$619.00
Canon HF M31
Camcorder Review
Introduction
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| Introduction | ||||
The HF M31 ($799) is a new mid-range HD camcorder from Canon that is essentially last year's Canon HF20 with a few minor tweaks and updates—including a new touchscreen interface and a slick menu redesign. The camcorder captured some high-quality video in our bright light tests, but its low light performance was mostly a disappointment.The HF M31 is part of a series from Canon that includes the HF M30 (8GB internal memory) and HF M300 (SD/SDHC memory card only). More... |
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| (Page 1 of 17) | Product Tour | |
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| Section | The Good | The Bad |
| Product Tour | Automatic lens cover | Same size sensor as last year's HF20 and HF200 |
| Color & Noise Performance | Good saturation levels in bright light | Color accuracy wasn't great; noise levels were too high |
| Motion & Sharpness Performance | Excellent sharpness scores and good motion performance. | None |
| Low Light Performance | Noise levels weren't much of a problem in low light. | Sensitivity was a disappointment |
| Compression & Media | 32GB internal flash memory; multiple quality settings for recording video | No standard definition record mode |
| Manual Controls | Most manual controls are covered—aperture, shutter speed, exposure, white balance, and gain. | All controls must be adjusted using touchscreen interface (no lens ring or dial). |
| Still Features | Built-in flash; multiple continuous shooting modes; good color accuracy in still photos | Camcorder tops out with 3.31-megapixel resolution for still images. |
| Handling & Use | New menus are stylish and look nice; padded hand strap is top-notch | Right side is a bit uncomfortable; touchscreen can be frustrating to use at times |
| Playback & Connectivity | Good playback interface | The hand strap gets in the way of right-side ports. |
| Audio & Other Features | External mic jack is great; lots of manual audio controls | None |
| Canon HF M31 Comparisons | ||
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| Panasonic HDC-HS60 | JVC GZ-HD620 | Canon HF S21 |
Canon
HF M31
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The HF M31 ($799) is a new mid-range HD camcorder from Canon that is essentially last year's Canon HF20 with a few minor tweaks and updates—including a new touchscreen interface and a slick menu redesign. The camcorder captured some high-quality video in our bright light tests, but its low light performance was mostly a disappointment.