharpening. Its vertical resolution came in at 1140 lw/ph with 6% undersharpening. These numbers aren’t that much worse than what the Sony HDR-XR520V and JVC GZ-X900 were capable of, which is quite a shock considering those camcorders have much larger sensors and much higher pixel counts.

The HDR-TG5V’s performance isn’t top-ntch, however, and there are many better camcorders out there for capturing still photos. The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 and VPC-CG10 both put forth impressive still sharpness results, as did the high-end Canon models (HF S11, HF S10, and HF S100), and the JVC GZ-HM400.