| |
Model
|
| Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| Picture ? | | |
| Manufacturer | Sony 
| Panasonic
|
| Name | HDR-AX2000 | AG-HPX170 |
| European name ? | HDR-AX2000 | AG-HPX171 |
| US name ? | HDR-AX2000 | AG-HPX-170 |
| lowest US price | 2849 $ | 4325 $ |
| On the market since | February 2010 | September 2008 |
| Manufacturers URL | link to Sony | link to Panasonic |
|
|
Test preview
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
 | Good
 |
| test picture 1200 Lux | | |
| Test image 12 lux auto-mode | | |
Video
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| Video formats ? | AVCHD
SD MPEG2
| MiniDV
DVC PRO 25
DVC PRO 50
DVC PRO HD
|
| Recording Medium | SDHC card
Memory Stick PRO Duo
| P2 card
|
| video resolutions EU ? | AVCHD 1440 x 1080/50i
MPEG2 720 x756/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/50i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/25p
| MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
DVC PRO 25,576 / 50i
DVC PRO 50,576 / 50i
DVC PRO HD 720/25p
DVC PRO HD 720/50p
DVCPROHD 1080/25p
DVCPROHD 1080/50i
DVCPROHD 1080/24p
DVCPROHD 1080/30p
DVCPROHD 1080/60i
DVCPRO HD 720 24p - 60i
DVCPRO HD 24p 1080 - 60i
|
| video resolutions US ? | AVCHD 1920 x 1080/60i
AVCHD 1920 x 1080/24p
AVCHD 1440 x 1080/60i
SD MPEG2 720 x 480
| MiniDV 720 x 576/50i
DVCPROHD 1080/24p
DVCPROHD 1080/30p
MiniDV 720 x 480/60i
720 MiniDV x480/24p
MiniDV 720 x 480/30p
DVCPRO HD 720 24p - 60i
DVCPRO HD 24p 1080 - 60i
|
| Max Bitrate ? | 24 Mbit/s | 100 Mbit/s |
| Compression format ? | MPEG2
MPEG4
| DV
DVC PRO HD-proprietary
|
| on-board memory ? | | |
| Optics |
| Optics Manufacturer ? | Sony
| Leica
|
| Optical Zoom ? | 20 x | 13 x |
| Wide Angle 16:9 ? | 29,5 mm | 28 mm |
| Filter diameter ? | 72 mm | 72 mm |
| Image Stabilization ? | optically and electronically
| optical
|
| ND Filter ? | 3 | 3 |
| Exchangable optics ? | No
| No
|
| 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 | 1100000 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 | 1/2.000 |
| Maximum shutter time ? | 1/3 | 1/24 |
| Apperture control ? | auto
manual
AE-Shift
| auto
manual
AE-Shift
|
| Infrared recording ? | No
| No
|
| Expanded Focus ? | Yes
| No
|
| Peaking ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Signal Processing |
| Zebra ? | 70-100% | 50-105% |
| Histogram ? | No
| Yes
|
| adjustable sharpness ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Adjustable color ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Cinegamma ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Black Strech ? | No
| No
|
| Knee ? | No
| Yes
|
| Colorbars ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Misc. |
| Shot Transition ? | No
| No
|
| Custom Presets ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Set Time Code ? | No
| Yes
|
Configuration
|
| Connections |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
FBAS ?
synonymous: RCA, composite | Out
| Out
|
YC ?
synonymous: S-Video | About Special Equipment
| |
YUV ?
synonymous: Component Signal | Out
| Out
|
| HDMI ? | Out
| |
DV / HDV (FireWire) ?
