Product Description

Ultra-light, compact and stylish with superb video and still image quality. Up to 6hr Full HD on 16 GB internal memory, 10x optical zoom and GPS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2104 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: HDRTG7VE.CEH
• Released on: 2009-06-08

Features

• HDD Format
• 2.7" LCD with Touchscreen
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens
• 10x optical/120x Digital Zoom
• 16GB Internal Memory

Manufacturer's Description

The TG7 is the world’s smallest Full 1080HD camcorder*, packing some serious image technology into a tiny, stylish design that’s great to look at, and easy to carry. Its ultra–compact titanium body not only offers an improved grip, it’s also tough, resistant to scratches and weighs in at just 230g. Flip open the large clear LCD touchscreen and you’re ready to start recording in full HD 1080, or tap the screen to access easy–to–use menus and settings. Choose from a range of auto functions like Face Detection and Smile Shutter for all the help you need getting the best out of your subjects, whatever conditions you’re shooting in. Sony has achieved a world first by introducing GPS technology to a select number of camcorders, including the TG7. Geotagging means you’ll be able to see the exact location of your clips. Then, when you feel like looking back over some of your favourite moments, automatic indexing takes all the effort out of searching for a particular scene.

With a 16GB internal memory offering up to 6 hours’ recording time, and the option of boosting that with a Memory Stick, the TG7 is the perfect companion for every occasion, from spontaneous get–togethers to long–planned travels.

Detail and colours taken care of
The TG7 gives you the option of recording in Full 1080HD for five times more detail, or ‘resolution’, than ordinary standard definition images. That’s enhanced by x.v.Colour technology, which almost doubles the range of colours that can be accurately reproduced on screen. Playback on any HD ready TV or PC, and you’ll see how closely your clips match real life. That goes for sound too: 2.1 Dolby channel surround sound recording with zoom microphone captures crisp, clear audio, adding an extra dimension of realism to your videos.

Flexibility and convenience with a Memory Stick
The TG7 comes with 16GB internal memory, which enables you to record up to 6 hours of HD video, with the option of adding a Memory Stick for extra filming. This format means there are no moving parts so even sudden movements won’t cause skipping in your videos. And because there are no tapes or discs to worry about, the TG7 is even lighter to carry. With the optional DVD burner you can transfer videos straight from camcorder to DVD with one touch disc burn. Or save your footage to PC with super–fast USB 2.0 connection.

Focusing on quality images
The TG7 is fitted with a Vario–Tessar lens made by Carl Zeiss, the world renowned optical specialists. These premium lenses are highly rated by photographers for their colour precision, superb contrast and extremely low distortion levels at all focal lengths. Add to this an optical zoom that extends to 10x magnification and you have the capability to shoot with amazing detail even when the subject is at a distance.

This powerful lens is complemented by an Exmor CMOS sensor which improves picture quality with a 2x increase in sensitivity. Working with the BIONZ high–speed processor, it reduces noise in low–light conditions, and enables a faster shooting response. Filming in dark interiors or when you’re on the move can result in camera shake ruining what was otherwise a great clip. The TG7 comes with SteadyShot which is always on, stabilising the image using sensors to compensate for any wobble, so you get beautifully composed results.

Smile Shutter automatically shoots still photos whenever your subjects smile, without interrupting your recording View larger

Smart automatic functions
Now you can make sure that even the trickiest scenes look great in playback, thanks to auto functions which take the guesswork out of matching settings to subject. Take sun–drenched backlit scenes: the D–range Optimiser adjusts exposure and contrast to counter the effects of high–contrast conditions, so you can clearly see faces in the foreground. And when faces are your focus, Face Detection will help make sure everyone looks their best, adjusting the camera’s settings to deliver clear, natural skin tones.

High quality photos too
The TG7 isn’t just about great moving pictures, you can take photos on it too. Press the shutter and catch all the action in 4 megapixel detail. In fact, you don’t have to stop filming — the TG7 will capture 2.3 megapixel still images even while you’re recording movie footage.

See the exact location of your clips and still images with GPS mapping View larger

Mapping your memories
The sensitive GPS receiver inside the TG7 makes it perfect for taking on your travels. If you’re on the move it’ll track your position and geotag all your clips and still photos. Then when you finish shooting, you can see the exact locations of your videos and stills with maps on the LCD screen. Back home, PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software means you can retrace your memories across online maps and find all your favourite places again.

Effortless movie editing
With Highlight Playback, you can get all your favourite clips edited together automatically. Enter a range of dates and a series of stand–out shots will be joined together, with a choice of musical soundtracks and transition effects. The end result is a mini–movie featuring all your special moments.

The large touchscreen puts menus, settings and clips at your fingertips View larger

The big screen
Framing is that bit easier thanks to the higher resolution and increased contrasts of the Clear Photo LCD Plus touchscreen. The same goes for playback, with videos appearing clearer and more lifelike. And with the screen measuring 2.7", it’s big enough to be viewed by more than one person, so you can share the fun. Because it’s a touchscreen, menus and settings are just a tap away, while innovative technologies arrange your clips as thumbnails, for easy searches. Film Roll Index splits long scenes into chapters, so it’s quicker to locate that particular moment you’re after. And Face Index means you can track down close ups of family and friends without having to sift through masses of footage.

Easy sharing and quality viewing
Managing your growing video collection is simplified by PMB (Picture Motion Browser) software included with the TG7. Install it on your PC and it provides a perfect archive for your videos. You can arrange them by date, by person, and search through them quickly. From here you can burn them to disc, send them to friends or upload them to sites.

