Sony HDR-TG3 review

Sony's new camcorder takes portability about as far as it can go while still shooting high definition.

It's tiny - about the same size as a compact stills camera - so you can slip it in your pocket rather than having to decide whether to cart your bag along. This can't be said of normal size cameras like the Canon HF10, and the advantage is that you won't miss any shooting opportunities.

This makes the TG3 a camera that's likely to be on the move a lot, and fortunately it's built tostand up to it. The case is made of titanium, which means it should cope with a few bumps and scrapes. Because it records to flash memory, there's no fragile hard disk or other moving parts, but you need to take care of the lens.

Sony has made no obvious compromises to achieve this portability. The TG3 records at the full HD resolution of 1920x1080, plus audio in 5.1 surround channels. The microphone claims to zoom in along with the lens, so that it can capture more focused audio. We weren't impressed with the quality when compared to the Canon HF10, but it was good enough for home videos.

The same can be said for the video quality. The Sony's colour reproduction and image stabilisation just can't match the likes of the HF10, which have more room for better kit. That's not to say the TG3's pictures are poor -in fact, in bright sunlight it performed rather well - but this is where you do have to accept some sacrifice for the tiny size.

There are no external microphone or headphone sockets, no accessory shoe, and no internal storage, though a 4GB Memory Stick is included in the box to get you started. Memory Stick, Sony's proprietary format, is the only one that's supported for additional memory.

It's a wonderful achievement to fit this much camcorder into such a small space, and the video it produces is great when you consider its size. But if you want top quality you'll need something bigger, like the Canon.

Author: Matthew Sparkes