Dropping a grand and a half on a brand new top of the line HD camcorder is a frightening proposition. Not only should video quality reside at the top of the heap, but the camcorder should also be fully strapped with shooting controls and loaded with advanced features that help further enhance creative expression. Take Canon and Panasonic's multiple frame rates, for instance. Structurally, a camcorder should be ergonomic and easy to drive. Sony's Cam Control dial was the best of the lot for making quick manual controls. Media plays a large part as well, and we've seen Sony take a prodigious leap to a 240GB internal HDD with the introduction of the Sony HDR-XR520V. And finally, after everyone has left the party, there's image quality.
Photo mode used to be tacked on as a safety feature on the manufacturer's behalf, in order for the camcorder to remain competitive within its class. In previous years, Photo mode on a camcorder seemed more like a sad joke than anything, but 2009 has been a harbinger of impressive sensors and advanced processing, enabling camcorders to hike up the native megapixel count. The Panasonic HDC-HS300 can capture 10-megapixel stills while the Canon HF S10 is capable of 8-megapixel native stills. Sony is slightly behind in the times, with the ability to capture 12-megapixel interpolated images, meaning images that are blown-up from a native 6-megapixels. We don't care if a camera or camcorder can capture 99-megapixel images or 3-megapixel images, as long as the image quality is there.
So, which of the three top camcorder manufacturers wins in the still image title bout? Panasonic? Sony? Canon? We were least impressed with the Panasonic HDC-HS300's image performance, despite its 10-megapixel native resolution. We've seen comparable cell phone pictures. So, we shot side by side with the Sony HDR-XR520V and Canon Vixia HF S10. In the end, the Canon Vixia HF S10 won by a landslide. Its still image quality rivaled a decent portion of entry-level compact digital cameras in most lighting conditions. The Sony HDR-XR520V lacked a lot of fine detail and died a tragic death in low light, due to its diminished surplus of manual controls, including no Shutter Speed control. Like the Panasonic HDC-HS300, the Canon Vixia HF S10 allowed full Shutter Speed and Aperture control, which was the saving grace in low light. But enough of this technical rambling, here's the shootout.
Bright Light
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Essex House
Sony HDR-XR520V – Essex House
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Trash Wall
Sony HDR-XR520V – Trash Wall
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Central Park Horse
Sony HDR-XR520V – Central Park Horse
From the get go, it's obvious that Canon has the upper hand. The Vixia HF S10's detail in the Essex house image far surpasses the HDR-XR-520V's. Color is also more vivid and naturalistic. We can see every strand of the Central Park horse's mane in the Vixia HF S10's image, while we lose some clarity in the XR-520V's rendering of the mane. Lastly, look at how crisp the Vixia HF S10's garbage wall is compared to the HDR-XR520V's. We actually prefer Sony's exposure on the last image, but the Vixia HF S10 offers excellent exposure control and color options.
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Pinecone
Sony HDR-XR520V – Pinecone
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Times Square Billboards
Sony HDR-XR520V – Times Square Billboards
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Times Square
Sony HDR-XR520V – Times Square
We had better luck with the Sony HDR-XR520V up close, as we can see in the pinecone image. However, when it came to color, the Vixia HF S10 was the king. The Times Square billboards are bolder and truer than the HDR-XR520V's, and Canon's image as a whole is sharper and less distorted. Dynamic range was put to the test in the last image, and both camcorders performed very well. However, we'd have to hand it to the Vixia HF S10 for the most detail and rendering of the 1 Times Square building amidst a white sky.
Low Light
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Intrepid
Sony HDR-XR520V – Intrepid with Flash
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Manhattan
Sony HDR-XR520V – Manhattan
Canon Vixia HF S10 – Graffiti Wall
Sony HDR-XR520V – Graffiti Wall with Flash
At night, the gap in the race broadened significantly, as we can see in all three of these images. Exposure was the main event, and the Sony HDR-XR520V was K-O'd in the first round. Without independent Shutter Speed or Aperture control, we were left high and dry, forced to rely on the built-in flash, which produced sub par results. The Canon Vixia HF S10's independent Shutter Speed and Aperture control allowed us plenty of exposure at night without the need to deploy the flash. Images were noisy at times, but the Vixia HF S10's still image performance proved to be the best all-around show we've seen from a consumer camcorder.
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