| |
Model
|
| Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic 
| Sony
|
| Name | HDC-DX1 | HDR-TG3 |
| European name ? | HDC-DX1EG | HDR-TG3E |
| US name ? | HDC-DX1 | HDR-TG3 |
| lowest US price | 949 $ | 979 $ |
| On the market since | March 2007 | May 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Panasonic | link to Sony |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Satisfactory
 | Satisfactory
|
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
|
| Recording Medium | MiniDVD 8cm
MiniDVD-DL 8cm
MiniDVD RAM 8cm
| Memory Stick PRO Duo
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 13 Mbit/s | 16 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG4
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Leica
| Carl Zeiss
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 12 x | 10 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 38,5 mm | 42,9 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 43 mm | |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| electronical
|
| ND Filter ? | | No
|
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 1 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/4 inch | 1/5 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 520000 Pixel | 1430000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CCD
| CMOS
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto
manual
presets
| auto
manual
|
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/8.000 | 1/auto
|
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/50 | auto
|
| Apperture control ? | | auto
manual
|
| Infrared recording ? | | No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | | No
|
| Peaking ? | | No
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | | 70%
100% |
| Histogram ? | | No
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | | No
|
| Adjustable color ? | | No
|
| Cinegamma ? | | No
|
| Black Strech ? | | No
|
| Knee ? | | No
|
| Colorbars ? | | No
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | | No
|
| Custom Presets ? | | No
|
| Set Time Code ? | | No
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | | Out
|
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | | via accessories
|
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | | Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| Out
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | | |
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| USB 2.0
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | Mini-jack
| No
|
| Headphones ? | | No
|
| Lanc ? | | No
|
| Time-code interface ? | | No
|
| Genlock ? | | No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | | No
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 680 g | 240 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 800 g | 300 g |
| Battery type | | Sony NP-FH50
|
| Battery capacity | | 900 mAh |
| Charger ? | | internal
|
| Remote control | | No
|
| Size |
| Height | 92 mm | 32 mm |
| Width | 91 mm | 119 mm |
| Depth | 163 mm | 63 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 13 | 2 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| No
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| - |
| Viewfinder format ? | | - |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 183000 Pixel | |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 3,0 Inch | 2,7 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 251000 Pixel | 211200 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | | Yes
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | | thumb wheel
|
| Manual Focus ? | | Menu
|
| Manual Aperture ? | | Menu
|
| Focus switcher ? | | No
|
| ND Filter ? | | No
|
| Exp Lock ? | | No
|
| Gain ? | | No
|
| White balance ? | | No
|
| Push AF ? | | No
|
| Audio Levels ? | | No
|
Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons | | No
|
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Audio Formats ? | AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
| AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
Mini-jack external
| 5.1 Internal
|
| Audio Control ? | | auto
|
| Audio levels ? | | No
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Recording Medium ? | SD Card
| Memory Stick Duo
|
| Medium included ? | No
| 4 GB
|
| Effective pixels ? | | |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080 | 2304x1728 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Specials | | Outside Europe the Cam is named Sony HDR-TG1 |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| 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 ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Color performance ? | Good | Good |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Good | Good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Sufficient |
| Wide Angle ? | Satisfactory | Poor |
| Configuration / image ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient |
| Configuration / sound ? | Sufficient | Poor |
| Handling ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Portability ? | Good | Excellent |
| Photo function ? | Sufficient | Sufficient |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Satisfactory
| Satisfactory
|
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 320 | 288 |
| Pros | + Acceptable wide-angle
+ Good lowlight characteristics
| |
| Cons | - No FullHD
-3CCDs with pixelshif do not result in full sharpness
- MiniDVD
| |
| Conclusion | The MiniDVD as a recording medium does not strike us as particularly useful for HD , so the similar model SD1 is much more interesting. | While the new Exmor CMOS technology and the Bionz signal processor provide great results with the SR-12, their benefits are leveled by the smaller chip area of the TG3.Demanding filmmakers will find too many compromises in terms of lowlight, ports and manual controls, preventing them from using the camera seriously.Ambitious filmmakers on the other hand will like the nice interface via touch screen. |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Panasonic HDC-DX1 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | | |
| Forum posts |  Data transmission from the Panasonic HDC-DX1
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no video output at Panasonic HDC-DX1 via AV cable
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