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sl1200mk2

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 17, 2006
320
3
Hi,

I'm looking for suggestions on a new camcorder. It will be replacing Cannon Elura 70 (DV format) that's getting a bit old now. The primary driver for making a purchase is a trip to Africa I'll be taking in late May. I typically use the camera for vacations and family events -- I'm not any sort of amateur film maker or anything... purely home type usage. That said, I go for quality and don't mind paying for something I'll use for 7-10 years before replacing again.

I waited to see what was announced at CES 2012, but both models I narrowed it down to either had no changes or nothing really significant over previous models.

I narrowed my choices down to:

Canon Vixia HF G10
Panasonic HDC-TM900

The Panasonic is definitely smaller, but that's not hugely important to me. I would appreciate the smaller / lighter size traveling, but I'd rather have better image quality and features. I really like Cannon as a brand and my last unit held up very well (still perfectly usable).

I'm leaning toward the Cannon because of better low light capability (according to reviews), manual controls (which I like) and what seems like a better lens. My editing will primarily be done in FCP X, but I also fall back on Sony Vegas at times.

Cannon announce there won't be any replacement for 2012 over this model. Panasonic does have a slightly upgraded version coming out, but it's looking like more or less minor improvements, but the same overall unit.

Opinions?

Thanks -
 

berndkiltz

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2010
47
2
Pfalz, Germany
Go for the Canon!
We have 2 XA10 (which is the Prosumer Version of the G10, with XLR inputs but same image processor) and they are really great Cameras.
The Panasonic is also very good, but the Canon is just better!
Also Panasonic is really anoying with stuff like power supplys, charging etc. Much better with Canon.
Have fun.
 

Macman45

macrumors G5
Jul 29, 2011
13,197
135
Somewhere Back In The Long Ago
The Canon would be my choice, but always add a) more memory and b) a high capacity battery. Yes the battery adds to the bulk of the camera, but you don't want to run out of juice at a critical moment.
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,093
1,565
Canon Vixia HF G10

I own this camera. Produces great quality image and performs well (not spectacular) under low light. One caveat is the audio. It has stereo mics and picks up sound well (especially people talking at the camera) but sounds pretty terrible for music, my Canon Vixia HF S20 records music extremely well and sounds hugely better than the G10. If you are using the camera to record live music you'll need another mic solution. I personally use the audio from the S20 and image form the G10 when shooting with both. But the image is really good for that price range, and features like autofocus and compatibility with Final Cut Pro X is very good.

Here's how it looks shooting in low light (watch in HD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkAYhb5ZRPY

and lower light (except for the drums):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxgHorIEO64
 
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