Canon Legria HF M31

Audio Features (5.5)

The HF M31 is one of the better mid-range camcorders when it comes to audio features. Like all Canon camcorders, the HF M31 has an external mic input and its AV-out port can double as a headphone jack. It also has a hot accessory shoe that works with Canon-proprietary accessories (any Canon accessory that has a mini-shoe fit, that is). The built-in mic on the HF M31 is positioned well on the front of the camcorder and we never found our fingers accidentally rubbing up against it. The Canon HF M31 also has options for manual audio level control, audio level display, wind cut, and a microphone attenuator (for the built-in mic).

The built-in mic is positioned well and it records in stereo.		The camcorder has a variety of audio controls.

	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
External Mic	Yes	No	No	Yes
Headphone	Yes (shares with AV)	No	No	Yes (shares with AV)
Built-in Mic	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo
Accessory Shoe	Yes (Canon proprietary)	No	No	Yes (Canon proprietary)
Audio Level Display	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Audio Level Control	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Test Tone	No	No	No	Yes
Zoom Mic	No	Yes	No	No
Wind Cut	Yes	Yes (wind noise canceller)	Yes	Yes
Other Audio Feature(s)	Microphone Attenuator	None	None	Microphone Attenuator

Other Features (4.5)

Video Light
You turn on the video light by using the option in the Function Menu. The light isn't very big on the HF M31, so don't expect it to illuminate with much intensity. It should still help you out when you're filming in total darkness, however, but make sure you aren't more than a few feet away from the subject you're trying to illuminate.

Pre Record
Pre Record has become a popular feature on consumer camcorders, as it allows you to record three seconds of footage before you even press the record button. The camcorder continually stores three seconds of footage in the camcorder's buffer memory, so when you do start recording you've already captured the last three seconds. This can be a good feature for recording action-oriented events, but the setting does eat up battery life.

Video Snapshot
Canon introduced Video Snapshot on last year's HD models, but the HF M31 has a few more options for the feature. Basically, when you press the Video Snap button the camcorder allows you to record videos of a specific length. On last year's HF20 you were limited to 4-second clips, but on the HF M31 you can set the Video Snapshot length to 2, 4, or 8 seconds. Overall, we think this feature is mostly a gimmick, but it can help amateur videographers to make sure they don't overdo things with long, boring shots. Video Snap forces you to record quick segments, which will most likely result in a more entertaining final product.

Digital Effects
Nothing incredibly exciting here... the Canon HF M31 has a fader, a wipe, a black and white setting, and a sepia mode. Remember, if you're planning on editing your video you can always add these effects in post-production instead.

Canon HF M31 Comparisons
Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21