Question about Canon and Sony Camcorders ?

Question

Hi everybody ,

I want to know which of these models of camcorders in better to buy . If you have any suggestion kindly let me know .

1- Canon XH-A1 ( High definition )

2- Sony HDR-SR1 ( High definition )

Thank you in advance .

Answer 1

I find Canon to be a better product all around.

You can Google reviews for both... I find that usually helps in my decision.

As well, when you purchase it ask about return policy. That way if you are not impressed enough with it, you can take it back.

Answer 2

You are comparing two different classes of camcorders.

The Canon XHA1 is a 3CCD, prograde, big lens, big imaging chips, miniDV based camcorder that recorders to low-compression DV, DV widescreen and HDV formats and uses XLR audio connectors for good mics and has really good low-light behavior.

The HDR-SR1 is a single CMOS, consumer-grade, small lens, small imaging chip, hard drive based camcorder that records to high compression MPEG2 and AVCHD formats - and suffers from the same vibration and high altitude problems that ALL hard drive based camcorders suffer from... and uses a 1/8" mic jack... and has comparably poor low-light behavior.

If you want to compare Sony products to the XHA1, then the HVR-V1U or HVR-Z1U (or even the HDR-FX1 or FX7) are much closer comparisons. Please note that when comparing pro-grade products, they don't use anemic AVCHD compression for HD. If you need a hard drive, then an external from Firestore connecting to a miniDV tape camcorder is the preferred path.