Light and Portable

Gadgets are becoming even smaller with manufacturers finding ways to create smaller components giving the word “handy or portable” a new meaning. Take for example Torque’s latest product, the ES-5HD, one of the smallest HD video camera in the local market.  It claims to have an 11 megapixel maximum still resolution for its digital camera while for its High Definition video recording, a maximum of 720p/30 frames per second. The ES-5HD has a 64MB internal memory with an expandable storage up to 16Gb SD card slot.  I only have a 1Gb SD card that usually give me about 25 to 30 minutes of HD videos, for the D1 video resolution (PAL/NTSC), it will give you about a little bit over an hour worth of videos.

         

Aside from the usual Audio Video jack output, the Torque ES-5HD is equipped with HDMI for those who want to directly show their videos on their LCD screens at home. With its small size of about 100 x 57 x 17.9 mm, it easily fits the palm of your hand or in your shirt pocket. It’s almost the size of a regular pocket pc phone.  Video quality is quite good if you compare versus the camera phones.  But with its very portable size, video output seems to be a bit shaky. Not recommended for those suffering from trembling or “pasmado” hands. But there is a built-in stabilizer, the drawback using this feature is that it disables the digital zoom feature.  Having that trusty tripod at hand will greatly improve your shots.  

This is also useful on “spy” missions due to its very compact size.

  

Also the function buttons and the jack outputs are all located  on one side of the camera, easy for those who have petite and cute fingers. 

Picture resolution is good especially for outdoor shots. But for low light conditions, it just gives you dark or sometimes blurry pictures even with the use of the built-in flash. Video output is relatively good both for outdoor and low light conditions. Turning on the night mode function improves it a little bit except if you are shooting moving objects. 

Sample outdoor shot taken from the ES 5HD during one of our out of town trips.

Color registration is quite good

It also has a motion detect function useful for monitoring purposes. It stops recording when it doesn’t detect movement anymore. Perfect to spy on your nanny and kids if you are always in the office. 

The ES 5HD can also function  as a Web Cam so need to buy and upgrade from your  Winnie the Pooh web cams if you have this camera.  It also boasts its music player capabilities but it can only play mp3 files. Sound quality is average using the stock earphones, though you can use your iPod earphones for improve music experience.

For the price of the ES 5HD at P4,999.00, not bad with all the features you get in just one small gadget .  Though not recommended for the discerning photo enthusiasts or videographer, but very useful for your everyday use.