Canon Vixia HF S11 Camcorder Review

Canon HF S11 versus JVC GZ-HM400
• The HM400 edges out the Canon in ideal shooting conditions, especially in sharpness • It simply can't compete in low light, with its incredibly dark footage • Stabilization is a real strong suit, far outpacing even the new Dynamic stabilization of the HF S11 • The HF S11 offers many more compelling options for advanced users, especially with the new compatibility with Canon's RA-V1 LANC adapter • Many consumers might be willing to sacrifice low light performance and some manual control sophistication in order to save $400
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The GZ-HM400 is an interesting new entry from JVC, presenting significant performance improvements over the HD300 and provided a much fuller feature set than the X900. This is the camcorder for more serious videophiles and it is actually worthy competition for the Canon HF S11. In fact, the HM400 outpaced the HF S11 in all the bright light testing, proving itself to be a powerhouse of color accuracy and sharp, smooth footage.

Unfortunately, this was only true when recording in ideal conditions. In low light, the HM400 really floundered, capturing incredibly dark images riddled with a haze of noise and washed out colors. If you plan to shoot in dimmer lighting, the HF S11 is no champion, but it fared much better than the flagship from JVC. The Canon also provides the user with 24p and 30p frame rate alternatives, which significantly improve low light performance.

The Canon is also a meatier choice for advanced videographers, giving users a more fleshed out array of manual controls. The new compatibility with Canon's RA-V1 LANC adapter is also sure to draw experienced users.

Where the HM400 does come out on top is in the stabilization department. Even the HF S11's new Dynamic stabilization mode can't match the testing results of the HM400, which showed significant improvement with its single optical stabilization level activated. If stabilization is important to you, the HM400 is certainly an interesting model to consider.

And what will compel most users to select the top-of-the-line JVC over its Canon counterpart? Price. A savings of $400 is considerable in this day and age. For people less interested in the bells and whistles offered by the HF S11, that may be $400 you can't turn down.

	Comparison Specs
	Canon HF S11	JVC GZ-HM400
Price	$1399	$999
Primary Recording Media	64GB internal flash memory	32GB internal flash memory
Secondary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	SD/SDHC memory card
Image Sensor	1/2.6-inch CMOS	1/2.33-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	8.59 megapixels	Unknown 9 megapixels (stills)
Mic Input	3.5mm	3.5mm
LCD	2.7-inch with 211,000 pixels	2.8-inch with 207,000 pixels
Viewfinder	None	None
Weight	500g (1.1 lbs.) with battery	485g (1.07 lbs.) with battery
Dimensions	70 x 69 x 136mm (2.8 x 2.7 x 5.4 inches)	67 x 72 x 141mm (2-11/16 x 2-7/8 x 5-9/16 inches)
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	60i, 24p, 30p	60i
Compression	AVCHD	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	24Mbps	24Mbps
Optical Zoom	10x	10x
Stabilization	Optical with two settings: Standard and Dynamic	Optical Image Stabilization

Noise at 60 lux Auto
Canon HF S11 100% Crop	JVC GZ-HM400 100% Crop

Video Sharpness Score Comparisons