/// HD Camcorder Comparison

Picture ?

Manufacturer

Sony

Hitachi

Name

HDR-CX305V

DZ-BD7HE

European name ?

HDR-CX305VE

DZ-BD7HE

US name ?

HDR-CX305V

DZ-BD7H

lowest US price

(799) $

800 $

On the market since

March 2010

October 2007

Manufacturers URL

Test preview

slashCAM rating ?

Good

not yet tested

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode

Video

Video formats ?

AVCHD
SD MPEG2

MPEG4/AVC

Recording Medium

SDHC card
Memory Stick PRO Duo
built-in flash memory

MiniDVD 8cm
Built-in hard disk
MiniBluRay 8cm

video resolutions EU ?

AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
SD MPEG2 720 x 576

HD 1920 x 1080i

video resolutions US ?

AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
SD MPEG2 720 x 480

AVC/h.264 1920 x 1080/60i

Max Bitrate ?

24 Mbit/s

16 Mbit/s

Compression format ?

MPEG2
MPEG4

MPEG4

on-board memory ?

16 GB

Optics

Optics Manufacturer ?

Sony

Optical Zoom ?

12 x

10 x

Wide Angle 16:9 ?

29,8 mm

Filter diameter ?

30 mm

43 mm

Image Stabilization ?

optically and electronically

electronical

ND Filter ?

Exchangable optics ?

Image Sensor

Number of sensors ?

Size of image sensor ?

1/4 inch

1/2,8 inch

image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ?

2000000 Pixel

Image Sensor Type ?

CMOS

Controls

White Balance ?

auto
manual
presets

Focus ?

auto
manual

Minimum shutter time ?

1/auto

Maximum shutter time ?

auto

Apperture control ?

auto
manual

Infrared recording ?

Expanded Focus ?

Peaking ?

Signal Processing

Zebra ?

Off

Histogram ?

adjustable sharpness ?

Adjustable color ?

Cinegamma ?

Black Strech ?

Knee ?

Colorbars ?

Misc.

Shot Transition ?

Custom Presets ?

Set Time Code ?

Configuration

Connections

FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite

Out

YC ?
synonymous: S-Video

About Special Equipment

YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal

Out

HDMI ?

Out

DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394

USB ?

USB 2.0 OUT

USB 2.0

Microphone / Audio input ?

Headphones ?

Lanc ?

Time-code interface ?

Genlock ?

Accessory shoe ?

Standard

HD-SDI ?

Misc.

Weight (without battery)

310 g

630 g

Weight (with battery)

360 g

Battery type

Sony NP-FV50

Battery capacity

980 mAh

Charger ?

internal

Remote control

Yes

Size

Height

52 mm

83 mm

Width

64 mm

87 mm

Depth

112 mm

166 mm

Relative Size ?

Viewfinder

Viewfinder available ?

Yes

Color Viewfinder ?

Color

Viewfinder format ?

Viewfinder pixels ?

200000 Pixel

Display

Display available ?

Yes

Color display ?

Color

Display size

2,7 Inch

Display format ?

16:9

Display pixels ?

230400 Pixel

210000 Pixel

Touch Screen ?

Yes

External controls

Manual Zoom ?

Rocker

Manual Focus ?

Joystick

Manual Aperture ?

Focus switcher ?

Yes

ND Filter ?

Exp Lock ?

Gain ?

White balance ?

Push AF ?

Audio Levels ?

Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons

Audio

Audio Formats ?

Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz

Microphone ?

Stereo internal

Audio Control ?

auto

Audio levels ?

Still

Recording Medium ?

Memory Stick Duo
built-in flash memory
SDHC card

SD Card

Medium included ?

Effective pixels ?

3540000 Pixel

Resolutions ?

2304 x 1728 - Max

2400 x 1800

Standard ?

JPEG Exif 2.2

Flash ?

Yes

Misc.

Specials

never rolled out in germany

Product Shots

View 1

View 2

Test results

Test pictures

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 ?

Good

Color performance ?

Good

subj.Picture impression ?

Very good

Optical Zoom ?

Sufficient

Wide Angle ?

Excellent

Configuration / image ?

Sufficient

Configuration / sound ?

Poor

Handling ?

Good

Portability ?

Excellent

Photo function ?

Satisfactory

Optics ?

Good

Dynamics ?

Good

Conclusion slashCAM

slashCAM rating ?

Good

not yet tested

Total score ?
(maximal 570)

370

Pros

+ focus and exposure control via touchscreen works well
+ good low light performance

Cons

- no microphone and headphone jacks
- display resolution only average
- little manual control

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.

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