| |
Model
|
| Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic 
| Canon
| Canon
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HDC-SD20 | HF R106 | HF R16 | Name |
| European name ? | HDC-SD20EG | HF R106 | HF R16 | European name ? |
| US name ? | HDC-SD20K | HF R106 | HF R16 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | 420 $ | 400 $ | 556 $ | lowest US price |
| On the market since | February 2009 | March 2010 | March 2010 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Panasonic | | | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| slashCAM rating ? | Satisfactory
 | Satisfactory
| Satisfactory
| 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-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
| AVCHD
| Video formats ? |
| Recording Medium | SDHC card
| SDHC card
| 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
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
AVCHD 1440 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 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/24p
| 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 ? | 17 Mbit/s | 17 Mbit/s | 17 Mbit/s | Max Bitrate ? |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG4
| MPEG4
| Compression format ? |
| on-board memory ? | | | 8 GB | on-board memory ? |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Leica
| Canon
| Canon
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 16 x | 20 x | 20 x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 42 mm | 40 mm | 40 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 43 mm | - mm | - mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| electronical
| electronical
| Image Stabilization ? |
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
| No
| ND Filter ? |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
| No
| Exchangable optics ? |
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 1 | 1 | 1 | Number of sensors ? |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/6 inch | 1/5,5 inch | 1/5,5 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 1170000 Pixel | 1560000 Pixel | 1560000 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/auto
| 1/auto
| Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/25 | auto
| auto
| Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
| auto
| auto
| Apperture control ? |
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
| No
| Infrared recording ? |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Expanded Focus ? |
| Peaking ? | No
| No
| No
| Peaking ? |
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | No
| No
| No
| Zebra ? |
| Histogram ? | No
| No
| No
| Histogram ? |
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| No
| No
| adjustable sharpness ? |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Adjustable color ? |
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| 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 ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
| Out
| FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite |
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | No
| No
| No
| YC ?
synonymous: S-Video |
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
| Out
| YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal |
| HDMI ? | Out mini
| Out mini
| Out mini
| 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 ? | No
| No
| No
| Microphone / Audio input ? |
| Headphones ? | No
| No
| No
| Headphones ? |
| Lanc ? | No
| No
| No
| Lanc ? |
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
| No
| Time-code interface ? |
| Genlock ? | No
| No
| No
| Genlock ? |
| Accessory shoe ? | No
| No
| No
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 270 g | | | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | 327 g | 270 g | 270 g | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Panasonic VW-VBG070
| Canon BP-2L5
| Canon BP-2L5
| Battery type |
| Battery capacity | 725 mAh | 500 mAh | 500 mAh | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | | internal
| internal
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| No
| No
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 64 mm | 60 mm | 60 mm | Height |
| Width | 67 mm | 64 mm | 64 mm | Width |
| Depth | 127 mm | 124 mm | 124 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 5 | 4 | 4 | Relative Size ? |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | No
| No
| No
| Viewfinder available ? |
| Color Viewfinder ? | - | - | - | Color Viewfinder ? |
| Viewfinder format ? | - | - | - | Viewfinder format ? |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | | | Viewfinder pixels ? |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Display available ? |
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
| Color
| Color display ? |
| Display size | 2,7 Inch | 2,7 Inch | 2,7 Inch | Display size |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | Display format ? |
| Display pixels ? | 230400 Pixel | 112000 Pixel | 112000 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Touch Screen ? |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
| Rocker
| Manual Zoom ? |
| Manual Focus ? | Menu
| Joystick
| Joystick
| Manual Focus ? |
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| Joystick
| Joystick
| Manual Aperture ? |
| Focus switcher ? | No
| No
| No
| 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
| No
| Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| Audio Formats ? | 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
| Stereo internal
| Stereo internal
| Microphone ? |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | Screen
| Screen
| Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| Recording Medium ? | SDHC card
| SDHC card
| built-in flash memory
SDHC card
| Recording Medium ? |
| Medium included ? | No
| No
| No
| Medium included ? |
| Effective pixels ? | 2100000 Pixel | 1730000 Pixel | 1730000 Pixel | Effective pixels ? |
| Resolutions ? | 1920 x 1080 - max
| 1920 x 1080 - max
| 1920 x 1080 - max
| Resolutions ? |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| Standard ? |
| Flash ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Flash ? |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| Specials | | Cinemode with 25p | Cinemode with 25p | Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| 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 ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Lowlight ? |
| Resolution ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Resolution ? |
| Color performance ? | Good | Sufficient | Sufficient | Color performance ? |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Satisfactory | Good | Good | subj.Picture impression ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient | Sufficient | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Handling ? |
| Portability ? | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Portability ? |
| Photo function ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Photo function ? |
| Optics ? | Good | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Optics ? |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good | Good | Dynamics ? |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Satisfactory
| Satisfactory
| Satisfactory
| slashCAM rating ? |
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 293 | 289 | 289 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + manual controls for shutter and aperture
+ factory setting adjustable
| - Automatic lens shutter
| - Automatic lens shutter
| Pros |
| Cons | - somewhat blurred compared with other HD video
| - wide angle
- little manual control
| - wide angle
- little manual control
| Cons |
| Conclusion | This cam shines with unusual (in this price category) manual controls and smart automatic modes and a touchscreen.But the small 1 chip sensor limits the picture quality too much. | With little wide angle, small sensors, lean low-light performance and few manual functions, it is hard to see any reason to choose one of the smaller Canon models, given a budget of 500 Euro.The 2010 competition simply has more to offer. | With little wide angle, small sensors, lean low-light performance and few manual functions, it is hard to see any reason to choose one of the smaller Canon models, given a budget of 500 Euro.The 2010 competition simply has more to offer. | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-SD20 | Canon HF R106 | Canon HF R16 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests | | | | external reviews/tests |
| Comparison |  Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HF M306
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HF10
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HF11
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Samsung HMX-H204
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HG20
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-CX11
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HV30
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HV20
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-SR10
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-XR155
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-CX155
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-CX116
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sony HDR-CX115
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to JVC GZ-X900
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD10
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Canon HF R106
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD1010
Panasonic HDC-SD20 compared to JVC GZ-HM200
| Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HF M306
Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HF10
Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HF11
Canon HF R106 compared to Samsung HMX-H204
Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HG20
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-CX11
Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HV30
Canon HF R106 compared to Canon HV20
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-SR10
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-XR155
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-CX155
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-CX116
Canon HF R106 compared to Sony HDR-CX115
Canon HF R106 compared to JVC GZ-X900
Canon HF R106 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD10
Canon HF R106 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD20
Canon HF R106 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD1010
Canon HF R106 compared to JVC GZ-HM200
| Canon HF R16 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF M31
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF200
Canon HF R16 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
Canon HF R16 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF10
Canon HF R16 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF11
Canon HF R16 compared to JVC GZ-HD30
Canon HF R16 compared to JVC GZ-HD40
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HV20
Canon HF R16 compared to JVC GZ-HM400
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HV10
Canon HF R16 compared to JVC GZ-HD6
Canon HF R16 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD2000
Canon HF R16 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS20
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF R18
Canon HF R16 compared to Canon HF R28
| Comparison |
| Forum posts | | Test: Canon HF HF R18 R16 and R106 RF
| Test: Canon HF HF R18 R16 and R106 RF
| Forum posts |
| |
