| |
Model
|
| Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| Picture ? | | | | Picture ? |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Canon
| JVC
| Manufacturer |
| Name | HG20 | HG21 | GZ-HD30 | Name |
| European name ? | HG20 | HG21 | GZ-HD30 | European name ? |
| US name ? | VIXIA HG20 | VIXIA HG21 | GZ-HD30 | US name ? |
| lowest US price | | 1100 $ | 559 $ | lowest US price |
| On the market since | September 2008 | September 2008 | August 2008 | On the market since |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Canon | link to JVC | Manufacturers URL |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| 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 HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
| AVCHD
MPEG2-TS
| Video formats ? |
| Recording Medium | Built-in hard disk
SD Card
SDHC card
| Built-in hard disk
SD Card
SDHC card
| Built-in hard disk
microSD/microSDHC
| Recording Medium |
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
MPEG2 1920x1080 50i
MPEG2 1440 x1080/50i
| 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 1080/30p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/30p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/30p
| HDV 1440 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
MPEG2 1920 x 1080/60i
| video resolutions US ? |
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s | 17 Mbit/s | Max Bitrate ? |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG4
| MPEG2
MPEG4
| Compression format ? |
| on-board memory ? | 60 GB | 120 GB | 80 GB | on-board memory ? |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Canon
| JVC HD
| Optics Manufacturer ? |
| Optical Zoom ? | 12 x | 12 x | 10 x | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 43,6 mm | 43,6 mm | 43,6 mm | Wide Angle 16:9 ? |
| Filter diameter ? | 37 mm | 37 mm | 43 mm | Filter diameter ? |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
| 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 ? | 1/3,2 inch | 1/3,2 inch | 1/3 inch | Size of image sensor ? |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2070000 Pixel | 2070000 Pixel | 2 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 | 1/4000 | Minimum shutter time ? |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | Maximum shutter time ? |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
AE-Shift
| auto
manual
AE-Shift
| auto
manual
| Apperture control ? |
| Infrared recording ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Infrared recording ? |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Expanded Focus ? |
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Peaking ? |
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | Off
| Off
| Off
70%
100%
| Zebra ? |
| Histogram ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Histogram ? |
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| adjustable sharpness ? |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Adjustable color ? |
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
| 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 HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | 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 | | | - | 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 ? | Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| Mini-jack
| 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
| Standard
| Accessory shoe ? |
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
| No
| HD-SDI ? |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 465 g | 490 g | | Weight (without battery) |
| Weight (with battery) | | | 450 g | Weight (with battery) |
| Battery type | Canon BP-2L13
| Canon BP-2L13
| | Battery type |
| Battery capacity | | | | Battery capacity |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
| internal
| Charger ? |
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Remote control |
| Size |
| Height | 80 mm | 80 mm | 73 mm | Height |
| Width | 77 mm | 77 mm | 68 mm | Width |
| Depth | 138 mm | 139 mm | 123 mm | Depth |
| Relative Size ? | 8 | 8 | 6 | Relative Size ? |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | No
| Yes
| No
| Viewfinder available ? |
| Color Viewfinder ? | - | Color
| | Color Viewfinder ? |
| Viewfinder format ? | - | 16:9 | | Viewfinder format ? |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | 123000 Pixel | | 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 | 2,8 Inch | Display size |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 | Display format ? |
| Display pixels ? | 211000 Pixel | 211000 Pixel | 207000 Pixel | Display pixels ? |
| Touch Screen ? | No
| No
| No
| Touch Screen ? |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
| Rocker
| Manual Zoom ? |
| Manual Focus ? | Joystick
| Joystick
| Menu
| Manual Focus ? |
| Manual Aperture ? | Joystick
| Joystick
| 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
| | 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 HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| MPEG-1 Layer2
| Audio Formats ? |
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| Mini-jack external
| Microphone ? |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
| auto
manual
| Audio Control ? |
| Audio levels ? | Screen
| Viewfinder
Screen
| Screen
| Audio levels ? |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| Recording Medium ? | SD Card
| SD Card
| microSD
hard drive
| Recording Medium ? |
| Medium included ? | No
| No
| No
| Medium included ? |
| Effective pixels ? | 2760000 Pixel | 2760000 Pixel | | Effective pixels ? |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480
2048 x 1536 | 1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480
2048 x 1536 | 1920x1080
1440x1080
640x480
2432 x 1368 | Resolutions ? |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
| Standard ? |
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
| No
| Flash ? |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| Specials | 25 P-Mode | 25 P-Mode | -maximum bitrate 17 MPbps AVCHD, 27 Mbps MPEG-2 TS
| Specials |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| View 1 | | | | View 1 |
| View 2 | | | | View 2 |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| 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 ? | Good | Good | Good | Lowlight ? |
| Resolution ? | Good | Good | Satisfactory | 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 ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Optical Zoom ? |
| Wide Angle ? | Poor | Poor | Poor | Wide Angle ? |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Good | Configuration / image ? |
| Configuration / sound ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Configuration / sound ? |
| Handling ? | Sufficient | Sufficient | Sufficient | Handling ? |
| Portability ? | Very good | Very good | Very good | 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) | 342 | 342 | 342 | Total score ?
