| |
Model
|
| Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Canon
|
| Name | PMW-EX1R | XL H1A |
| European name ? | PMW-EX1R | XL H1A |
| US name ? | PMWEX1R | XL H1A |
| lowest US price | | |
| On the market since | December 2009 | June 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Canon |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Very good
|
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| Video formats ? | MPEG2-TS
XDCAM EX
| MiniDV
HDV
|
| Recording Medium | SxS / PC Express
| MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
|
| video resolutions EU ? | MPEG2 1920x1080 1-30p
MPEG2 1280x720 1-60p
MPEG2 1920x1080 1-60i
MPEG2 1440 x1080 1-60i
SD MPEG2 720 x 576
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
MiniDV 720 x 576/25F
HDV 1440 x 1080/25F
|
| video resolutions US ? | MPEG2 1920x1080 1-30p
MPEG2 1280x720 1-60p
MPEG2 1920x1080 1-60i
MPEG2 1440 x1080 1-60i
SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| 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
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 35 Mbit/s | 25 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | XDCAM MPEG2
| DV
MPEG2
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Fujinon
| Canon
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 14 x | 20 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 31,4 mm | 39 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 77 mm | 72 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optical
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 2 | 2 |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| Yes
|
| Image Sensor |
| Number of sensors ? | 3 | 3 |
| Size of image sensor ? | 1/2 inch | 1/3 inch |
| image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ? | 2073600 Pixel | 1560000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CCD
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto
manual
presets
| auto
manual
presets
|
| Focus ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/2.000 | 1/16.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 70-100% | Off
70-100%
|
| Histogram ? | Yes
| No
|
| 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 ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| In
Out
|
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | No
| In
Out
|
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| No
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | In
Out
| In
Out
|
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| No
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR
| XLR
Cinch
|
| Headphones ? | 3.5 mm mini-jack
| 3.5 mm mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | No
| Yes
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| |
| Genlock ? | No
| |
| Accessory shoe ? | 2 x standard
| Standard
|
| HD-SDI ? | Out
| |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 2400 g | 3435 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 2800 g | 3750 g |
| Battery type | Sony BP-U30
| Canon BP-950G
|
| Battery capacity | | 5200 mAh |
| Charger ? | external
| external
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 178 mm | 226 mm |
| Width | 176 mm | 220 mm |
| Depth | 311 mm | 496 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 97 | 246 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | B/W and color
| Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 900000 Pixel | 215000 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 3,5 Inch | 2,4 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 921000 Pixel | 215000 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | No
| |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
Ring
| Rocker
Ring
|
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| Ring
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Ring
| Menu
|
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Exp Lock ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Gain ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| White balance ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Push AF ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Audio Levels ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons | 4 | |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| Audio Formats ? | MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1
HDV: 4x48kHz 16bit MPEG 2
|
| Microphone ? | external XLR
| Stereo internal
external XLR
|
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| auto
manual
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder
Screen
| Viewfinder
display
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| Recording Medium ? | | SD Card
|
| Medium included ? | | 16 MB
|
| Effective pixels ? | | 1560000 Pixel |
| Resolutions ? | | 1920x1080
1440x1080
848x480
640x480 |
| Standard ? | | JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | | No
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| Specials | Cache recording up to 15 seconds.SD-recording too | optional upgrade for NTSC recordingsimulataneous video signal at RCA and BNC output |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| 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 ? | Excellent | Good |
| Resolution ? | Very good | Very good |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Very good |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Very good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Wide Angle ? | Very good | Satisfactory |
| Configuration / image ? | Excellent | Very good |
| Configuration / sound ? | Excellent | Excellent |
| Handling ? | Very good | Very good |
| Portability ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient |
| Photo function ? | Poor | Sufficient |
| Optics ? | Very good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Very good | Very good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
| Very good
|
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 467 | 405 |
| Pros | + excellent image quality
+ Manual handling
+ Exceptionally well equipped
+ LowLight behavior
| + Excellent resolution in brightness and color
+ interchangeable lenses
+ 4 audio channels for HDV
+ Very well equipped
|
| Cons | - Expensive SxS-cards
| - unergonomical on the shoulder
|
| Conclusion | Almost everything that was criticized on the EX1 (mainly concerning the switches/buttons and ergonomics) has been addressed and improved.In its current form, it definitely still plays in the top league in terms of low light performance, handling and functionality, and with its 1/2-inch chip it is one of the "bigger" small ones. | 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 ] | Sony PMW-EX1R | Canon XL H1A |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | |  www.camcorderinfo.com
|
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