Canon HF M300 or Panasonic HDC-SD60S Does anyone have advice on which camcorder I should choose? They seem to get very similar reviews & have similar price tag as well.
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or the Panasonic HDC-TM55K with a built in 8GB .it was selling for $350 on amazon,but thanx for the high demand from them xmas shoppers.price went up to $389,even $420
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I'm also on the fence on deciding between with these 2 cameras. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.
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David, I posted this question on another site and a person said the only reason they would lean towards the Canon because it has headphone/mic jacks. I, personally, have found that the Canon seems to get better video quality reviews but the downside is that isn't using the default settings. Almost all the reviews says the settings need to tweaked in some fashion. So I am starting to lean towards the Canon.
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I was looking at buying either the Sony HX10, or the HX20 and saw your question. Although there really aren't any reviews on the Sony HX cameras yet (1 review doesn't count), the Cannon SX 260 has several, and a consistent theme is noise when recording video... to me this is a deal breaker, also the Sony HX 10 is 18mp & 1080 HD vs the 12mp & 720 HD on the Cannon. I'm leaning toward buying the Sony HX10, but are waiting for at least 10 reviews.
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I came to amazon to find out what's new on the camcorder front. I bought this Canon HG10 almost two years ago and I absolutely love it.I use it with Mac OS 10, IMovie and Final Cut Pro 6.0. Other than some improvements; 1080p vs 1080i (from Panasonic). I really didn't see any reason to get a new camera (upgrade). I recently just purchased new battery packs and a new Rode SVM Stereo Condenser Microphone. If I was to get a new camera I would probably get the HG20. But that one is $1000. So, no rush. I'm going to hold on to this one for a year or so then see what's available in the HG series later next year. I came to amazon to find out what's new on the camcorder front. I bought this Canon HG10 almost two years ago and I absolutely love it.I use it with Mac OS 10, IMovie and Final Cut Pro 6.0. Other than some improvements; 1080p vs 1080i (from Panasonic). I really didn't see any reason to get a new camera (upgrade). I recently just purchased new battery packs and a new Rode SVM Stereo Condenser Microphone. If I was to get a new camera I would probably get the HG20. But that one is $1000. So, no rush. I'm going to hold on to this one for a year or so then see what's... » Read More I came to amazon to find out what's new on the camcorder front. I bought this Canon HG10 almost two years ago and I absolutely love it.I use it with Mac OS 10, IMovie and Final Cut Pro 6.0. Other than some improvements; 1080p vs 1080i (from Panasonic). I really didn't see any reason to get a new camera (upgrade). I recently just purchased new battery packs and a new Rode SVM Stereo Condenser Microphone. If I was to get a new camera I would probably get the HG20. But that one is $1000. So, no rush. I'm going to hold on to this one for a year or so then see what's available in the HG series later next year. « Show Less
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Image qualitly for sd4000 is good. The video is wonderful - very good in low light with a f/2.0 lens. The SD4500 had higher definition video at 1080 as opposed to 720 on the sd4000. The S95 has more manual controls. I like this camera except - no F/2.0 lens, no zooming when shooting video. My fav is the SD4000.
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I also purchased the FZ8 and returned it because of the noise (grainy photos). I went ahead and got the Sony DSC-H7 and like it much better. My only wish is that it would shoot in the RAW format (the FZ8 did!). Overall, we like the flash better, the speed better, the grip and position of the buttons and the H7 camera overall.
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The more I read around and talk with HD camera enthusiasts, I think I am leaning towards the M30. And right now Canon is doing the $200 off Fall sale.
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As of today, it actually costs a dollar less than $600 ;-) The bad reviews should maybe be reviewed too: Choppy videos are a consequence of HD shooting, not of the HF200, the software is poor but maybe that's because there is no need for any of it, hard disk or tape-based camcorders are totally obsolete nowadays, and too noisy anyway. The smaller sensor size compared to the much more expensive HF100 may or may not impact low light shooting (an objective comparison would be welcome), but there are also negative reviews about the HF100 low light quality. It might be a trade-off for the better optical and digital zoom. As for the review about non true progressive format, unless I misunderstand (I am no expert), this 60i format is just the internal format of the recording, and does not affect the capture or playback, which is 30p or 24p, depending on your set up. AVCHD seems to be supported throughout the whole editing/playback channel now, so the support issues encountered by the early AVCHD adopters are hopefully obsolete. We should look at the good points too, such as the movie mode (24p fps and movie color tone) which is rarely seen on consumer products at that price.