(maximal 570) |
| Pros | + sharpness and colors practically at the upper limit of AVCHD
+ Many manual controls
| + sharpness and colors practically at the upper limit of AVCHD
+ Many manual controls
| + Many manual controls
+ two formats (AVCHD and MPEG2)
+ good image and lowlight quality
| Pros |
| Cons | - No zebra function
- no 1/25 sec. shutter speed in cinema mode
- small wide angle
- manual focus control badly implemented
| - No zebra function
- no 1/25 sec. shutter speed in cinema mode
- small wide angle
- manual focus control badly implemented
| - the controls are hard to getting used to
- formats are not arbitrarily mixable
| Cons |
| Conclusion | Like its predecessors this cam satisfies with its very good image sharpness and the good manual controlsThe small wide-angle and missing zebra-function must be critizised.In comparison some competitors have notably better displays (Sony SR11/12) and more external manual controls (Sony SR11/12, CX11, Panasonic HS100, SD100). | Like its predecessors this cam satisfies with its very good image sharpness and the good manual controlsThe small wide-angle and missing zebra-function must be critizised.In comparison some competitors have notably better displays (Sony SR11/12) and more external manual controls (Sony SR11/12, CX11, Panasonic HS100, SD100). | The possibility to record both HD-consumer formats is a good thing, but some details are missing (the formats can not be combined at playback, no backup-tape, no HDV-recording on SD cards).Nice to see that with this introduction of CMOS sensors JVC closed the gap of lagging behind in picture qualityMany important parameters can be adjusted manually, which is great, but the operation requires a little too much patience and practice.If JVC would have included the rich manual controls of the HD7 this cam would have been a real winner for every ambitioned movie maker. | Conclusion |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon HG20 | Canon HG21 | JVC GZ-HD30 | |
| slashCAM Review | | | | slashCAM Review |
| external reviews/tests | | | | external reviews/tests |
| Comparison |  Canon HG20 compared to Canon HF M306
Canon HG20 compared to Canon HF10
Canon HG20 compared to Canon HF11
Canon HG20 compared to Samsung HMX-H204
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-CX11
Canon HG20 compared to Canon HV30
Canon HG20 compared to Canon HV20
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-SR10
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-XR155
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-CX155
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-CX116
Canon HG20 compared to Sony HDR-CX115
Canon HG20 compared to JVC GZ-X900
Canon HG20 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD10
Canon HG20 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD20
Canon HG20 compared to Canon HF R106
Canon HG20 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD1010
Canon HG20 compared to JVC GZ-HM200
| Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF G10
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS900
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD707
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS700
Canon HG21 compared to Sony HDR-CX690
Canon HG21 compared to Sony HDR-XR550V
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD600
Canon HG21 compared to JVC GZ-HM960
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-TM350
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS300
Canon HG21 compared to Panasonic HDC-SD300
Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF21
Canon HG21 compared to Sony HDR-XR500V
Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF S11
Canon HG21 compared to JVC GC-PX10
Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF S21
Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF S20
Canon HG21 compared to Canon HF S100
| JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Sony HDR-CX350V
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF M31
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF200
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Sony HDR-SR11
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS60
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF10
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to JVC GZ-HM550
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF11
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to JVC GZ-HD40
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HV20
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to JVC GZ-HM400
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HV10
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to JVC GZ-HD6
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Sanyo Xacti HD2000
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Panasonic HDC-HS20
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF R16
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF R18
JVC GZ-HD30 compared to Canon HF R28
| Comparison |
| Forum posts | Funkmikrofonset Canon HG20
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| Microphone Windscreen for Canon HG21
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Canon HG21 sound problems
Canon HG21 transferred via USB takes forever
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DOF and wide angle adapter for Canon HG21
Canon HG21 fail!
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Problems installing HG21 Win7 Drivers and Vista
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Buy Panasonic HDC-HS300 / Canon HG21 / SonyHDR-XR520VE
| Manual exposure at JVC HD30
HF10 or JVC GZ-HD30?
JVC HD30 MPEG2-TS format or AVCHD with Media Studio MagixVideo or Deluxe?
JVC GZ-HD30EX or model comparison
Decision: JVC GZ-HD30 and JVC GZ-HD5!
4:3 videos with JVC GZ-HD30
| Forum posts |
| |
