Canon GL2 VS Canon HG10?

Question

Which is better? Why?

Answer 1

That is a great question! The decision whether to go with a consumer HD camera or a prosumer standard def is a hard one for many. I have no definitive answer for you, but I will discuss the pros and cons, and give you my opinion. First of all, there's the price factor; the HG10 is about $800 while the GL2 is more than double that at $2,000. That is enough of a basis to make a decision for many people. Also, the HG10 is an HD camera, while the GL2 is an older model, a standard definition camera. This means that the HG10 has better screen resolution, which is makes most people think the choice is obvious. True, the HG10 is a better price, and has better resolution, but that just makes the decision all the more difficult.

      Looking at the GL2, it is a fine camera, a popular prosumer camera. Being a prosumer camera, it has many advantages over its consumer counterparts. For one thing, professional cameras have 3 image sensors, and in the GL2's case, it has 3 CCDs as opposed to the single CMOS sensor in the HG10. To me, this is a big deal. A 3-chip camera such as the GL2 will be much better in picking up colors; therefore the color reproduction will be more accurate and much more impressive. To me, color is just as important as resolution in considering the overall picture quality. Also professional camcorders give you a wide array of tools that consumer cameras cannot match. The most prominent is the excellent manual controls on the GL2. Manual controls let you take full artistic control of your picture as well as optimize your image quality. Many consumer cameras do offer manual settings, but they operate through a menu so they are much more of a pain to use. However, the automatic settings on the newer HD cameras are very good (Canon's HV20, a camera in the same league as the HG10 has one of the best auto focus functions I have ever seen). Good manual controls transform your work from consumer to professional, and they are much more fun!

       Another thing to consider is the extra hassels of editing on HD. HD footage takes up much more footage as standard def. (I'd estimate that it's easily twice as much). Also, sometimes the HD on consumer cameras isn't true HD. This is due to heavy compression which cannot create true 1920 x1080 resolution images. This doesn't mean the picture is bad, its still better than standard def, but cannot utilize the full potential of HD. This is especially aparent on HDD hard drive camcorders, such as the HG10, where the compression is at its highest. So, I highly recommend looking at the Canon HV20, a camera similar in price, yet is HDV, which doesn't compress as much as HDD.

Going back to the main topic of prosumer SD vs consumer HD, if the price was not a factor, I would go with the GL2, but that's just me, a manual control freak. And of course, price is always a factor, and is a credible basis on deciding on a camera. The HG10 is still a great camera and you'd be happy either way. But if you do decide to go HD, I suggest looking at the HV20, it may have slightly better picture. With an HD camera, they are easier to use, easier to carry around and cheaper... they also do have better screen resolution, which is a plus.

Or you could make it easy and go full prosumer HD, but that is usually unreasonable and would cost at least another $1,000. But its always an option, and in that case, I would recommend the Canon XH-A1.

Hope I didn't make the decision harder....well, good luck, and have fun!