Canon Legria HF M31

The two camcorders produced similar images in our bright light testing, although the HF M31 had better colour accuracy, less noise. When it comes to sharpness and motion, the HF M31 is also the stronger camcorder as it includes an alternate frame rate (PF25) while the Panasonic HDC-HS60 only records at 1080/50i.

Performance aside, these two camcorders actually have a similar amount of features. The Panasonic does allow for complete manual aperture and shutter control, but Canon's shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes are probably good enough for most users. Both camcorders have limited manual gain controls and manual audio modes, but only the HF M31 includes an external microphone jack. Each of these models utilises a touch-screen interface, but we like the response and feel on the Canon better than the Panasonic—although which you like better has a lot to do with personal preference.

If you don't mind recording to an internal hard drive instead of flash memory, the HDC-HS60 is the better deal here. It's cheaper than the HF M31 and it performed just as well—if not better—in most of our testing (including image stabilisation, which is an important feature for many videographers). The Canon HF M31 certainly looks slicker, has a better menu design, and it offers better connectivity features (the aforementioned mic jack as well as a hot accessory shoe). Still, for most consumers looking to purchase a mid-range model, the Panasonic HDC-HS60 is probably the better choice—mainly because it is available at a lower cost.

	Comparison Specs
	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60
Price	£755	£510
Primary Recording Media	32GB internal flash memory	120GB internal hard drive
Secondary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	SD/SDHC memory card
Image Sensor	1/4-inch CMOS	1/4.1-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	2.99 megapixels	2.11 megapixels
Mic Input	Yes	No
LCD	2.7 inches with 211,000 pixels	2.7 inches with 230,400 pixels
Viewfinder	None	None
Weight	380g	375g
Dimensions	68 x 60 x 123mm	54.5 x 65.5 x 112mm
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	50i, PF25	50i
Compression	AVCHD	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	24Mbps	17Mbps
Optical Zoom	15x	25x
Stabilisation	Optical with Dynamic and Powered IS settings	Optical with Active mode

	Scores
	Canon HF M31	Panasonic HDC-HS60
Colour	9.67	8.05
Noise	8.78	8.03
Video Sharpness	11.66	10.97
Low Light Sensitivity	2.77	3.77
Low Light Colour	7.91	6.79
Low Light Noise	9.31	8.99

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Canon HF M31 100% Crop	Panasonic HDC-HS60 100% Crop

Required Illumination *

* the lower the lux required, the better the performance