| |
Model
|
| Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Canon 
|
| Name | HDR-CX305V | HF M36 |
| European name ? | HDR-CX305VE | Legria HF M36 |
| US name ? | HDR-CX305V | VIXIA HF M36 |
| lowest US price | (799) $ | (749) $ |
| On the market since | March 2010 | March 2010 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Canon |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Good
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD SD MPEG2
| AVCHD
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card Memory Stick PRO Duo built-in flash memory
| SDHC card built-in flash memory
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i SD MPEG2 720 x 576
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 24 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG2 MPEG4
| MPEG4
|
| on-board memory ? | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Sony
| Canon
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 12 x | 15 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 29,8 mm | 39,5 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 30 mm | 37 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optically and electronically
|
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
|
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 1 | 1 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/4 inch | 1/4 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | | 2990000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CMOS
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets
| auto manual presets
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/auto
| 1/2.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | auto
| 1/2 |
| Apperture control ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | No
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | No
| No
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | No
| No
|
| Histogram ? | No
| No
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | No
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | No
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | No
| Yes
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| No
|
| Knee ? | No
| No
|
| Colorbars ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| No
|
| Custom Presets ? | No
| No
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | About Special Equipment
| No
|
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| Out mini
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ? synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | - |
| USB ? | USB 2.0 OUT
| USB 2.0
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | No
| Mini-jack No
|
| Headphones ? | No
| also AV-output
|
| Lanc ? | No
| No
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
|
| Genlock ? | No
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | AI
| Advanced Mini
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 310 g | 320 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 360 g | 380 g |
| Battery type | Sony NP-FV50
| Canon BP-808
|
| Battery capacity | 980 mAh | 890 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 52 mm | 60 mm |
| Width | 64 mm | 68 mm |
| Depth | 112 mm | 123 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 3 | 5 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | No
| No
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | - | - |
| Viewfinder format ? | - | - |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 2,7 Inch | 2,7 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 230400 Pixel | 211000 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
|
| Manual Focus ? | Menu
| Menu
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| Menu
|
| Focus switcher ? | No
| No
|
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
|
| Exp Lock ? | No
| No
|
| Gain ? | No
| No
|
| White balance ? | No
| No
|
| Push AF ? | No
| No
|
| Audio Levels ? | No
| No
|
Custom Keys ? synonymous: User buttons | No
| No
|
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
| Stereo internal
|
| Audio Control ? | auto
| auto manual
|
| Audio levels ? | No
| Screen
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| Recording Medium ? | Memory Stick Duo built-in flash memory SDHC card
| built-in flash memory SDHC card
|
| Medium included ? | No
| No
|
| Effective pixels ? | 3540000 Pixel | |
| Resolutions ? | 2304 x 1728 - Max
| 2304 x 1296 - Max
|
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| Specials | - | |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| luminance resolution | | |
| chrominance resolution | | |
| lens distortion | | |
| test small ISO image | | |
| noise / internal microphone | | |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode ? | | |
| Test image 12 lux optimized ? | | |
| slashCAM rating |
| Lowlight ? | Good | Satisfactory |
| Resolution ? | Good | Good |
| Color performance ? | Good | Very good |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Very good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory |
| Wide Angle ? | Excellent | Satisfactory |
| Configuration / image ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory |
| Configuration / sound ? | Poor | Sufficient |
| Handling ? | Good | Good |
| Portability ? | Excellent | Excellent |
| Photo function ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Good
 |
Total score ? (maximal 570) | 370 | 361 |
| Pros | + focus and exposure control via touchscreen works well + good low light performance
| + Many manual controls
|
| Cons | - no microphone and headphone jacks - display resolution only average - little manual control
| - No Zebra
|
| Conclusion | Too bad Sony still does not offer any manual control on their medium-class camcorders.Because the camera actually delivers an overall good image for this price range.The wide angle lens with its almost 29mm (kb) surely makes it attractive to some buyers, since competing models offer nothing of the sort.On the other hand the camera has a spicy price tag, which makes it look somewhat less good compared to the new Panasonic series (HDC-XX60).Hence, in its price range it recommends itself only to those who need a generous wide angle without any manual control or connectivity. | 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. |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Canon HF M36 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | | |
| Forum posts | | Test: Touching successor - Canon HF M31, and M36 RF RF M306
|
| |