/// HD Camcorder Comparison

Picture ?

Manufacturer

Sony

Panasonic

Name

HVR-HD1000

HC-X909 (3D mit VW-CLT2)

European name ?

HVR-HD1000E

HC-X909 (3D mit VW-CLT2)

US name ?

HVR-HD1000U

HC-X909 (3D mit VW-CLT2)

lowest US price

1520 $

(1299) $

On the market since

May 2008

February 2012

Manufacturers URL

link to Panasonic

Test preview

slashCAM rating ?

Satisfactory

Sufficient

test picture 1200 Lux

Test image 12 lux auto-mode

Video

Video formats ?

HDV

MVC 3D

Recording Medium

MiniDV/HDV-Cassette

SD Card
SDHC card
SDXC card

video resolutions EU ?

HDV 1440 x 1080/50i

AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i 3D

video resolutions US ?

HDV 1440 x 1080/60i

AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i 3D

Max Bitrate ?

25 Mbit/s

28 Mbit/s

Compression format ?

MPEG2

MPEG4

on-board memory ?

Optics

Optics Manufacturer ?

Carl Zeiss

Leica

Optical Zoom ?

10 x

1,5 x

Wide Angle 16:9 ?

40 mm

29,8 mm

Filter diameter ?

37 mm

- mm

Image Stabilization ?

optical

optically and electronically

ND Filter ?

Exchangable optics ?

Image Sensor

Number of sensors ?

Size of image sensor ?

1/2,9 inch

1/4,1 inch

image sensor effective pixel count 16:9 ?

2280000 Pixel

2190000 Pixel

Image Sensor Type ?

CMOS

Controls

White Balance ?

auto
manual
presets
WB-Shift

Focus ?

auto
manual

auto

Minimum shutter time ?

1/10.000

1/8.000

Maximum shutter time ?

1/3

1/25

Apperture control ?

auto
manual

auto
manual
AE-Shift

Infrared recording ?

Yes

Expanded Focus ?

Peaking ?

Signal Processing

Zebra ?

Off
70%
100%

100%

Histogram ?

Yes

adjustable sharpness ?

Yes

Adjustable color ?

Yes

Cinegamma ?

Black Strech ?

Knee ?

Colorbars ?

Yes

Misc.

Shot Transition ?

Custom Presets ?

Set Time Code ?

Configuration

Connections

FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite

Out

YC ?
synonymous: S-Video

Out

YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal

Out

HDMI ?

Out

Out mini

DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394

Out

USB ?

USB 2.0

Microphone / Audio input ?

Mini-jack

Headphones ?

Mini-jack

Lanc ?

Yes

Time-code interface ?

Genlock ?

Accessory shoe ?

Standard

HD-SDI ?

Misc.

Weight (without battery)

2700 g

425 g

Weight (with battery)

3000 g

480 g

Battery type

Sony F570

Panasonic VW-VBN 130

Battery capacity

2200 mAh

1250 mAh

Charger ?

internal

internal
external

Remote control

Yes

Size

Height

384 mm

67 mm

Width

206 mm

72 mm

Depth

708 mm

150 mm

Relative Size ?

560

Viewfinder

Viewfinder available ?

Yes

Color Viewfinder ?

Color

Viewfinder format ?

16:9

Viewfinder pixels ?

263000 Pixel

Display

Display available ?

Yes

Color display ?

Color

Display size

2,7 Inch

3,5 Inch

Display format ?

16:9

Display pixels ?

211200 Pixel

1152000 Pixel

Touch Screen ?

Yes

External controls

Manual Zoom ?

Rocker
Ring

Rocker
Zoom ring multi-assigned

Manual Focus ?

Menu
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel

Manual Aperture ?

bi-functional focus or aperture wheel

Menu
bi-functional focus or aperture wheel

Focus switcher ?

ND Filter ?

Exp Lock ?

Gain ?

White balance ?

Push AF ?

Audio Levels ?

Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons

Audio

Audio Formats ?

MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
HDV: 2x48kHz 16bit MPEG 1

AC-3 Dolby Digital 5.1 640 kbit max.
Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz

Microphone ?

Mini-jack external

5.1 Internal

Audio Control ?

auto
manual

Audio levels ?

Viewfinder
Screen

Still

Recording Medium ?

Memory Stick Duo

SD Card
SDHC card
SDXC card

Medium included ?

Effective pixels ?

3000000 Pixel

2370000 Pixel

Resolutions ?

640x480
2048 x 1536
2848x2136
2848x1602

1920x1080

Standard ?

JPEG Exif 2.2

Flash ?

Yes

Misc.

Specials

- Less options in 3D mode (see chart)

Product Shots

View 1

View 2

Test results

Test pictures

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 ?

Satisfactory

Resolution ?

Good

Poor

Color performance ?

Satisfactory

subj.Picture impression ?

Good

Sufficient

Optical Zoom ?

Sufficient

Poor

Wide Angle ?

Sufficient

Good

Configuration / image ?

Good

Satisfactory

Configuration / sound ?

Satisfactory

Handling ?

Satisfactory

Portability ?

Sufficient

Very good

Photo function ?

Satisfactory

Poor

Optics ?

Good

Satisfactory

Dynamics ?

Good

Satisfactory

Conclusion slashCAM

slashCAM rating ?

Satisfactory

Sufficient

Total score ?
(maximal 570)

304

271

Pros

- cheapest shoulder mounted HD camcorder to date
-lots of connection options

- optional 3D
- No more Trauerraender

Cons

- somewhat outdated technique
- almost no manual control elements
- no XLR

- Low sharpness

Conclusion

For training purposes the HD1000 is not very suitable, since it isn`t operated in the same way as pro-cams.For a professional handling you`ll need many control elements on the camera body, and those are lacking on the HD1000.But compared with other current top consumer cams, many things actually can be controlled manually, a fact that might make this camera interesting to some buyers.If Sony had included the chips and the display used on the SR11/12, many more customers might have taken interest in this model, not least due to the manual shutter control.But now what you`ll get is middle-rate (but not bad!) image quality in a price range where not many cameras are to be found.Those looking for an cheap shoulder cam -- even if it`s only to look more professional to customers -- will not find anything less expensive in HD.

Those who plan to shoot a lot of 3D should rather go for a dual-lens model of any major manufacturer.Panasonics adapter solution has indeed improved compared to the predecessor, but does not deliver particularly sharp results.

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