| |
Model
|
| Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| JVC
| Panasonic
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HV20 | GZ-HM400 | HDC-HS100 | Name |
| European name ? | HV20 | GZ-HM400E | HDC-HS100EG | European name ? |
| US name ? | HV20 | GZ-HM400 | HDC-HS100 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | | 559 $ | 1060 $ | lowest US price |
| On the market since | April 2007 | September 2009 | September 2008 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to JVC | link to Panasonic | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| 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 ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| Video formats ? | MiniDV
HDV
| AVCHD
| AVCHD
| Video formats ? |
| Recording Medium | MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
| SDHC card
built-in flash memory
| Built-in hard disk
SDHC card
| Recording Medium |
| video resolutions EU ? | HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/25F
HDV 1440 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
| AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| video resolutions EU ? |
| 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
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/24p
| video resolutions US ? |
| Max Bitrate ? | 25 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | 17 Mbit/s | Max Bitrate ? |
| Compression format ? | DV
MPEG2
| MPEG4
| MPEG4
| Compression format ? |
| on-board memory ? | | 32 GB | 60 GB | on-board memory ? |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Konica Minolta
| Leica
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 10 x | 10 x | 12 x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 43,6 mm | 48 mm | 42 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 43 mm | 46 mm | 37 mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
| optical
| Image Stabilization ? |
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| No
| No
| ND Filter ? |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
| No
| Exchangable optics ? |
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 1 | 1 | 3 | Number of sensors ? |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/2,7 inch | 1/2,33 inch | 1/6 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2070000 Pixel | | 520000 Pixel | image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CMOS
| CMOS
| Image Sensor Type ? |
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto
manual
presets
| auto
manual
presets
| auto
manual
presets
| White Balance ? |
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| | auto
manual
| Focus ? |
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/2.000 | 1/4000 | 1/8.000 | Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/25 | Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
AE-Shift
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Apperture control ? |
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
| No
| Infrared recording ? |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| No
| Yes
| Expanded Focus ? |
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Peaking ? |
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | Off
70%
100%
| Off
70%
100%
| Off
100%
| Zebra ? |
| Histogram ? | No
| No
| Yes
| Histogram ? |
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| adjustable sharpness ? |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| No
| Yes
| Adjustable color ? |
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Cinegamma ? |
| Black Strech ? | No
| No
| No
| Black Strech ? |
| Knee ? | No
| No
| No
| Knee ? |
| Colorbars ? | No
| No
| No
| Colorbars ? |
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| No
| No
| Shot Transition ? |
| Custom Presets ? | No
| No
| No
| Custom Presets ? |
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
| No
| Set Time Code ? |
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | In
Out
| Out
| Out
| FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite |
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | No
| No
| | YC ?
synonymous: S-Video |
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
| Out
| YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal |
| HDMI ? | Out
| Out
| Out
| HDMI ? |
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | In
Out
| - | - | 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
| Yes
| Microphone / Audio input ? |
| Headphones ? | Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| 3.5 mm mini-jack
| Headphones ? |
| Lanc ? | No
| No
| No
| Lanc ? |
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
| No
| Time-code interface ? |
| Genlock ? | No
| No
| No
| Genlock ? |
| Accessory shoe ? | Intelligent
| Standard
| Standard
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | | 400 g | 420 g | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | 535 g | 485 g | 482 g | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Canon BP-2L13
| JVC BNVF815U
| Panasonic VW-VBG130-K
| Battery type |
| Battery capacity | | 1460 mAh | | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
| external
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 80 mm | 67 mm | 74 mm | Height |
| Width | 88 mm | 72 mm | 138 mm | Width |
| Depth | 138 mm | 135 mm | 76 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 9 | 6 | 7 | Relative Size ? |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| No
| Yes
| Viewfinder available ? |
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| - | Color
| Color Viewfinder ? |
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | - | 16:9 | Viewfinder format ? |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 123000 Pixel | | 183000 Pixel | Viewfinder pixels ? |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Display available ? |
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
| Color
| Color display ? |
| Display size | 2,7 Inch | 2,8 Inch | 2,7 Inch | Display size |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | Display format ? |
| Display pixels ? | 210000 Pixel | | 300000 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | No
| No
| No
| Touch Screen ? |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
| Rocker
Zoom ring multi-assigned
| Manual Zoom ? |
| Manual Focus ? | Wheel
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| Ring
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| Manual Focus ? |
| Manual Aperture ? | bi-functional focus or aperture 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
| 1 | No
| Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| Audio Formats ? | MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
| Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
| Audio Formats ? |
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Mini-jack external
5.1 Internal
| Microphone ? |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | No
| Screen
| Viewfinder
Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| Recording Medium ? | MiniSD
| SDHC card
