Sony HDR-TG3E Camcorder

The Sony HDR-TG3E video camera is one of the smallest HD video cameras available. It is so small you can fit it in your shirt pocket the TG3 is an ideal video camera for those who want the freedom to record anywhere.

The TG3 features body made from titanium complete with scratch resistant coating keeping it free from scratches when you carry it with you. The HDRTG3 takes Sony's Memory Stick Duo memory media keeping it small in size. The lens has a 10x optical zoom for getting closer to the action and if required you can zoom up to 120x digitally. Although, when zooming with the digital zoom you will lose quality the further you zoom.

The TG3 has Sony's ClearVid CMOS sensor which has Exmor derived technology. This is finished off with a BIONZ image processor which records an impressive HD image putting a lot of larger video cameras to shame. It can record at a 1920x1080 HD resolution which has the quality for playback on your HD TV. For those of you interested in the exact format and bitrate the TG3 records the options are:

HD 1,920x1,080i at 16 Mbits/s
HD 1,440 x 1,080 at 9, 7 or 5 Mbits/s
SD 720x576 at 3, 6, or 9 Mbits/s

The face detection feature of the TG3 can simultaneously detect up to 8 individual faces within your picture. When it detects one or more faces the settings are optimised for correct focus, exposure and colour settings to capture the face at their best. The TG3 has a 2.7" LCD screen which doubles as a viewfinder and touch screen.

On top of shooting stunning high definition video you can also use the HDRTG3 to shoot still photographs. You can shoot still photos up to 4 megapixels which is great for snapping those spontaneous photo opportunities without having to carry a separate camera with you|which while not up to the quality of a dedicated camera can be useful}.

The HDR-TG3 can also record surronud sound audio to go with your HD video. The TG3 has a zoom function onthe microphone which will concentrate on recording sounds in front of you when you zoom to cut out annoying background sounds and focus upon the sound from your shooting target.

The HDR-TG3E comes with a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo to get you started . Other sizes of memory stick are available seperately.

Since the HDR-TG3 is so small it is an ideal travel companion for holiday and travelling where it would be good to take a video camera along to capture the action.