| |
Model
|
| Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic 
| Sony
| Canon
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HDC-SD300 | HDR-XR520 | HF S10 | Name |
| European name ? | HDC-SD300EG | HDR-XR520VE | Legria HF S10 | European name ? |
| US name ? | HDC-SD300K | HDR-XR520 | VIXIA HF S10 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | 950 $ | 1700 $ | 799 $ | lowest US price |
| On the market since | March 2009 | March 2009 | April 2009 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Panasonic | link to Sony | link to Canon | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Good
| Good
| slashCAM rating ? |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | | | test picture 1200 Lux |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | | | Test image 12 lux auto-mode |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
| AVCHD
| Video formats ? |
| Recording Medium | SDHC card
| Built-in hard disk
Memory Stick PRO Duo
| SDHC card
built-in flash memory
| Recording Medium |
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
SD MPEG2 720 x 576
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| video resolutions EU ? |
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/24p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
| video resolutions US ? |
| Max Bitrate ? | 17 Mbit/s | 16 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | Max Bitrate ? |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG2
MPEG4
| MPEG4
| Compression format ? |
| on-board memory ? | | 240 GB | 32 GB | on-board memory ? |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Leica
| Sony
| Canon
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 12 x | 12 x | 10 x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 45 mm | 42,9 mm | 43,6 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 43 mm | 37 mm | 58 mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
| optical
| Image Stabilization ? |
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
| No
| ND Filter ? |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
| No
| Exchangable optics ? |
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 1 | 1 | Number of sensors ? |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/4 inch | 1/2,8 inch | 1/2,6 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2070000 Pixel | | 6010000 Pixel | image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CMOS
| CMOS
| Image Sensor Type ? |
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
presets
| auto
manual
presets
| White Balance ? |
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Focus ? |
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/8.000 | 1/800 | 1/2.000 | Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/25 | 1/50 | 1/6 | Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Apperture control ? |
| Infrared recording ? | No
| | | Infrared recording ? |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| | Yes
| Expanded Focus ? |
| Peaking ? | No
| | Yes
| Peaking ? |
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 100% | No
| 70%
100% | Zebra ? |
| Histogram ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Histogram ? |
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| | Yes
| adjustable sharpness ? |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| | Yes
| Adjustable color ? |
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| | Yes
| Cinegamma ? |
| Black Strech ? | No
| | No
| Black Strech ? |
| Knee ? | No
| | No
| Knee ? |
| Colorbars ? | No
| | Yes
| Colorbars ? |
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| | No
| Shot Transition ? |
| Custom Presets ? | No
| | Yes
| Custom Presets ? |
| Set Time Code ? | No
| | No
| Set Time Code ? |
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
| Out
| FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite |
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | No
| About Special Equipment
| No
| YC ?
synonymous: S-Video |
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
| Out
| YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal |
| HDMI ? | Out mini
| Out
| Out
| HDMI ? |
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | - | - | DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 |
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| USB 2.0
| USB 2.0
| USB ? |
| Microphone / Audio input ? | Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| Microphone / Audio input ? |
| Headphones ? | 3.5 mm mini-jack
| 3.5 mm mini-jack
| also AV-output
| Headphones ? |
| Lanc ? | No
| No
| No
| Lanc ? |
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
| No
| Time-code interface ? |
| Genlock ? | No
| No
| No
| Genlock ? |
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| AI
| Advanced Mini
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 385 g | 510 g | 450 g | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | 445 g | 590 g | 500 g | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Panasonic VW-VBG130-K
| | Canon BP-807
| Battery type |
| Battery capacity | 1250 mAh | | 890 mAh | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | internal
external
| internal
| internal
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 70 mm | 71 mm | 69 mm | Height |
| Width | 72 mm | 75 mm | 70 mm | Width |
| Depth | 141 mm | 134 mm | 136 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 7 | 7 | 6 | Relative Size ? |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Viewfinder available ? |
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| Color
| - | Color Viewfinder ? |
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 | - | Viewfinder format ? |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | 123200 Pixel | | Viewfinder pixels ? |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Display available ? |
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
| Color
| Color display ? |
| Display size | 2,7 Inch | 3,2 Inch | 2,7 Inch | Display size |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | Display format ? |
| Display pixels ? | 230400 Pixel | 307200 Pixel | 211000 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Touch Screen ? |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
Zoom ring multi-assigned
| Rocker
Zoom ring multi-assigned
| Rocker
| Manual Zoom ? |
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
Menu
| Wheel
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| Wheel
Menu
Joystick
| Manual Focus ? |
