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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.colour & Noise Performance
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03.Motion & Sharpness Performance
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04.Low Light Performance
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05.Compression & Media
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06.Manual Controls
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07.Still Features
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08.Handling & Use
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09.Playback & Connectivity
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10.Audio & Other Features
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11.Sony HDR-XR520 Comparison
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12.Panasonic HDC-HS300 Comparison
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13.JVC GZ-HD320 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Photo Gallery
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16.Specs and Ratings
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17.Comments
Canon Legria HF S100
Previous: Part 10
Audio & Other FeaturesNext: Part 12
Panasonic HDC-HS300 Comparison
Canon HF S100 versus Sony HDR-XR520
• Sony HDR-XR520 has a 240GB internal hard drive.
• Both camcorders have control dials for making adjustment, but the Canon features more manual control options
• XR520 has excellent all around video performance that is comparable to the HF S100.
The HDR-XR520 is Sony's top-of-the-line HD camcorder for 2009. It is a bulky product, but most of that size comes from its huge 240GB built-in hard drive. This is an impressive amount of storage space. As far as performance goes, the HDR-XR520 is roughly on par with the HF S100. It has less noise than the Canon, slightly worse colour accuracy in bright light, and very comparable motion, sharpness, and low light sensitivity scores. Both camcorders have a control dial for making smooth adjustments, but the HF S100 offers many more manual controls—including AGC limit, shutter-priority, and aperture-priority modes. It is a tough call between these two camcorders, but we think the HF S100 is better overall for manual control lovers, while the Sony is a good choice for beginners and people who want a camcorder with a huge storage capacity.
| Comparison Specs | ||
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| Canon Legria HF S100 | Sony HDR-XR520 | |
| Price | £1,100 | £1,000 |
| Primary Recording Media | SD/SDHC Card | 240GB internal hard drive |
| Secondary Recording Media | None | Memory Stick PRO Duo card |
| Image Sensor | 1/2.6-inch CMOS | 1/2.88-inch CMOS |
| Effective Pixel Count | 6.01 Megapixels (video) 8.02 Megapixels (stills) |
4.15 Megapixels (video) 6 Megapixels (stills) |
| Mic Input | Yes, 3.5mm | Yes, 3.5mm |
| LCD/Viewfinder | 2.7-inch LCD with 211,000-pixel resolution |
3.2-inch LCD with 921,000-pixel resolution, |
| Weight | 500g (including battery) | 590g (including battery) |
| Dimensions | 70 x 69 x 136mm | 71 x 75 x 137mm |
| HD | Yes | Yes |
| Optical Zoom | 10x | 12x |
| Frame Rates | 1080/50i, 25p, 30p (not natively progressive) |
1080/50i |
| Image stabilisation | Optical | Optical with two settings: Standard and Active |
| Scores | ||
| Canon Legria HF S100 | Sony HDR-XR520 | |
| Colour | 8.91 | 7.68 |
| Noise | 4.64 | 6.21 |
| Video Sharpness | 11.32 | 10.59 |
| Low Light Sensitivity | 5.62 | 3.77 |
| Low Light Colour |
6.95 | 6.92 |
| Low Light Noise | 10.67 | 11.02 |
| Bright Light Noise Comparisons | |||
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| Canon Legria HF S100 100% Crop |
Sony HDR-XR520 100% Crop |
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| Video Sharpness Scores |
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