| |
Model
|
| Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Sony 
|
| Name | XL H1S | HVR-Z7 |
| European name ? | XL H1S | HVR-Z7E |
| US name ? | XL H1S | HVR-Z7U |
| lowest US price | 7049 $ | 4849 $ |
| On the market since | May 2008 | February 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Sony |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | not yet tested |
| test picture 1200 Lux | |  |
| test picture 12 Lux | |  |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| Video formats ? | MiniDV HDV
| MiniDV HDV DVCAM
|
| Recording Medium | MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
| MiniDV/HDV-Cassette external flash memory
|
| video resolutions EU ? | HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/25F HDV 1440 x 1080/25F
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i DVCAM 720 x 576/50i HDV 1440 x 1080/60i HDV 1440 x 1080/25p HDV 1440 x 1080/24p HDV 1440 x 1080/30p
|
| video resolutions US ? | HDV 1440 x 1080/60i HDV 1440 x 1080/24p HDV 1440 x 1080/30p MiniDV 720 x 480/60i MiniDV 720 x480/24p MiniDV 720 x 480/30p
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i DVCAM 720 x 576/50i HDV 1440 x 1080/60i DVCAM 720 x 480/60i HDV 1440 x 1080/25p HDV 1440 x 1080/24p HDV 1440 x 1080/30p MiniDV 720 x 480/60i MiniDV 720 x480/24p MiniDV 720 x 480/30p
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 25 Mbit/s | 25 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | DV MPEG2
| DV MPEG2
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Carl Zeiss
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 20 x | 12 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 39 mm | 32 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 72 mm | 72 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 2 | 3 |
| Exchangable optics ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 3 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/3 inch | 1/3 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 1560000 Pixel | 1037000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CCD
| CMOS
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets
| auto manual presets WB-Shift
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 16.000 | 10.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Apperture control ? | auto manual AE-Shift
| auto manual AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| |
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | Off 70-100%
| 70-100+% |
| Histogram ? | No
| Yes
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Black Strech ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Knee ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Set Time Code ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | In Out
| Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | In Out
| |
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | No
| Out
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ? synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | In Out
| In Out
|
| USB ? | No
| No
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR Cinch
| XLR
|
| Headphones ? | 3.5 mm mini-jack
| Mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Time-code interface ? | In Out
| No
|
| Genlock ? | In
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| |
| HD-SDI ? | Out
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 3435 g | |
| Weight (with battery) | 3750 g | 2800 g |
| Battery type | Canon BP-950G
| |
| Battery capacity | 5200 mAh | |
| Charger ? | external
| external
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 226 mm | 176 mm |
| Width | 220 mm | 199 mm |
| Depth | 496 mm | 439 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 246 | 153 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 215000 Pixel | 1226880 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 2,4 Inch | 3,2 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 215000 Pixel | 921600 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | | No
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker Ring
| Rocker Ring
|
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| Ring
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| Ring button
|
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Exp Lock ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Gain ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| White balance ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Push AF ? | Yes
| No
|
| Audio Levels ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Custom Keys ? synonymous: User buttons | | 6 |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| Audio Formats ? | MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1 HDV: 4x48kHz 16bit MPEG 2
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal external XLR
| external XLR
|
| Audio Control ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder display
| Viewfinder Screen
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| Recording Medium ? | SD Card
| Memory Stick Duo
|
| Medium included ? | 16 MB
| No
|
| Effective pixels ? | 1560000 Pixel | 1037000 Pixel |
| Resolutions ? | 1920x1080 1440x1080 848x480 640x480 | 1440x1080 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | No
| No
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| Specials | optional upgrade for NTSC recordingsimulataneous video signal at RCA and BNC output | A memory card recorder for Compact Flash (CF) memory cards is included in delivery |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| luminance resolution | |  |
| chrominance resolution | |  |
| lens distortion | |  |
| test small ISO image | |  |
| noise / internal microphone | |  |
| test picture 1200 Lux | |  |
| test picture 12 Lux | |  |
| slashCAM rating |
| Lowlight ? | Good | |
| Resolution ? | Excellent | |
| 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) | 413 | |
| 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 H1 has excellent CCDs, which in many areas make full use of the potential HDV resolution.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.Also the surcharge for professional jacks seems disproportionate. | |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Canon XL H1S | Sony HVR-Z7 |
| slashCAM Review | XL H1S Review | HVR-Z7 Review |
| external reviews/tests | | provideocoalition.com
|
| Forum posts | Canon XL H1s XL H1a - nothing new in the East
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