Canon HG10 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Aug 9, 2007 8:40 AM
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Still Features (9.25)
Don’t expect the HG10—or any other consumer camcorder—to provide the still image quality and feature set prominent on even the most basic digital cameras. Sony holds the title for capturing largest stills with a 6.1 megapixel maximum resolution, found on its high end models, including the HDR-SR7. But the pixel count war is only one element in the game. The HG10 provides a gamut of useful still features with better access and handling than Sony.
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The MiniSD card slot on the Canon HG10 is located on the left side in the LCD cavity. |
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You can capture images in four different speed settings: Single, Continuous, Hi-speed Continuous, and AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing). Continuous shooting mode records about three frames per second (fps), while Hi-speed Continuous mode records five fps. When Auto Exposure Bracketing is selected, three images are recorded—one in Auto exposure, one at an EV notch down (-0.25EV), and one at an EV notch up (+0.25EV).
Images can be snapped in three metering options: Evaluative, Center Weight Average, and Spot Meter. Evaluative is common for most shooting environments, as the HG10 divides the screen into several different areas of light and the exposure is measured individually in all of them to obtain optimal exposure. Center Weight Average averages all light within the frame but provides more emphasis on the subject in the center. Spot Meter will select a particular section of the screen and match its exposure level with that of the subject in the center.
Like the HV20, the HG10 includes a histogram display featuring a graphed exposure chart that spans from shadows to highlights. This is particularly helpful in order to obtain a visual representation of an image’s information. Histograms only display in playback, and only in Still mode (not video, sigh). The HG10 is PictBridge compatible, and you can print pictures directly from the camcorder to a compatible printer with a USB cable.
Still Performance (6.54)
The Canon HG10 was tested for its still performance by shooting a Gretag MacBeth Color Chart and running the results through Imatest imaging software. The chart was lit at an even 3000 lux. At best, the 2048 x 1536 stills were able to produce a color error of 9.18, with a noise level of 1.28 percent, and a saturation of 118.1 percent.
In order to get this score, we had to lower the exposure compensation to -2, which corresponded to a EV reduction of -0.50. This is common with point-and-shoot cameras and camcorders. The auto exposure will saturate a little more than is necessary. However, the lower we dropped the exposure, the more the noise increased.
It’s a sorry fact that the color accuracy score is not all that good, yet the scores are perfectly within the range of comparative camcorders. Dedicated still cameras at this same price level blow this performance out of the water.
Still Resolution (31.01)
The still resolution of the Canon HG10 was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart and running those stills through Imatest imaging software. The chart was lit at an even 3000 lux. At best, the camcorder’s 2048 x 1536 stills were able produce a horizontal resolution of 1525 line widths per picture height (lw/ph) – with a clipping of 1.42 percent and a 9.41 percent oversharpening – and a horizontal resolution of 1244 lw/ph – with a 1.62 percent clipping and 7.09 percent oversharpening.
The Canon HG10 appears to produce more sharpening than the HV20, and the resolution was a little higher. Both Canons performed about the same as the Sony HDR-HC7, their top HDV camcorder this year.
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