Canon Vixia HF S11 Camcorder Review

Canon HF S11 versus Sony HDR-XR520V
• The Sony HDR-XR520V is bulkier and $100 more, but offers an immense 240GB hard drive • Both camcorders are strong performers in bright light and struggle slightly in low light • The Canon has more options: more manual controls, more frame rates, and more still photography features • The XR520 has one significant features that some may require: an electronic viewfinder • The XR520 also has far superior image stabilization and is easier for novices to use
	Panasonic HDC-TM300 Comparison	(Page 14 of 17)	Conclusion

The Sony HDR-XR520V is more expensive than the HF S11 and is certainly much bulkier and more uncomfortable. For many consumers, those disadvantages will be outweighed by the root cause: an enormous 240GB hard-drive. That gives you practically infinite capacity. We think the 64GB of internal flash memory on the HF S11 is plenty—plus it has the advantage of being more stable than the moving parts of most hard drives.

In terms of performance, the two camcorders are roughly equivalent. It's less noisy, but also less sharp. And neither gives an impressive performance in low light. Both also rely on a small dial at the front of the camcorder for adjusting some manual controls. We do like that the XR520's dial is easier to change on the fly, but the Canon simply offers more options. There's AGC limit, shutter-priority and aperture-priority modes, 24p and 30p frame rates, and more still photography features. It's true that the Sony has a viewfinder, but we think most videographers will choose manual image controls over a viewfinder.

There is one significant advantage the XR520 has over the HF S11: an incredibly effective image stabilization system. Like the HF S11, the Sony model has two levels of stabilization, but the Sony is significantly better at reducing camera shake. The XR520 is also a little easier to use for beginners, especially thanks to some helpful tool tips.

We think this means that newer consumers will lean towards the models from Sony, but experienced users might opt for the savvy offerings from the Canon HF S11.

	Comparison Specs
	Canon HF S11	Sony HDR-XR520V
Price	$1399.99	$1499
Primary Recording Media	64GB internal flash memory	240GB internal hard drive
Secondary Recording Media	SD/SDHC memory card	Memory Stick PRO Duo card
Image Sensor	1/2.6-inch CMOS	1/2.88-inch CMOS
Effective Pixel Count	6.01 megapixels (video) 8.02 megapixels (stills)	4.15 megapixels (video) 6 megapixels (stills)
Mic Input	3.5mm	3.5mm
LCD	2.7-inch with 211,000 pixels	3.2-inch with 921,000 pixels
Viewfinder	None	Yes
Weight	500g (1.1 lbs.) including battery	590g (1.3 lbs.) including battery
Dimensions	70 x 69 x 136mm (2.8 x 2.7 x 5.4 inches)	71 x 75 x 137mm (2.8 x 3 x 5.4 inches)
HD	Yes	Yes
Frame Rates	60i, 24p, 30p	60i
Compression	AVCHD	AVCHD
Maximum Bitrate	24Mbps	16Mbps
Optical Zoom	10x	12x
Stabilization	Optical with two settings: Standard and Dynamic	Optical with two settings: Standard and Active

Noise Comparisons
Canon HF S11 100% Crop	Sony HDR-XR520V 100% Crop

Stabilization Score Comparisons