synonymous: ILink / IEEE-1394 | - | In
Out
|
| USB ? | USB 2.0
| USB 2.0
|
| Microphone / Audio input ? | XLR
| XLR
|
| Headphones ? | Mini-jack
| 3.5 mm mini-jack
|
| Lanc ? | No
| No
|
| Time-code interface ? | No
| No
|
| Genlock ? | No
| No
|
| Accessory shoe ? | Standard
| Standard
|
| HD-SDI ? | No
| Out
|
| Misc. |
| Weight (without battery) | 2100 g | 1900 g |
| Weight (with battery) | 2300 g | 2250 g |
| Battery type | Sony F570
| Panasonic CGA-D54
|
| Battery capacity | | 5400 mAh |
| Charger ? | internal
| external
|
| Remote control | Yes
| Yes
|
| Size |
| Height | 173 mm | 179 mm |
| Width | 187 mm | 154 mm |
| Depth | 342 mm | 397 mm |
| Relative Size ? | 110 | 109 |
| Viewfinder |
| Viewfinder available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color Viewfinder ? | Color
| Color
|
| Viewfinder format ? | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Viewfinder pixels ? | 1226880 Pixel | 235000 Pixel |
| Display |
| Display available ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Color display ? | Color
| Color
|
| Display size | 3,2 Inch | 3,5 Inch |
| Display format ? | 16:9 | 4:3 |
| Display pixels ? | 921600 Pixel | |
| Touch Screen ? | Yes
| No
|
| External controls |
| Manual Zoom ? | Rocker
Ring
| Rocker
Ring
|
| Manual Focus ? | Ring
| Ring
|
| Manual Aperture ? | Ring
button
| Wheel
|
| Focus switcher ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| ND Filter ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Exp Lock ? | Yes
| |
| Gain ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| White balance ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Push AF ? | Yes
| Yes
|
| Audio Levels ? | Yes
| Yes
|
Custom Keys ?
synonymous: User buttons | 7 | 3 |
Audio
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| Audio Formats ? | Dolby AC-3 Digital 2 channel 48 KHz
| MiniDV: 2x48kHz 16bit PCM
MiniDV: 4x32kHz 12bit PCM
DVC PRO 4x48kHz 16bit PCM
|
| Microphone ? | Stereo internal
external XLR
| Stereo internal
external XLR
|
| Audio Control ? | auto
manual
| manual
|
| Audio levels ? | Viewfinder
Screen
| Screen
|
Still
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| Recording Medium ? | Memory Stick Duo
| |
| Medium included ? | No
| |
| Effective pixels ? | | |
| Resolutions ? | | |
| Standard ? | JPEG Exif 2.2
| |
| Flash ? | No
| |
Misc.
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| Specials | "Smooth Slow Record" slow motion. | -european modell is named AG-HPX171
In the 720p mode the frame rate can be changed in 20 steps from 12 to 50 fps (European model; international NTSC-model to 60fps)
|
Product Shots
|
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| View 1 | | |
| View 2 | | |
Test results
|
| Test pictures |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| 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 | Satisfactory |
| Resolution ? | Good | Satisfactory |
| Color performance ? | Very good | Good |
| subj.Picture impression ? | Very good | Good |
| Optical Zoom ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Wide Angle ? | Very good | Very good |
| Configuration / image ? | Very good | Very good |
| Configuration / sound ? | Very good | Very good |
| Handling ? | Very good | Very good |
| Portability ? | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| Photo function ? | Poor | Poor |
| Optics ? | Good | Very good |
| Dynamics ? | Very good | Very good |
| Conclusion slashCAM |
| slashCAM rating ? | Very good
| Good
|
Total score ?
(maximal 570) | 425 | 385 |
| Pros | + large wide angle
+ XLR audio
+ good low light performance
+ high resolution display / viewfinder
| Good wide angle
+ Professional controls
+ genuine 720/50p mode and a variable framerate
|
| Cons | - sharpness only average
- no touch focus
- no shot transition
| - low sharpness due to pixel shift
- P2 cards are more expensive than tape
- 4:3 display with low resolution
|
| 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. | Panasonic´s AG-HPX171E scores with its handling and the Leica lens shows very little chromatic aberrations.Thanks to finally cheaper recording cards the AG-HPX171E can be seen as an allround-model suited for both documentary and fiction shooting.But pixel counting searchers for ultimate sharpness will be happier with other models, as will those who do not wish to invest in P2 cards. The resolution of the display is too low. |
More information
|
| Reviews and Forums |
| [ top ] | Sony HDR-AX2000 | Panasonic AG-HPX170 |
| slashCAM Review | | |
| external reviews/tests | |  provideocoalition.com
provideocoalition.com
|
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