| |
Model
|
| Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Canon 
|
| Name | HDR-AX2000 | XL H1A |
| European name ? | HDR-AX2000 | XL H1A |
| US name ? | HDR-AX2000 | XL H1A |
| lowest US price | 2849 $ | |
| On the market since | February 2010 | June 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Canon |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Very good
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD SD MPEG2
| MiniDV HDV
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card Memory Stick PRO Duo
| MiniDV/HDV-Cassette
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i MPEG2 720 x756/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| HDV 1440 x 1080/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/50i MiniDV 720 x 576/25F HDV 1440 x 1080/25F
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i 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 ? | 24 Mbit/s | 25 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG2 MPEG4
| DV MPEG2
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Sony
| Canon
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 20 x | 20 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 29,5 mm | 39 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 72 mm | 72 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 3 | 2 |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| 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 ? | 1037000 Pixel | 1560000 Pixel |
| Image Sensor Type ? | CMOS
| CCD
|
| Controls |
| White Balance ? | auto manual presets WB-Shift
| auto manual presets
|
| Focus ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Minimum shutter time ? | 1/10.000 | 1/16.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Apperture control ? | auto manual AE-Shift
| auto manual AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 70-100% | Off 70-100%
|
| Histogram ? | No
| No
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| Yes
|
| Knee ? | No
| Yes
|
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| Yes
|
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| Yes
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
FBAS ? synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| In Out
|
YC ? synonymous: S-Video | About Special Equipment
| In Out
|
YUV ? synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| No
|
DV / HDV (FireWire) ? synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | In Out
|
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| No
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR
| XLR Cinch
|
| Headphones ? | Mini-jack
| 3.5 mm mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | No
| Yes
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| |
| Genlock ? | No
| |
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| Standard
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| |
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 2100 g | 3435 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 2300 g | 3750 g |
| Battery type | Sony F570
| Canon BP-950G
|
| Battery capacity | | 5200 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| external
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 173 mm | 226 mm |
| Width | 187 mm | 220 mm |
| Depth | 342 mm | 496 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 110 | 246 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 1226880 Pixel | 215000 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 3,2 Inch | 2,4 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Display pixels ? | 921600 Pixel | 215000 Pixel |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| |
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker Ring
| Rocker Ring
|
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| Ring
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Ring button
| 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 | 7 | |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1 HDV: 4x48kHz 16bit MPEG 2
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal external XLR
| Stereo internal external XLR
|
| Audio Control ? | auto manual
| auto manual
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder Screen
| Viewfinder display
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| Recording Medium ? | Memory Stick Duo
| SD Card
|
| Medium included ? | No
| 16 MB
|
| Effective pixels ? | | 1560000 Pixel |
| Resolutions ? | | 1920x1080 1440x1080 848x480 640x480 |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| JPEG Exif 2.2
|
| Flash ? | No
| No
|
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| Specials | "Smooth Slow Record" slow motion. | optional upgrade for NTSC recordingsimulataneous video signal at RCA and BNC output |
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | 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 ? | Very good | Good |
| Resolution ? | 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 ? | Very good | Very good |
| Configuration / sound ? | Very good | Excellent |
| Handling ? | Very good | Very good |
| Portability ? | Satisfactory | Sufficient |
| Photo function ? | Poor | Sufficient |
| Optics ? | Good | Good |
| Dynamics ? | Very good | Very good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Very good
 |
Total score ? (maximal 570) | 425 | 405 |
| Pros | + large wide angle + XLR audio + good low light performance + high resolution display / viewfinder
| + Excellent resolution in brightness and color + interchangeable lenses + 4 audio channels for HDV + Very well equipped
|
| Cons | - sharpness only average - no touch focus - no shot transition
| - unergonomical on the shoulder
|
| Conclusion | Consumer camcorders like Panasonics 300-series or the JVC GZ-HM400 are able to deliver sharper FullHD images.But on the other hand the AX2000 shines with its low light capabilities, handling, display, viewfinder, wide angle and also in the audio section.As a universal workhorse this semiprofessionell AVCHD-camcorder thus makes a thoroughly good impression.Also the pricing which lies well below the EX1 makes it interesting.A touch focus and shot transiton had been nice though.The former could (as an option) be of advantage also on a rather professional model like this, while the latter would seperate it more from consumer devices. | 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 HDR-AX2000 | Canon XL H1A |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | | www.camcorderinfo.com
|
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