/// HD Camcorder Comparison

Picture ?

Manufacturer

Canon

Sony

Name

XH G1

HVR-S270

European name ?

XH G1

HVR-S270E

US name ?

XH G1

HVR-S270U

lowest US price

6995 $

6895 $

On the market since

November 2006

February 2008

Manufacturers URL

Test preview

slashCAM rating ?

Very good

not yet tested

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode

Video

Video formats ?

MiniDV
HDV

MiniDV
HDV
DVCAM

Recording Medium

MiniDV/HDV-Cassette

MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
external flash memory

video resolutions EU ?

HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/25F
HDV 1440 x 1080/25F

HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
DVCAM 720 x 576/50i
HDV 1440 x 1080/60i
HDV 1440 x 1080/25p

video resolutions US ?

HDV 1440 x 1080/60i
HDV 1440 x 1080/24p
HDV 1440 x 1080/30p
MiniDV 720 x 480/60i
720 MiniDV x480/24p
MiniDV 720 x 480/30p

HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
HDV 1440 x 1080/60i
DVCAM 720 x 480/60i
HDV 1440 x 1080/25p
HDV 1440 x 1080/24p
HDV 1440 x 1080/30p

Max Bitrate ?

25 Mbit/s

Compression format ?

DV
MPEG2

on-board memory ?

Optics

Optics Manufacturer ?

Canon

Carl Zeiss

Optical Zoom ?

20 x

12 x

Wide Angle 16:9 ?

32,5 mm

Filter diameter ?

72 mm

Image Stabilization ?

optical

ND Filter ?

Exchangable optics ?

Yes

Image Sensor

Number of sensors ?

Size of image sensor ?

1/3 inch

image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ?

1560000 Pixel

Image Sensor Type ?

CCD

CMOS

Controls

White Balance ?

auto
manual
presets

Focus ?

auto
manual

Minimum shutter time ?

1/16.000

Maximum shutter time ?

1/3

Apperture control ?

auto
manual

Infrared recording ?

Expanded Focus ?

Yes

Peaking ?

Yes

Signal Processing

Zebra ?

Off
70-100%

Histogram ?

adjustable sharpness ?

Yes

Adjustable color ?

Yes

Cinegamma ?

Yes

Black Strech ?

Yes

Knee ?

Yes

Colorbars ?

Yes

Misc.

Shot Transition ?

Yes

Custom Presets ?

Yes

Set Time Code ?

Yes

Configuration

Connections

FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite

In
Out

YC ?
synonymous: S-Video

YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal

Out

HDMI ?

DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394

In
Out

USB ?

Microphone / Audio input ?

XLR
Mini-jack

Headphones ?

Mini-jack

Lanc ?

Yes

Time-code interface ?

In
Out

Genlock ?

Accessory shoe ?

Standard

HD-SDI ?

Yes

Misc.

Weight (without battery)

2100 g

Weight (with battery)

2200 g

Battery type

Canon BP-950G

Battery capacity

5200 mAh

Charger ?

internal
external

Remote control

Yes

Size

Height

163 mm

Width

189 mm

Depth

350 mm

Relative Size ?

107

Viewfinder

Viewfinder available ?

Yes

Color Viewfinder ?

B/W and color

Viewfinder format ?

16:9

Viewfinder pixels ?

269000 Pixel

Display

Display available ?

Yes

Color display ?

B/W and color

Display size

2,8 Inch

Display format ?

16:9

Display pixels ?

207000 Pixel

Touch Screen ?

External controls

Manual Zoom ?

Rocker
Ring

Manual Focus ?

Ring

Manual Aperture ?

Ring

Focus switcher ?

Yes

ND Filter ?

Yes

Exp Lock ?

Yes

Gain ?

Yes

White balance ?

Yes

Push AF ?

Yes

Audio Levels ?

Yes

Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons

Audio

Audio Formats ?

MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1

Microphone ?

Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
external XLR

Audio Control ?

auto
manual

Audio levels ?

Viewfinder
Screen
display

Still

Recording Medium ?

SD Card

Medium included ?

Effective pixels ?

1560000 Pixel

Resolutions ?

1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480

Standard ?

JPEG Exif 2.2

Flash ?

Misc.

Specials

A memory card recorder for Compact Flash (CF) memory cards is included in delivery

Product Shots

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Test results

Test pictures