| SD Card
hard drive
| Recording Medium ? |
| Medium included ? | No
| No
| No
| Medium included ? |
| Effective pixels ? | 2760000 Pixel | 1037000 Pixel | | Effective pixels ? |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480
2048 x 1536 | 3456 x 2592 max
| 1920x1080 | Resolutions ? |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| Standard ? |
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Flash ? |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| Specials | | | -Quick Power : ready to record in 1,9 seconds
| Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| 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 | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Lowlight ? |
| Resolution ? | Very good | Good | Satisfactory | Resolution ? |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Very good | Good | Color performance ? |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Good | Good | subj.Picture impression ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Poor | Poor | Sufficient | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Good | Good | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Sufficient | Good | Good | Handling ? |
| Portability ? | Very good | Very good | Excellent | Portability ? |
| Photo function ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Sufficient | 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) | 340 | 336 | 336 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + Excellent resolution in brightness and color
+ Compact
+ Very good price / performance ratio
| + manual controls for shutter, focus and aperture
+ Custom Key
| -lens-ring with lots of manual functions
| Pros |
| Cons | - small wide angle
- slight problems with reds
- over-simplified operation
| - manual controls are a bit slow
| -average sharpness
-menu-structure and menu-handling
| Cons |
| Conclusion | Thanks to the excellent resolution of its CMOS the Canon HV20 makes almost full use of the HDV-system in brightness as well as color.Noticeable is the high resolution in diagonals.With enough light the HV20 makes a very clean picture, only in low light there is visible image noise.The optics has very little distorsion, but offers only a small wide angle. | The GZ-HM400 got one of the sharpest images of its classToo bad you can no longer adjust the colors.The external controls will be interesting for people who like to manually adjust things and be in control.In addition to the slowness of the parameters, when filming, the user has to decide whether to use the fast white balance, focus help or custom keys.Otherwise it is back to the menu via laser touch controls | This is going in the right direction.More manual control is what is missing with most of the current AVCHD cams.And this is exactly what Panasonic is delivering.Thanks to histogramm, zebra, luma display and expanded focus manual control is better than on any other camera below 1000 Euros.The somewhat below average sharpness of the camera is something one can live with, but there are also one or two other minor things on this camera which could have been solved better.But definitely one of the most interesting newcomers 2008 | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon HV20 | JVC GZ-HM400 | Panasonic HDC-HS100 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests |  www.videomaker.com
www.camcorderinfo.com
| | www.camcorderinfo.com
| external reviews/tests |
| Comparison | Canon HV20 compared to Panasonic HC-V707
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HF200
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HF M306
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HF10
Canon HV20 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HF11
Canon HV20 compared to Samsung HMX-H204
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HG20
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-CX11
Canon HV20 compared to Canon HV30
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-SR10
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-XR155
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-CX155
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-CX116
Canon HV20 compared to Sony HDR-CX115
Canon HV20 compared to JVC GZ-X900
Canon HV20 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD2000
Canon HV20 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD10
| JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Panasonic HC-V707
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Sony HDR-CX570
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HF M31
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HF200
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HF10
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HF11
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to JVC GZ-HD30
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to JVC GZ-HD40
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HV20
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HV10
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to JVC GZ-HD6
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD2000
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS20
JVC GZ-HM400 compared to Canon HF R16
| Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Canon HF G10
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS900
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD707
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS700
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Sony HDR-CX690
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Sony HDR-CX730
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Sony HDR-XR550V
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD600
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to JVC GZ-HM960
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM350
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS300
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD300
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Sony HDR-CX305V
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Canon HF M32
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Canon HF21
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Sony HDR-XR500V
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Canon HF M41
Panasonic HDC-HS100 compared to Canon HF S11
| Comparison |
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Firewire under Windows7 and HV20 shows artifacts
A question of storage media - used or new HF10 Canon HV20
In Memoriam Canon HV20 - HDV long-lived
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Wanted: Canon's successor to the Canon HV20 ...
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Getting Started with the GT35PRO 35mm s.der Canon HV20
HF100 or HV20 + Questions
Test - Sin City Effect with a Canon HV20
| Test: JVC GZ-HM400
| purchase advice SonyHDR-SR11, Panasonic HDC-HS100; Canon HG21
Panasonic HDC-HS100 and HDC-SD100
Panasonic HDC-HS100
Test Panasonic HDC-HS100
| Forum posts |
| |
