Canon Legria HF M31

Colour (9.67)

The Canon HF M31 didn't do as well in our colour accuracy test as we'd hoped, but the camcorder did manage similar results to what we saw from the Canon HF S21. The M31 measured a colour error of 4.97 with a saturation level of 88.33%. (More on how we test colour.)

Colour Accuracy Performance
Colour Test Chart (above), Colour Error Map (right)
The Canon HF M31 produced a colour error of 4.97 and a saturation level of 88.33% in our bright light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

It seems as if Canon tweaked the colour rendering on its new camcorders this year, but we actually prefer the look created by last year's models (like the HF20). The difference isn't extreme, however, and the HF M31 does come with a variety of colour adjustment tools and presets—so you can fine tune the colour to your own liking. The only problem is these colour controls don't give you much room for adjustment, so the changes you make don't result in drastic colour alteration.

Canon HF M31 Colour Modes
Auto	100% Crop
Vivid	100% Crop
Neutral	100% Crop
Soft Skin	100% Crop
Low Sharpening	100% Crop

As you can see from the sample images below, the Canon HF M31's bright light video doesn't look much different than the Canon HF  S21. The JVC GZ-HD620 registered more accurate colours, but all the models had saturation levels between 80% and 90%.

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

When analysing our colour accuracy results, remember that determining colour quality really comes down to personal preference. Some may prefer the colours produced by the Canon camcorders over the Panasonic or JVC models, while others may have opposite preferences. All we can say is the JVC GZ-HD620 rendered the most accurate colours in this test (while also measuring the highest saturation level). All JVC camcorders tend to do very well on this test.

	Close-Up Colour Comparisons
	Ideal	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
Red
	Ideal	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
Green
	Ideal	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
Blue
	Ideal	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
Skin Tone 1
	Ideal	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60	JVC GZ-HD620	Canon HF S21
Skin Tone 2

Colour Score Comparison		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the Panasonic HDC-HS60
		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the JVC GZ-HD620
		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the Canon HF S21

Noise (8.78)

The Canon HF M31 did not give a strong performance in our bright light noise test. The Canon HF M31 averaged 0.6875% noise, which is better than most of the camcorders we compared it to. The only better camcorder ist the JVC GZ-HD620. (More on how we test noise.)

Noise Comparisons
Canon HF M31 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-HS60 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HD620 100% Crop	Canon HF S21 100% Crop

Despite its noise, the HF M31 does capture an impeccably sharp image in bright light, which you can see by looking at the crops above. It's image and detail is a bit sharper than both what the Panasonic HDC-HS60 and JVC GZ-HD620 were capable of, and you could even argue that it rivals the Canon HF S21 when it comes to sharpness.

Noise Score Comparison		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the Panasonic HDC-HS60
		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the JVC GZ-HD620
		Compare the Canon HF M31 to the Canon HF S21