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| Wheel
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| Manual Aperture ? |
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| No
| Yes
| Focus switcher ? |
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
| No
| ND Filter ? |
| Exp Lock ? | No
| No
| No
| Exp Lock ? |
| Gain ? | No
| No
| No
| Gain ? |
| White balance ? | No
| No
| No
| White balance ? |
| Push AF ? | No
| No
| No
| Push AF ? |
| Audio Levels ? | No
| No
| No
| Audio Levels ? |
Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons | No
| No
| 1 | Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| Audio Formats ? | AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
| AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| Audio Formats ? |
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Microphone ? |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder
Screen
| | Viewfinder
Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| Recording Medium ? | SDHC card
| Memory Stick Duo
hard drive
| built-in flash memory
SDHC card
| Recording Medium ? |
| Medium included ? | No
| | No
| Medium included ? |
| Effective pixels ? | 2100000 Pixel | | | Effective pixels ? |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080 | 4000 x 3000 - Max
| 3264 x 2448 | Resolutions ? |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| Standard ? |
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Flash ? |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| Specials | | GPS with geo-tagging functionality | | Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| luminance resolution | | | | luminance resolution |
| chrominance resolution | | | | chrominance resolution |
| lens distortion | | | | lens distortion |
| test small ISO image | | | | test small ISO image |
| noise / internal microphone | | | | noise / internal microphone |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | | | test picture 1200 Lux |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode ? | | | | Test image 12 lux auto-mode ? |
| Test image 12 lux optimized ? | | | | Test image 12 lux optimized ? |
| slashCAM rating |
| Lowlight ? | Satisfactory | Very good | Satisfactory | Lowlight ? |
| Resolution ? | Very good | Very good | Good | Resolution ? |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Very good | Very good | Color performance ? |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Very good | Very good | subj.Picture impression ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Poor | Poor | Poor | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Very good | Satisfactory | Good | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Good | Good | Satisfactory | Handling ? |
| Portability ? | Excellent | Very good | Very good | Portability ? |
| Photo function ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Photo function ? |
| Optics ? | Good | Good | Good | Optics ? |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good | Good | Dynamics ? |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
| Good
| Good
| slashCAM rating ? |
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 372 | 364 | 344 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + Sharpness and colour at the upper AVCHD limit
+ Many manual controls
| + very good low-light sensitivity
+ iris control ring and touch-focus work together very nicely
| + Many manual controls
| Pros |
| Cons | - No wideangle
| + very few possibilites for manual control
| - partially the operating procedures are not well conceived
- no 1/25 sec. shutter speed in cinema mode
- small wide angle
| Cons |
| Conclusion | Finally a camcorder which allows for a manual control of iris, shutter and gain (not by joystick) while indicating meaningful parameters in the display. Add to that a focus ring and useful helpers as focus zoom, zebra and histogram.Since it also offers a flawless (and even adjustable) image quality, the Panasonic SD300 can almost be recommended without any hesitation.It only leaves you wanting more external controls, a display with higher resolution and, above all, a wide angle lens.Also the low light performance is only average. | The Low-light picture quality is very good and sets a new standard for the sub 1000 euro camcorder classBut there is no histogram, no zebra, no shutter-control, no focus assist and no picture adjustmentThis is sad, especially because Sony could probably unlock these functions via firmware | The sensor´s high pixel resolution seems to reduce Canon´s usually excellent sharpness.Some missed functionalities like zebra or a manual control ring are back on bord.The menues are smoothly animated, but for examplethe intricate handling of the focus hinders a fluent workflowA little disappointing is that the big 1/2 sensor size doesn´t result in better low-light performance.So for some users Canon´s 2008 models will be more interesting, especially as these are decidedly cheaper. | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD300 | Sony HDR-XR520 | Canon HF S10 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests | | |  www.camcorderinfo.com
www.trustedreviews.com
| external reviews/tests |
| Forum posts | HD editing program for Panasonic HDC SD300 data
Hinterkamera remote control for the Panasonic SD300
HDC SD300 s.Laptop via Firewire
mirko s.panasonic Connect SD300 to ask ... quality!?
Panasonic HDC SD300 image quality just "ok" what I do wrong?
Panasonic SD300 - otg.Bridge
Panasonic SD300 25p (import, Cinema mode) with Final Cut Express?
HDC SD300 and SDHC Card class 4
Replacement - Batteries for Panasonic SD300 and SD cards. Experience
Zoom Remote for PANASONIC SD300
SonyHDR-or XR500V Panasonic SD300??
Panasonic SD300 and 25P (; Cinema mode)
Panasonic SD300 Lowlight at 1440x1080
| Final Cut Pro plugin for SonyHDR-XR520VE
Camera Case for SonyHDR-XR520VE
SonyHDR-XR520VE flickering beam on BRAVIA TV
Buy Panasonic HDC-HS300 / Canon HG21 / SonyHDR-XR520VE
Wide Anglefür XR520 + Beginner Questions
HD video import of SonyHDR-XR520VE in Final Cut Express (Mac)
Lens / wide Anglefür SonyHDR-XR520VE
| Vixia HF S10 usable as a webcam?
External monitor on Canon HF S10 - HELP!
Canon S10 RF and Battery of used websites! HELP
Canon s100 or s200 HF?
Canon HF S10 - Recording modes to be understood?
SanDisk Extreme III SDHC 8GB, 30 MB / s in HF Canon S100
Canon S100 + HF JAG35mm Adpater USER wanted!
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| Forum posts |
| |
