| |
Model
|
| Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Canon
| Canon
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HF M31 | HF21 | HF20 | Name |
| European name ? | Legria HF M31 | Legria HF21 | Legria HF20 | European name ? |
| US name ? | VIXIA HF M31 | VIXIA HF21 | VIXIA HF20 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | 628 $ | 1099 $ | 699 $ | lowest US price |
| On the market since | March 2010 | September 2009 | April 2009 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Canon | link to Canon | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| 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 HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
| AVCHD
| Video formats ? |
| Recording Medium | SDHC card
built-in flash memory
| SDHC card
| SDHC card
| Recording Medium |
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| 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 1920 x 1080/30p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
| video resolutions US ? |
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | Max Bitrate ? |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG4
| MPEG4
| Compression format ? |
| on-board memory ? | 32 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB | on-board memory ? |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Canon
| Canon
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 15 x | 15 x | 15 x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 39,5 mm | 39,5 mm | 39,5 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 37 mm | 37 mm | 37 mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optical
| optical
| 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 ? | 1/4 inch | 1/4 inch | 1/4 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2990000 Pixel | 2990000 Pixel | 2990000 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
| auto
manual
| White Balance ? |
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Focus ? |
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/2.000 | 1/2.000 | 1/2.000 | Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/2 | 1/6 | 1/6 | Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| 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
| Yes
| Yes
| adjustable sharpness ? |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| 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
| Yes
| Yes
| Custom Presets ? |
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
| No
| Set Time Code ? |
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
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 ? | Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| Microphone / Audio input ? |
| Headphones ? | also AV-output
| also AV-output
| 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 ? | Advanced Mini
| Advanced Mini
| Advanced Mini
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 320 g | 340 g | 340 g | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | 380 g | 400 g | 400 g | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Canon BP-808
| Canon BP-809
| Canon BP-809
| Battery type |
| Battery capacity | 890 mAh | 890 mAh | 890 mAh | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
| internal
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 60 mm | 62 mm | 62 mm | Height |
| Width | 68 mm | 70 mm | 70 mm | Width |
| Depth | 123 mm | 124 mm | 124 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 5 | 5 | 5 | 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 ? | 211000 Pixel | 211000 Pixel | 211000 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| No
| No
| Touch Screen ? |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
| Rocker
| Manual Zoom ? |
| Manual Focus ? | Menu
| Menu
| Menu
| Manual Focus ? |
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| Menu
| Menu
| 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 ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| 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
manual
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | Screen
| Viewfinder
Screen
| Viewfinder
Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| Recording Medium ? | built-in flash memory
SDHC card
| SDHC card
| SDHC card
| Recording Medium ? |
| Medium included ? | No
| No
| No
| Medium included ? |
| Effective pixels ? | | | | Effective pixels ? |
| Resolutions ? | 2304 x 1296 - Max
| 2304 x 1296 - Max
| 2304 x 1296 - Max
| Resolutions ? |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| Standard ? |
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Flash ? |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| Specials | | | | Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| 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 ? | Good | 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 ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Good | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Handling ? |
| Portability ? | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | 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) | 369 | 367 | 367 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + Many manual controls
| + Many manual controls
| + Many manual controls
| Pros |
| Cons | - No Zebra
| - fiddly operation
- No Zebra
- Manual focus very poor
| - fiddly operation
- No Zebra
- Manual focus very poor
| Cons |
| Conclusion | A big drawback from the previous series has been fixed: setting the focus works much better thanks to the touch screen.But overall the operation is still somewhat fiddly at certain points.The large display of the upcoming HF S series will thus come in handy. On the minus side we have the low light capabilities, the missing zebra mode and the small wide angle.A plus is the lowered price, as well as the cinegamma/25p-mode and the fact, that the camera, given enough light, produces very consistent images in the auto mode. | Compared with the older models of the same series the smaller sensor, the picture problems and the exaggerated sharpness offer no real advancementsAdd to that the bad low-light sensitivity with some bright pixel noise, the missing histogram and zebra-displays and the manual focus problems.On the positive side: the low price and the fact that the pictures in the automatic mode (assumed there is enough light) are sharp and generally good. | Compared with the older models of the same series the smaller sensor, the picture problems and the exaggerated sharpness offer no real advancementsAdd to that the bad low-light sensitivity with some bright pixel noise, the missing histogram and zebra-displays and the manual focus problems.On the positive side: the low price and the fact that the pictures in the automatic mode (assumed there is enough light) are sharp and generally good. | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M31 | Canon HF21 | Canon HF20 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests | | |  www.camcorderinfo.com
| external reviews/tests |
| Comparison | Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HM845
Canon HF M31 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HF20
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HF200
Canon HF M31 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HF M36
Canon HF M31 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HF100
Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HD30
Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HD40
Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HM400
Canon HF M31 compared to Samsung HMX-S10
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HV10
Canon HF M31 compared to JVC GZ-HD6
Canon HF M31 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD2000
Canon HF M31 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS20
Canon HF M31 compared to Canon HF R16
| Canon HF21 compared to Canon HF G10
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS900
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD707
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS700
Canon HF21 compared to Sony HDR-CX690
Canon HF21 compared to Sony HDR-XR550V
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD600
Canon HF21 compared to JVC GZ-HM960
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM350
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS300
Canon HF21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD300
Canon HF21 compared to Sony HDR-XR500V
Canon HF21 compared to Canon HF S11
Canon HF21 compared to JVC GC-PX10
Canon HF21 compared to Canon HF S21
Canon HF21 compared to Canon HF S20
Canon HF21 compared to Canon HF S100
Canon HF21 compared to Canon HG21
| Canon HF20 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM900
Canon HF20 compared to Panasonic HDC-SDT750
Canon HF20 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM700
Canon HF20 compared to JVC GZ-HM845
Canon HF20 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
Canon HF20 compared to Sony HDR-CX305V
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF M31
Canon HF20 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF M41
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF M36
Canon HF20 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF100
Canon HF20 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
Canon HF20 compared to JVC GZ-HM1
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF S200
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF S20
Canon HF20 compared to Canon HF S10
Canon HF20 compared to JVC GZ-HD30
| Comparison |
| Forum posts | | | Canon HF200 is wrong to object properties?
Is it worth switching over of a new Canon HF200 camera with 50p?
How do you find the Canon HF20?
Canon HF200 or 550D
Canon HF200 - Strip Videos (Youtube)
Canon HF200 AVCHD or with hard disk recorder. Possible?
What 32GB card for Canon HF200??
Canon HF200 vs. Rebel T2i
Settings of the Canon HF200
Canon hv 30 vs Canon HF200
sound problems with Canon HF200
Canon HF20/HF200 image
Canon XH G1 / / Canon HF200
| Forum posts |
| |
