Sony HDR-TG5V

Video Sharpness (8.89)

The HDR-TG5V is not a top-notch camcorder when it comes to video sharpness, but it still put forth a decent performance. In our test, the TG5V measured a horizontal sharpness of 600 lw/ph and a vertical sharpness of 550 lw/ph. These numbers are lower than what you’ll see from most high-end camcorders (like the Sony HDR-XR520V or Canon HF S11), and they are more akin to the average sharpness scores on mid-range models (like a Panasonic HDC-TM10 or JVC GZ-HD300). Still, we don’t want to give the impression that the HDR-TG5V doesn’t capture sharp video—it does—it simply isn’t a top-level performer in this category. More on how we test video sharpness.

Stabilization (7.05)

The HDR-TG5V is equipped with Sony’s SteadyShot stabilization system and the results were quite good in our testing. In fact, the TG5V’s impressive stabilization may represent its single biggest advantage over the Sanyo VPC-HD2000, which had horrible stabilization. The stabilization system used by the TG5V is digital, which means it may result in some image degredation when used. Sony’s higher-end models, like the HDR-XR520V and HDR-CX500V use optical stabilization systems. More on how we test stabilization.

In our low shake test, the HDR-TG5V was able to reduce 49% of the shake with SteadyShot engaged. You can see the results quite clearly in the graph below. The blue lines represent the movement of the camcorder with stabilization turned off, while the more compact red lines show its motion using SteadyShot. In our high shake test, the camcorder fared a bit worse and was only able to reduce shakiness by 42%. In comparison, the Sanyo VPC-HD2000’s digital stabilization system couldn’t do anything to reduce the shake in our test. In fact, the camcorder actually shook more with image stabilization turned on.

The HDR-TG5V couldn’t match the stabilization results acheieved by its larger cousin model, the Sony HDR-XR520V. This is expected, however, as the XR520V is much heavier and larger than the TG5V. Another thing we noticed with the TG5V was that the camcorder had some trouble maintaining focus during our shake test. Focus would go soft every now and then, although the camcorder did regain it after a few seconds. We must note that we only noticed this when we repeatedly shook the camcorder for an extended period of time (more than a few seconds), as we do in our stabilization test. You can see the image lose focus in our video below: