8. A Day in the Street for Contrast

Test 2: This outdoor test lets us check the overall image quality, the levels of contrast in bright and dark areas, and the uniformity of the frame. We shot details using the zoom to test the image stabilizer with a 10X optical zoom (common to all four camcorders). The sequences were shot using a tripod. Finally, the sequence also serves to check the maximum lens aperture. View the results in video and HD photos with comments.

Canon

The contrast is very marked, and the image nicely detailed. The blacks are very good, but the sky is clearly overexposed, which causes the whitish effect you see in place of the blue. There are also all-white areas in the brightest parts of the image. This “fault” comes from the Canon sensor, which has a strong tendency to accentuate the image. One effect of that is increased sharpness and precision of detail, but the flip side is a tendency to overexpose bright areas slightly, as we’re seeing here. For the rest of the image, the Canon performs very well; the aperture is good, the zoom is precise. Contrast remains good but the image has a tendency to shake a little, due to the stabilizer, which barely passes under the wire. Score: 3.6/5

Sony

The first thing we notice is that the sky is nicely rendered. Unfortunately the shade areas lack definition and the image consequently looks pale. The overall exposure is very good. The Sony has the widest-angle lens, which allows it to widen the area of the frame. All things considered, this camcorder tends to produce an image that looks a bit bland - somewhat the opposite of the Canon - but the final result is quite acceptable. The results of the zoom test were impressive; the stabilizer is exceptional, and many details are visible in the image - the detail of the bricks, for example, is perfectly clear. Score: 3.7/5

Panasonic

The Panasonic performed best in this test, with very good overall image quality. The contrast is less marked than with the Canon, but the overall uniformity of the image is excellent. Dark and light areas are both well detailed, and the colors are well rendered. The aperture is smaller than the Sony’s. In the zooms, the image is good, even though fewer details show up than with the Sony. Finally, the sky tends a little towards green. The stabilizer has a tendency to tremble a little, but the results are entirely acceptable. Score 4.1/5

Hitachi

The Hitachi camcorder had difficulty with this test. The image is lifeless, with the sky completely overexposed. It’s true that the sun made a brief appearance, which may be partly to blame, but it can’t excuse everything. Even in the areas in shade, the image lacks sharpness and contrast. The Hitachi has the smallest lens aperture of the four camcorders tested. On the zoom test, the stabilizer quickly showed its limitations; the image was shaky and soon reached the level of unacceptability. We also noted that details and relief were flattened. Score 1.8/5