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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.Canon HF20 Comparison
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12.Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
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13.Sony MHS-CM1 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
Panasonic HDC-HS20
Previous: Part 10
Audio & Other FeaturesNext: Part 12
Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
Panasonic HDC-HS20 versus Canon HF20
• The Panasonic HDC-HS20 contains no internal memory and records to SD/SDHC cards
• The HDC-HS20 is significantly cheaper than the HF20
• The HDC-HS20 had lower performance scores on most tests, with the notable exception of noise
• Measured a much lower video sharpness than the Canon HF20
• The HS20 uses an LCD touchscreen interface
The Canon HF20 is more expensive than the Panasonic HDC-HS20, so it's no surprise that the Canon surpasses in the Panasonic in performance. Better motion, better colour, and much better sharpness... the only area in which the Panasonic surpassed the Canon was in noise—a result of the former's inferior resolution. The HF20 even outperformed the HS20 in low light, which was one of the Canon's greatest weaknesses. If you're looking for a budget camcorder, however, the Panasonic might be a better deal. It's especially good for beginners, offering an exceptionally intuitive touch screen interface, easy-as-cake auto mode, and excellent Intelligent Auto technologies. The AF/AE Tracking was surprisingly fun to use.
Unfortunately, you can't use any of these cool auto features in the camcorder's Manual mode. Plus, making manual adjustments with the touch screen can be an imprecise chore. Add to that list of complaints no microphone input, headphone output, or accessory shoe. For serious videographers that enjoy manual image adjustments, the Canon HF20 is a better choice. For beginners, the HS20 is an easy-to-use camcorder with decent video performance.
| Comparison Specs | ||
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| Panasonic HDC-HS20 | Canon HF20 | |
| Price | Around £549 |
£799 |
| Primary Recording Media | 80GB Hard Drive |
32GB internal flash memory |
| Secondary Recording Media | None | SD/SDHC memory card |
| Image Sensor | 1/6-inch CMOS | 1/4-inch CMOS |
| Effective Pixel Count | 1.17 megapixels (video) 1.17 megapixels (stills) |
2.99 megapixels (video) 3.31 megapixels (stills) |
| Mic Input | No | Yes, 3.5mm |
| LCD/Viewfinder | 2.7-inch LCD with 230,400-pixel resolution |
2.7-inch LCD with 211,00-pixel resolution |
| Weight | 327g (including battery) | 400g (including battery) |
| Dimensions | 67 x 64 x 127mm | 70 x 62 x 124mm |
| HD | Yes | Yes |
| Optical Zoom | 16x | 15x |
| Frame Rates | 1080/60i, Digital Cinema (24p) (not natively progressive) |
1080/60i, 24p, 30p (not natively progressive) |
| Image Stabilisation | Optical | Optical |
| Scores | ||
| Panasonic HDC-HS20 | Canon HF20 | |
| Colour | 7.87 | 8.37 |
| Noise | 9.9 | 5.65 |
| Video Sharpness | 7.97 | 12.78 |
| Low Light Sensitivity | 0.97 | 1.16 |
| Low Light Colour | 3.72 | 6.18 |
| Low Light Noise | 12.95 | 3.63 |
| Ease of Use | 7.25 | 4.85 |
| Battery Life | 87 min, 46 sec | 97 min, 37 sec |
| Stabilisation | 5.60 | TBA |
| Noise Comparisons | |
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| Panasonic HDC-HS20 100% Crop |
Canon HF20 100% Crop |
| Video Sharpness Score Comparisons |
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