| |
Model
|
| Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Panasonic
|
| Name | XL H1A | HDC-DX3 |
| European name ? | XL H1A | HDC-DX3 |
| US name ? | XL H1A | HDC-DX3 |
| lowest US price | | 2799 $ |
| On the market since | June 2008 | May 2007 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Panasonic |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | not yet tested |
| test picture 1200 Lux | |  |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| Video formats ? | MiniDV
HDV
| AVCHD
|
| Recording Medium | MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
| MiniDVD 8cm
MiniDVD-DL 8cm
|
| video resolutions EU ? | HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/25F
HDV 1440 x 1080/25F
| AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
|
| video resolutions US ? | HDV 1440 x 1080/60i
HDV 1440 x 1080/24p
HDV 1440 x 1080/30p
MiniDV 720 x 480/60i
720 MiniDV x480/24p
MiniDV 720 x 480/30p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 25 Mbit/s | 13 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | DV
MPEG2
| MPEG4
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Leica
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 20 x | 12 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 39 mm | 38,5 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 72 mm | 43 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 2 | |
| Exchangable optics ? | Yes
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 3 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/3 inch | 1/4 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 1560000 Pixel | 560000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CCD
| CCD
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto
manual
presets
| |
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| |
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/16.000 | 1/8.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/50 |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
AE-Shift
| |
| Infrared recording ? | No
| Yes
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| |
| Peaking ? | Yes
| |
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | Off
70-100%
| |
| Histogram ? | No
| |
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| |
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| |
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| |
| Black Strech ? | Yes
| |
| Knee ? | Yes
| |
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| |
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | Yes
| |
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| |
| Set Time Code ? | Yes
| |
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | In
Out
| |
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | In
Out
| |
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| |
| HDMI ? | No
| Out
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | In
Out
| |
| USB ? | No
| |
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR
Cinch
| |
| Headphones ? | 3.5 mm mini-jack
| |
| Lanc ? | Yes
| |
| Time-code interface ? | | No
|
| Genlock ? | | No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| |
| HD-SDI ? | | No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 3435 g | 680 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 3750 g | 800 g |
| Battery type | Canon BP-950G
| |
| Battery capacity | 5200 mAh | |
| Charger ? | external
| |
| Remote control | Yes
| |
| Size |
| Height | 226 mm | 92 mm |
| Width | 220 mm | 91 mm |
| Depth | 496 mm | 163 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 246 | 13 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 215000 Pixel | 183000 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 2,4 Inch | 3,0 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 215000 Pixel | 251000 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | | |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
Ring
| |
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| |
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| |
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| |
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| |
| Exp Lock ? | Yes
| |
| Gain ? | Yes
| |
| White balance ? | Yes
| |
| Push AF ? | Yes
| |
| Audio Levels ? | Yes
| |
Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons | | |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| Audio Formats ? | MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
HDV: 4x48kHz 16bit MPEG 2
| AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
external XLR
| |
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| |
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder
display
| |
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| Recording Medium ? | SD Card
| |
| Medium included ? | 16 MB
| |
| Effective pixels ? | 1560000 Pixel | |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480 | 1920x1080 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | No
| |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| Specials | optional upgrade for NTSC recordingsimulataneous video signal at RCA and BNC output | |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| 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 | |
| Resolution ? | Very good | |
| Color performance ? | Very good | |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | |
| Wide Angle ? | Satisfactory | |
| Configuration / image ? | Very good | |
| Configuration / sound ? | Excellent | |
| Handling ? | Very good | |
| Portability ? | Sufficient | |
| Photo function ? | Sufficient | |
| Optics ? | Good | |
| Dynamics ? | Very good | |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
| not yet tested |
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 405 | |
| Pros | + Excellent resolution in brightness and color
+ interchangeable lenses
+ 4 audio channels for HDV
+ Very well equipped
| |
| Cons | - unergonomical on the shoulder
| |
| Conclusion | The Canon XL H1A has excellent CCDs, which in some aspects tap the full resolution potential of HDV.In combination with very good dynamic behavior and the consistent colors this provides a very good image impression.The standard lens is not satisfying: for less distortion and chromatic aberrations as well as for more wide angle pros need to go for an additional (more expensive) optics. | |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1A | Panasonic HDC-DX3 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests |  www.camcorderinfo.com
| |
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