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Model
|
| Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Sony 
|
| Name | HDR-CX305V | HDR-HC9 |
| European name ? | HDR-CX305VE | HDR-HC9E |
| US name ? | HDR-CX305V | HDR-HC9 |
| lowest US price | (799) $ | 911 $ |
| On the market since | March 2010 | February 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Sony |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Satisfactory
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD SD MPEG2
| MiniDV HDV
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card Memory Stick PRO Duo built-in flash memory
| MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i SD MPEG2 720 x 576
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| HDV 1440 x 1080/60i MiniDV 720 x 480/60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 25 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG2 MPEG4
| DV MPEG2
|
| on-board memory ? | 16 GB | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Sony
| Carl Zeiss
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 12 x | 10 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 29,8 mm | 41,3 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 30 mm | 37 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
|
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 1 | 1 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/4 inch | 1/2,9 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | | 2280000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CMOS
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets
| auto manual presets WB-Shift
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/auto
| 1/10.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | auto
| 1/3 |
| Apperture control ? | auto manual
| auto AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| Yes
|
| Expanded Focus ? | No
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | No
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | No
| Off 70% 100%
|
| Histogram ? | No
| Yes
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | No
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | No
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | No
| No
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| No
|
| Knee ? | No
| No
|
| Colorbars ? | No
| Yes
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| No
|
| Custom Presets ? | No
| No
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | About Special Equipment
| No
|
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| Out
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ? synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | In Out
|
| USB ? | USB 2.0 OUT
| USB 2.0
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | No
| Mini-jack Cinch
|
| Headphones ? | No
| Mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | No
| Yes
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
|
| Genlock ? | No
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | AI
| AI
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 310 g | 550 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 360 g | |
| Battery type | Sony NP-FV50
| Sony NP-FH60
|
| Battery capacity | 980 mAh | 1000 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 52 mm | 82 mm |
| Width | 64 mm | 82 mm |
| Depth | 112 mm | 138 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 3 | 9 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | No
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | - | Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | - | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | 123200 Pixel |
| 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 | 211200 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| Rocker
|
| Manual Focus ? | Menu
| Menu bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Menu
| bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
|
| Focus switcher ? | No
| Yes
|
| 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
| |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
| Stereo internal Mini-jack external
|
| Audio Control ? | auto
| auto manual
|
| Audio levels ? | No
| Viewfinder Screen
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| Recording Medium ? | Memory Stick Duo built-in flash memory SDHC card
| Memory Stick Duo
|
| Medium included ? | No
| No
|
| Effective pixels ? | 3540000 Pixel | 1991000 Pixel |
| Resolutions ? | 2304 x 1728 - Max
| 2848x2136 2848x1602 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| Specials | - | &"Smooth Slow Record" slow motion mode: 3 seconds are recorded with 200 half frames/sec., resulting in a 4-fold slow motion.However, the recording is without sound and in poorer image quality. |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| 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 | Satisfactory |
| Color performance ? | Good | Satisfactory |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Sufficient |
| Wide Angle ? | Excellent | Sufficient |
| Configuration / image ? | Sufficient | Satisfactory |
| Configuration / sound ? | Poor | Satisfactory |
| Handling ? | Good | Satisfactory |
| Portability ? | Excellent | Very good |
| Photo function ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Satisfactory
 |
Total score ? (maximal 570) | 370 | 310 |
| Pros | + focus and exposure control via touchscreen works well + good low light performance
| + good subjective image impression
|
| Cons | - no microphone and headphone jacks - display resolution only average - little manual control
| - low color resolution - color moirees
|
| 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. | The Sony HDR-HC9 has a fairly good brightness resolution, but tends to show quite significant color moirés on fine details.The color resolution is only on SD-level, which makes for a rather soft image impression.In terms of color the HC7 is neutral.The wide angle is very limited for indoor shots, lens errors keep whithin limits though.In low-light situations the HC7 produces somewhat colorless and dark images.The touchscreen brings no points in the equipment grades. |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-CX305V | Sony HDR-HC9 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | | |
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