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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.Panasonic HDC-TM700 Comparison
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12.JVC GZ-HM1 Comparison
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13.Canon HF S100 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 S21
Previous: Part 12
JVC GZ-HM1 ComparisonNext: Part 14
Conclusion
Canon HF S21 versus Canon HF S100
• The two camcorders offer similar performance, but the HF S21 has a lot more features.
• The HF S100 has the more comfortable design and a slightly lighter body.
• If you can find an HF S100 on the cheap it is probably the better buy, but the HF S21 is the superior camcorder.
The Canon HF S21 is essentially a replacement model for the HF S11, the sister model of the HF S100. The two camcorders have the same listing price, the same lens, and the same sensor specs. The HF S21, of course, has a load of improvements and updates—including a large internal flash memory (64GB) and, more importantly a much larger touchscreen LCD, an electronic viewfinder, the addition of a second SD/SDHC memory card slot, and enhanced image stabilisation features.
Unfortunately, Canon didn't do much to improve the performance on the HF S21. In fact, the camcorder actually did worse in our colour accuracy tests and low light sensitivity than the HF S100 did last year. The HF S21 did have slightly better sharpness scores, but overall there was little difference in the quality of footage captured by the HF S21 compared to last year's HF S100. The HF S21 was also a bit more uncomfortable to hold.
Because of all the updates Canon made to the HF S21 it is definitely a better camcorder than the F S100, although the improvement wasn't as drastic as we'd hoped. The HF S100 is still a solid camcorder, and if you can find one on the cheap you should expect to get just as high-quality video from it as you would the HF S21.
| Comparison Specs | ||
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| Canon HF S21 | Canon HF S100 | |
| Price | £1199.99 | £1100 |
| Primary Recording Media | 64GB internal flash memory | SD/SDHC memory card |
| Secondary Recording Media | 2x SD/SDHC memory card slots | None |
| Image Sensor | 1/2.6-inch CMOS | 1/2.6-inch CMOS |
| Effective Pixel Count | 6.01 megapixels (video) 8.02 megapixels (photo) |
6.01 megapixels (video) 8.02 megapixels (photo) |
| Mic Input | Yes | Yes |
| LCD | 3.5-inch with 922,000 pixels | 2.7-inch with 211,000-pixel |
| Viewfinder | 0.27-inch with 123,000 pixels | None |
| Weight | 520g with battery | 500g with battery |
| Dimensions | 75 x 74 x 148mm |
70 x 69 x 136mm |
| HD | Yes | Yes |
| Frame Rates | 50i, PF25 | 50i, PF25 |
| Compression | MPEG4-AVC/H.264 (AVCHD) | MPEG4-AVC/H.264 (AVCHD) |
| Maximum Bitrate | 24Mbps | 24Mbps |
| Optical Zoom | 10x | 10x |
| Stabilisation | Optical with Dynamic and Powered IS settings | Optical |
| Scores | ||
| Canon HF S21 | Canon HF S100 | |
| Colour | 8,05 | 8,91 |
| Noise |
7,28 | 4,64 |
| Video Sharpnes | 11,97 | 11,32 |
| Low Light Sensitivity | 4,96 | 5,62 |
| Low Light Colour | 6,55 | 6,95 |
| Low Light Noise | 6,05 | 10,67 |
| Battery Life | 80 min | 98 min |
| 100% Crop Noise Comparison | |
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| Canon HF S21 100% Crop |
Canon HF S100 100% Crop |
| Sharpnes Score Comparison |
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