If you connect your TG7 or computer directly to an HD Ready TV you can view your video in spectacular HD on the big screen. If your TV is a BRAVIA which supports PhotoTV HD, you’ll be able to experience even more lifelike HD images, bursting with detail and colours. And with BRAVIA Sync you’ll be able to use the TV remote to navigate through all the clips and photos stored on your TG7.

*Among 1920 x 1080 AVDHD camcorders, as of April 2009 (Sony Research)

‘Sony’, ‘BRAVIA’ and their logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. All other trademarks acknowledged.

Box Contains

• Sony TG7 HD Handycam Camcorder
• AC Adaptor
• Rechargeable Battery Pack
• Handycam Station cradle
• Component A/V Cable
• Composit A/V Cable
• USB Cable (long)
• USB Cable (short - travel)
• USB Adaptor Cap
• PMB Application Software / USB Driver / (CD-ROM )
• Wrist Strap

Customer Reviews

Simply brilliant
Having several camcorders ranging from SD MiniDV through DVD to SD card based my search for a true 1080 HD device led me in an unexpected direction once I'd seen the HDR-TG7VE. Although there are a number of 1080 HD camcorders available now, I ruled out HDD based camcorders as well as any any disc based immediately due to their fragile nature (especially with children). Additionally the inclusion of GPS has gone from novelty to necessity as my video and photo library grows and AVCHD is the preferred codec base. Whilst Sony was not at the top of my list originally due to the use of memory stick, the feature set of the HDR-TG7VE kept it in the running and ultimately I found myself purchasing one along with a 16GB Pro Duo HX memory stick.

After two weeks of heavy use on holiday there's no doubt that this is absolutely a brilliant piece of equipment with nothing significant in the way of faults. Switching it to Full HD mode with GPS and the Zoom Microphone function enabled we have been awed by the quality of not just the video, but also the sound and the brilliant "smile" detection. The colour reproduction and detail in the video, even in low light conditions, is simply extraordinary and watching photos and videos on an HD screen is like watching it again in real life.

The sound as well is amazing: Filming from the opposite end of the swimming pool I zoomed in on one of the kids as they threw their goggles in to dive and retrieve them - you don't hear the people between us however you hear the clear, precise sound of the goggles hitting the water and the splash of my daughter following them thereafter. Very impressive.

The photos it takes in photo mode are more than passable but better still are the photos it takes automatically when someone smiles whilst videoing; you find that not only do you have fantastic video at the end of the day but also a collection of brilliant photographs to go with them.

Whilst not a fan of Sony's software, they have improved dramatially and their PMB application is actually a reasonably well done package, transferring video from the device over, picking faces and scenes out so that you can hone in on specific clips, and allowing you to easily transcode it to different formats, record to DVD, BluRay, etc.

The diminutive size of this device coupled with it's rapid on/off and brilliant built-in screen have seen it used by everyone in the family including the children, who find the thumb operated start/stop Wide/Telephoto controls not only intuitive but simple to use.

This is simply a briliant piece of equipment that you can carry everywhere, get great videos and photos, as well as know WHERE you took them (the GPS is incredibly accurate and pinpointed our location even in small side-streets). I'd recommend you set it to full HQ HD, which will reduce your overall video time from 6 to just under 2 hours, however this matches the battery life fully and the quality beggars belief.

This is the best consumer camcorder I have used to date and the quality rivals that of much more expensive prosumer models. You will not be sorry if you pick it up and you'll love the memories you capture with it (especially since you can carry it non-intrusively).

Simply stunning
Having just come back from Florida where this camera came in very handy i can only heap praise on the product.

It functioned admirably and as most of the videoing was outdoor the GPS locked onto a signal very quickly. It is very quick to start from just opening the side viewfinder and records within a split second so you can catch the moment unfolding.

The other family in the group after the 3rd day didn't bother taking their video camera as it was bulky (even though it was a palm grip type) but the TG7 is easy to slip in the pocket when not in use.

I'd recommend the leather and metal case (says its for TG3 but still fits).

The digital camera side is adequate for A5 pics but maybe too grainy for anything bigger and the flash being around the lens itself sometimes isnt powerful enough in comparison to dedicated compact cameras.

This video camera is MAC compatible and the GPS info is used by iPhoto 09 to geotag pictures.

Well worth the expense.

Great expectations
My 2 previous camcorders were a Super VHS and Hi 8 and having spent countless hours transferring 20 plus years of video tape at a snails pace, I decided to go digital. I wanted a camera that didn't weigh a ton, didn't need it's own suitcase and took high quality images that last. To that end I haven't been disappointed. As luck would have it, my first real use of the camera was in Denmark at a friend's wedding, so the GPS was a source of endless amusement to the Danes. In good light the images are terrific, better than anything I've ever videoed. Unfortunately in the evening the indoor shots were very grainy, so I'm looking at Litepanels Micro Kit to light interiors. Goodness knows whether I can afford this or where I will put it on the camera if I buy it. The camera has a "smile" facility that is transfixing - every time someone even starts a smirk, let alone a smile, the camera captures the moment without asking. I was going to turn this off as the pictures are not very high quality, but the poses it captures are excellent. Transferring the images onto a computer was very easy and very fast, although the software then wanted to analyise every little thing for ages, but at least I can sort the images by smiles, dates, people, views and yes, countries. Reviewing the footage on the computer I was dissapointed that when I panned around, the images became jerky and I'm not too sure how to correct that. I've certainly dusted down my tripod to see if that makes a difference, although that kind of defeats the object of having a tiny camera somewhat. The case I bought at the same time is great and essential and I also bought an extra memory card and spare battery, neither of which I have had to use yet, but you never know.
Overall it's great and a worthwhile investment if you can afford it. It's not perfect, but then again, nothing is.