I don't see many threads on the new Canon flagship - the HF S21. I will need to buy a new camcoder around April (when it is supposed to come out), and it seems my choice is between this Canon and last year's flagship Panasonic (as Panasonic didn't announce new model this year). I checked the new Sony 550 as well, but I ruled it out as it only records interlaced and not progressive in any way, shape or form.
The way I see it, here are the pros of each:
Canon HF S21
- 2010 model (latest tech)
- true 24p recording ability
- 64 GB internal memory (and 2 SDHC/SDXC slots) vs Panny's only 32 GB
Panasonic HDC-TM300
- better PQ (low light & image stabilization) - it was deservedly last year's best camcoder
- smaller and much lighter - big plus for me
- will be cheaper since can be gotten at discount while the Canon being brand new will be full price
- much better battery life (at least 50% over the Canon); all the reviewers that are salivating over the huge screen of the Canon seem to not realize that it obviously will kill the battery life - so it's a downside to me
I don't care about the manual controls, but anyway both seem to have them. Also both have a viewfinder which is a plus by itself.
Overall it seems the Panny is the better an cheaper option. Unfortunately the Panny 350 (the version with 64 GB) is nowhere to be found for sale in the US. Otherwise I would probably go with it, despite lacking the true 24p recording capability.
Now if the Canon was shipping with USB 3.0, that would be a clear deciding factor - but noone seems to mention USB version in the reviews; why nobody's asking the question is beyond me.
Anybody have thoughts on which is better?
The way I see it, here are the pros of each:
Canon HF S21
- 2010 model (latest tech)
- true 24p recording ability
- 64 GB internal memory (and 2 SDHC/SDXC slots) vs Panny's only 32 GB
Panasonic HDC-TM300
- better PQ (low light & image stabilization) - it was deservedly last year's best camcoder
- smaller and much lighter - big plus for me
- will be cheaper since can be gotten at discount while the Canon being brand new will be full price
- much better battery life (at least 50% over the Canon); all the reviewers that are salivating over the huge screen of the Canon seem to not realize that it obviously will kill the battery life - so it's a downside to me
I don't care about the manual controls, but anyway both seem to have them. Also both have a viewfinder which is a plus by itself.
Overall it seems the Panny is the better an cheaper option. Unfortunately the Panny 350 (the version with 64 GB) is nowhere to be found for sale in the US. Otherwise I would probably go with it, despite lacking the true 24p recording capability.
Now if the Canon was shipping with USB 3.0, that would be a clear deciding factor - but noone seems to mention USB version in the reviews; why nobody's asking the question is beyond me.
Anybody have thoughts on which is better?
