Sony Handycam HDR-TG5V Camcorder Review

Still Features Summary
• The camcorder only has an effective pixel count of around 2-megapixels, but it was still able to put up decent numbers in our testing. • The HDR-TG5V has a built-in flash, face detection and smile shutter options that work in still mode, and the capability of taking still photos while recording video.
	Manual Controls	(Page 8 of 17)	Handling & Use

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 x 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 x 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 x 1134 (2.3 megapixels) when shooting in HD, and 1512 × 1134 (1.7 megapixels) when shooting standard definition video. These size choics are a bit odd, considering they don't match the resolution of the recorded video (1920 x 1080 for HD and 640 x 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 built-in flash has three intensity settings.		The tiny shutter button is easy to miss, and it also acts as the still image mode switch.

 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 suprisingly 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 Photo Settings section of the menu...		... and the still image playback screen

Still Color (11.74)

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%. (More on how we test still color.)

The still photography color error map: the length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular color.

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 (see below). The JVC GZ-X900 also rendered strong, vivid colors (106% saturation), but its image was also darker and more contrasty thant he TG5V.

Sony HDR-TG5V Still Color Comparisons
Sony HDR-TG5V	Sanyo VPC-HD2000
JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-XR520V

Still Noise (3.55)

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%. (More on how we test still noise.)

Still Sharpness (5.96)

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. (More on how we test still sharpness.)

Sony HDR-TG5V Comparisons
Sanyo VPC-HD2000	JVC GZ-X900	Sony HDR-XR520V