Sony HDR-CX500V

The Canon HF S11 costs roughly $300 more than the Sony HDR-CX500V, but part of that extra cost is due to the 64GB of internal memory inside the Canon. A better comparison, based on price, would be with the Canon HF S10, which is identical to the HF S11 except that it includes 32GB of internal memory—just like the Sony HDR-CX500V. The HF S10 is only $100 more than the Sony, so the two camcorders are essentially in the same price range. You could also compare the Sony HDR-CX520V (64GB internal memory, $1299 price tag) with the Canon HF S11 instead. Either way, the Sony is $100 cheaper than the equivalent model from Canon.

Canon doesn’t pack as many manual controls into the HF S11 as Panasonic puts in its high-end models, but it still has more offerings than the Sony HDR-CX500V. There’s options for shutter speed and aperture control, as well as ports for connecting an external mic or headphones. We also like the way the HF S11 feels in our hand more than the Sony, although it is a good larger. Lastly, the Canon has a much better control dial than the CX500V—in fact, all these high-end models have better control dials than the CX500V.

Based on performance, we found the Canon HF S11 to be superior to the Sony in bright light, roughly equivalent to it in low light, and significantly worse when it came to stabilization. We feel that the Canon is the winner in this battle, despite the fact that it is a bit more expensive than the CX500V. These two camcorders are fairly close competitors, however, but the only strong benefit we see from the Sony is that it is easier to use and more compact (and it costs less).

Update: The Canon HF S11 was ultimately selected as our 2009 runner-up for Camcorder of the Year (behind the TM300). To see why we selected it and read about our other awards, check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards.