| |
Model
|
| Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Canon
| Panasonic
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HF M36 | HF M306 | HDC-SD66 | Name |
| European name ? | Legria HF M36 | Legria HF M306 | HDC-SD66 | European name ? |
| US name ? | VIXIA HF M36 | HF M306 | HDC-SD66 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | (749) $ | 400 $ | | lowest US price |
| On the market since | March 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Canon | link to Panasonic | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| 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 M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| 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
| 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
| video resolutions US ? |
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 24 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 ? | Canon
| Canon
| Panasonic
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 15 x | 15 x | 25x x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 39,5 mm | 39,5 mm | 35,7 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 37 mm | 37 mm | - mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optically and electronically
| optically and electronically
| 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 | 1/4,1 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2990000 Pixel | 2990000 Pixel | 2110000 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
| auto
manual
| Focus ? |
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/2.000 | 1/2.000 | 1/8.000 | Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/25 | Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Apperture control ? |
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
| No
| Infrared recording ? |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Expanded Focus ? |
| Peaking ? | No
| No
| Yes
| 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
| No
| No
| Custom Presets ? |
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
| No
| Set Time Code ? |
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
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
No
| Mini-jack
No
| No
| Microphone / Audio input ? |
| Headphones ? | also AV-output
| also AV-output
| No
| 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
| No
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 320 g | 320 g | 258 g | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | 380 g | 380 g | | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Canon BP-808
| Canon BP-808
| Panasonic VW-VBK 180
| Battery type |
| Battery capacity | 890 mAh | 890 mAh | 1790 mAh | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
| internal
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 60 mm | 60 mm | 52 mm | Height |
| Width | 68 mm | 68 mm | 66 mm | Width |
| Depth | 123 mm | 123 mm | 112 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 5 | 5 | 3 | 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 | 230400 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| 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 M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| 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
| Stereo internal
| Stereo internal
| Microphone ? |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | Screen
| Screen
| Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| Recording Medium ? | built-in flash memory
SDHC card
| SDHC card
| SD 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
| 2592 x1944-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 M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| Specials | | | compatible with SDXC cards | Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| 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 | Good | Color performance ? |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Very good | Good | subj.Picture impression ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Good | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Good | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Good | Good | Good | 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) | 361 | 361 | 358 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + Many manual controls
| + Many manual controls
| + manual controls for shutter and aperture
+ factory setting adjustable
| Pros |
| Cons | - No Zebra
| - No Zebra
| - no microphone and headphone jacks
- no accessory shoe
- no filter thread
- display resolution only average
| 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. | 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. | The options for manual control surpass those of competing models.Hardly any lens distorsion, good sharpness and wide angle in combination with acceptable low-light capabilities: that is a novelty in this price region.However, there is zero connectivity in terms of microphones etc. | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon HF M36 | Canon HF M306 | Panasonic HDC-SD66 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests | | | | external reviews/tests |
| Comparison |  Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS900
Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM900
Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-SDT750
Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM700
Canon HF M36 compared to JVC GZ-HM845
Canon HF M36 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS300
Canon HF M36 compared to Sony HDR-CX305V
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF M31
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF20
Canon HF M36 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF M41
Canon HF M36 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF100
Canon HF M36 compared to JVC GZ-HM1
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF S11
Canon HF M36 compared to JVC GC-PX10
Canon HF M36 compared to Canon HF S200
| Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HF10
Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HF11
Canon HF M306 compared to Samsung HMX-H204
Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HG20
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-CX11
Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HV30
Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HV20
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-SR10
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-XR155
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-CX155
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-CX116
Canon HF M306 compared to Sony HDR-CX115
Canon HF M306 compared to JVC GZ-X900
Canon HF M306 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD10
Canon HF M306 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD20
Canon HF M306 compared to Canon HF R106
Canon HF M306 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD1010
Canon HF M306 compared to JVC GZ-HM200
| Panasonic HDC-SD66 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM60
| Comparison |
| Forum posts | Test: Touching successor - Canon HF M31, and M36 RF RF M306
| Canon HF M306 vs Panasonic SD-707 = more worth the price?
[Purchase]: Canon HF 200 vs. M306 vs Canon HF. Panasonic SD66
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Questions about the Panasonic HDC-SD66
Wide Angle Adapter Panasonic SD66
| Forum posts |
| |