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Despite what amazon wrote, the Canon VIXIA HF R100 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder is not the newer version of the Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom, the Canon VIXIA HF M300 Flash Memory Camcorder is. The HF200 is a 2009 model with a list price of $749.99 and the HF R100 is a 2010 model with a list price of $499.99, which makes it the lowest-cost (or bottom of the line) Vixia model. The HF200 was also the lowest cost of the 2009 line-up, but the 2010 line-up has a lower bottom. There are several differences. The HF R100 has a 20X optical zoom, vs. 15X optical for the HF200. That appears to be the only advantage the HF R100 has over the HF200. However, unless you use the HF R100 on a tripod, that extra zoom will be useless because it has worse image stabilization than the HF200 and you can't handhold a camcorder at that magnification and shoot acceptable footage (it will be bouncing all over the place). So, that extra zoom is mainly a marketing ploy rather than a true advantage. The HF200 has a larger image sensor (for better low-light performance), higher resolution image sensor (for sharper video and still images), higher resolution LCD screen (for sharper images and icons), Multi-Angle Vivid LCD screen (apparently for wider viewing angles), optical image stabilization (for sharper images; the HF R100 has no optical image stabilization but uses electronic image shifting instead), and a higher maximum recording bit rate (for sharper images with fewer compression artifacts, a.k.a. pixelation). Since the HF200 is a 2009 model, it is available at about 1/3 off the list price bringing it down to the same street price as the still new 2010 HF R100 model. The HF200 is a much better camcorder than the HF R100 and they sell for the same price right now.
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I tried to find the data on CR but couldn't find it. So what issue? However Cnet rated the Panasonic higher and gave the Sony only 3 stars. So I will most likely go with the Panasonic. However SD or TM with the installed flash drive? If you go with the SD you have to buy cards that cost another $50 each. Tough choice.
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Jeff:Thanks for responding! I'm glad you like it so much. I think I'll give it a try. I did read a review that said that Fuji didn't think people buying a camera in this category wouldn't want HD video. I guess that makes sense, although it sure doesn't make any difference to me. Thanks again for a nice response.Steve
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Well the HF200 does behave poorly in low light condition, even with the best aperture and frame settings, but I can't tell if it's worse than other HD camcorders.Also, make sure you didn't disable the autofocus, it's easy to make things worse. I don't mean the setting available via the standard FUNC menu, but directly with the Up and Down controls from the wheel, it's the third option from the bottom.The zoom may also affect grain and artifacts, use it sparingly.
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I agree with j-rob. Does anyone know how the newer model (HDR-XR500V) performs in low-light situations? They claim the Exmor-R sensor helps with these situations. It's too bad there's no easy or cost-effective way to upgrade. I'm not in the position to spend another $1k+ for a new camcorder that handles low-light.
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I am torn between these exact same two camcorders also. Looking forward to your follow-up post!
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Anybody have any other comments about which of these 2 cameras to buy? Thanks!!!!
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From a preview I read on another site (camcorderinfo.com) the highest quality output is true 1920x1080 progressive. Anything captured in a lower quality setting is the 1440x1080 resolution which was troublesome for some editing suites. I am waiting for some more professional reviews to be published comparing this one (and it's 120GB sibling) against the Canon HF10 which is getting good reviews. The Canon features a maximum 17Mb/s bitrate vs. the HDR-SR11/12's 16Mb/s maximum bitrate. The Canon is also flash memory vs. HDD but I don't have a strong preference either way.
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Bill,Thank you for the information. I also looked at some HD solutions from your typical consumer digital camera's but was turned off by the short recording time and large storage space required. It seems you cannot use the zoom feature at all with the DMC-FX35K while shooting video with it. For $199.99, I think the Vado HD is your best choice for HD video recording. Cheers!Oscar V.
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I am partial to Canon and am excited to see they are introducing a model in the rugged, waterproof class. I previously used the first generation waterproof Olympus Stylus and after it broke moved to the Pentax Optio W series. It has been a good camera as far as durability, but it just doesn't produce photos like our Canon Powershot SD1000. As far as the post question, I can't wait to see some product reviews/comparisons. Based on my previous experience with the Stylus line, I am ruling out the Olympus. Although right now I am leaning towards the Canon based on previous experience with their products and superior photos. However, the Panasonic offering higher video quality in HD format is enticing.