| |
Model
|
| Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Canon 
| Sony 
|
| Name | HF S11 | HDR-TG3 |
| European name ? | Legria HF S11 | HDR-TG3E |
| US name ? | VIXIA HF S11 | HDR-TG3 |
| lowest US price | 920 $ | 979 $ |
| On the market since | September 2009 | May 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Canon | link to Sony |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Satisfactory
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
| AVCHD
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card built-in flash memory
| Memory Stick PRO Duo
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p AVCHD 1920 x 1080/30p
| AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 16 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG4
| MPEG4
|
| on-board memory ? | 64 GB | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Canon
| Carl Zeiss
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 10 x | 10 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 43,6 mm | 42,9 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 58 mm | |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| electronical
|
| ND Filter ? | No
| No
|
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 1 | 1 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/2,6 inch | 1/5 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 6010000 Pixel | 1430000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CMOS
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets
| auto manual
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/2.000 | 1/auto
|
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/6 | auto
|
| Apperture control ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Infrared recording ? | | No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| No
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| No
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 70% 100% | 70% 100% |
| Histogram ? | No
| No
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| No
|
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| No
|
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| No
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| No
|
| Knee ? | No
| No
|
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| No
|
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| No
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| No
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | No
| via accessories
|
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| 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 ? | also AV-output
| No
|
| Lanc ? | No
| No
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
|
| Genlock ? | No
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | Advanced Mini
| No
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| No
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 450 g | 240 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 500 g | 300 g |
| Battery type | Canon BP-807
| Sony NP-FH50
|
| Battery capacity | 890 mAh | 900 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| internal
|
| Remote control | Yes
| No
|
| Size |
| Height | 69 mm | 32 mm |
| Width | 70 mm | 119 mm |
| Depth | 136 mm | 63 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 6 | 2 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | No
| No
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | - | - |
| Viewfinder format ? | - | - |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | | |
| 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 ? | 211000 Pixel | 211200 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | No
| Yes
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
| thumb wheel
|
| Manual Focus ? | Wheel Menu Joystick
| Menu
|
| Manual Aperture ? | bi-functional focus or aperture wheel
| Menu
|
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| No
|
| 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 | 1 | No
|
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| 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 manual
| auto
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder Screen
| No
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Recording Medium ? | built-in flash memory SDHC card
| Memory Stick Duo
|
| Medium included ? | No
| 4 GB
|
| Effective pixels ? | | |
| Resolutions ? | 3264 x 2448 | 2304x1728 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| Specials | | Outside Europe the Cam is named Sony HDR-TG1 |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Canon HF S11 | 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 ? | Good | Satisfactory |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Good |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Sufficient | Sufficient |
| Wide Angle ? | Poor | Poor |
| Configuration / image ? | Good | Sufficient |
| Configuration / sound ? | Satisfactory | Poor |
| Handling ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Portability ? | Very good | Excellent |
| Photo function ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Good | Good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Good
 | Satisfactory
 |
Total score ? (maximal 570) | 354 | 288 |
| Pros | + Many manual controls
| |
| Cons | - focusing is hard - no 1/25 sec. shutter speed in cinema mode - small wide angle
| |
| Conclusion | Compared with its predecessor Canon indeed could enhance ist low light capabilitiesThe high photo pixel resolution results in a good but not unique video resolution and focussing is harder with a Canon model compared with a Sony or Panasonic.In return the cam has got a lot of interesting controls and features ehich are only topped by Panasonic | 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 ] | Canon HF S11 | Sony HDR-TG3 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | | |
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