Camcorder - Optical Zoom: 10, 10 x - Digital Zoom: 120x - Weight: 240 g - Flash memory: Memory Stick PRO Duo - Supported Media Type: Flash card - Viewfinder: without Viewfinder more
Now there's no excuse for leaving your camcorder behind when you could catch the moment in sparkling HD. A little bigger than your mobile phone, Sony's sensationally styled... more
A review by jasonford on Sony Handycam HDR-TG3E January 1st, 2009
Author's product rating:
Ease of use
Excellent
Recording quality
Excellent
Picture quality
Excellent
Sound quality
Excellent
Value for money
Good
Advantages:
well - priced, stunning quality, easy to carry and use
Disadvantages:
no mini - HDMI to HDMI cable supplied in the box
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
This is a really great little camcorder that produces stunning images and brilliant sound. It's also very compact and easy to carry around.
However, to avoid disappointment and/or to get the best out of HDR-TG3E there are a few things you should know.
1. A powerful computer is needed to process material from this camcorder. To give you an idea - our Sony Vaio Pentium D 2.8GHz with 2Gb RAM and 1Gb Nvidia graphics card 'just about' manages to play back the hi-def files acceptably. There are no obvious glitches. But I cannot help feeling that a faster PC would be better. Whereas anything slower would just not cut the mustard. Although TG3E comes with software for browsing, importing and playing back files from the camcorder, for editing you will need something else, described below.
2. HDR-TG3E craves accessories, namely:
a) a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable for connecting the camcorder directly to your TV; b) a spare NP-FH50 battery; c) the fast charger AC-VQH10 or the small travel charger BC-TRP, which comes as part of a kit that includes a spare battery. But BC-TRP only takes one battery at a time and is not as quick as AC-VQH10; d) at least one spare Memory Stick Pro Duo Mark 2 - the 4Gb sticks are adequate; e) a leather case; f) several Blu-Ray rewritable disks (BD-RE spec) for storing your work. I say 'BD-RE' because Blu-Ray authoring is relatively new and you don't want to be trashing 'write-once' disks at four quid a whack. Whereas, if you get things wrong with a rewritable (BD-RE) disk you can just erase it and start again; g) a Blu-Ray writer for your PC. We use the LG GGW-H20L; h) Blu-Ray authoring software like Nero 9, PowerDVD 8, or Sony DVD Architect 5; i) a Blu-Ray player for your TV. Panasonic's DMP-BD35 is a good bet; j) editing software that can handle AVCHD files. The cut-down forty quid version of Sony Vegas does this well - as do a few other apps, including the reasonably-priced Movie Plus X3 from Serif. We just use Vegas Lite because we know it; k) an external hard drive for storing all your clips. Firewire or SATA drives are best.
So, what was initially planned as a £450 purchase finished up costing lots more.
However, while HDR-TG3E can be used fine without all the extras, I would at least recommend getting the mini-HDMI to HDMI cable so that you can hook the camcorder up to your flat-screen TV. In fact, Mr Sony is a very bad boy for not including one of these in the camcorder box. Yes indeed.
Otherwise I think you will be delighted with HDR-TG3E. Considering its size, price and ease-of-use the quality is amazing. So now you have no excuses for failing to capture those unique family moments in spectacular high definition, vivid colour and crystal clear sound because…
…you must never forget - as we often did - that kids are only kids ONCE! There's no going back to revisit their childhoods. Hence, every wise parent should find this superior handy camcorder a veritable Godsend.
Now there's no excuse for leaving your camcorder behind when you could catch the moment in sparkling HD. A little bigger than your mobile phone, Sony's sensationally styled Handycam HDR-TG3E is the world's smallest, slimmest, lightest Full HD camcorder. Slipping effortlessly into a purse, bag or jacket pocket, it's great for parties, holidays or city breaks when you don't want to be weighed down. Inside its slender body, the TG3E is packed with advanced Sony technology for capturing beautiful, detail-packed HD1080 images. There's a premium Carl Zeiss lens with 10x optical zoom, plus Super SteadyShot to reduce image shake. Powered by the BIONZ image processor, Face Detection automatically adjusts focus, exposure and color balance for both video and photos. And if you're shooting high-contrast subjects, like a sunny beach scene, D-Range Optimizer technology ensures that strong highlights and shadow details don't get lost. The HDR-TG3E is tough enough to keep up with today's active lifestyles, whether you're on the piste or paragliding. It's the world's first camcorder that features a body using pure titanium - a material that is 40% lighter than steel and twice as strong as aluminum. The tough titanium shell is finished with a Premium Hard Coating. This extra-strong protective layer shrugs off everyday scratches, ensuring your camcorder keeps its high-fashion looks for longer. Its tough finish, ultra-compact size and chic looks are only half the story. The HDR-TG3E lets you concentrate on having fun instead of fiddling with complicated features. In 'Quick On' mode, you're ready to start shooting within a second of flipping open the bright, clear 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus touchscreen. And when you're relaxing back at home, it's easy to control playback functions with your Sony television's remote as you enjoy big, beautiful images and great sound on your BRAVIA Sync compatible TV.
