12. Test Assessment

Not surprisingly, the Canon wins out, with an average score of 16.5 out of 20 for image quality. Its highly contrasted images are the most detailed of all the camcorders. But do be sure to look at the image quality for yourself before making a buying decision, to avoid surprises. The rest was all but perfect. The only drawback, for us, is the choice of the MiniDVD medium, which is more limiting than memory card or hard disk, and above all more costly to use.

Good Results

Panasonic and Sony finish neck and neck, with scores of 13.8 and of 13.2 out of 20. Both models have some serious strong points and deserve to be recommended. The (relative) weakness of their scores is due in part to problems with the white balance, but with their more than satisfactory image, numerous features and functions, and highly practical memory-card storage medium, these two models deserve a look. We’ll be keeping an eye on how they develop.

Very Disappointing

Finally, the Hitachi had trouble reaching its score of 6.9/20. We don’t know whether our test camcorder was a pre-release model or had a problem with its sensor, and we’ll be looking into that. Such results are totally unworthy of a camcorder costing more than $1,873.50.