Canon M500 vs R32 (or other)

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Poll Results: Which Camcorder?

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M500
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R32
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post #1 of 5

1/31/13 at 1:43pm

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Hello all, looking for some advice on what camcorder to get.. Just going to be general use, some *ahem*low light situations*coughcough*.

Looking around the $350 price range.

Originally I was set on the Canon Vixia HF M500 but noticed the HF R32 seems to have quite a few more features, problem being the 25 minute battery life (seems like a silly question but some electronics are picky.. can you charge and use each of these simultaneously or no?). Are knock-off batteries a viable option, despite the added issues with charging them? Also the video quality specifications seem fairly similar between the two, but I'm not knowledgeable enough in this area to really know.
(Official specification comparison: here)

Alternatively, are there any other camcorders around that price range you might recommend? I started looking with the super budget panasonics, but evidently I'm pretty picky, despite the low budget.

Thanks for any help!

Edited by asdfmsc - 1/31/13 at 1:49pm

post #2 of 5

1/31/13 at 2:28pm

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HF M500 is a mid-range camcorder and has the HD CMOS Pro sensor for low-light shots and better image quality than the smaller sensor R32.

R32 is an entry-level camcorder.

post #3 of 5

2/1/13 at 3:05am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by xfws

HF M500 is a mid-range camcorder and has the HD CMOS Pro sensor for low-light shots and better image quality than the smaller sensor R32.

R32 is an entry-level camcorder.

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks. Are there any other viable options around that price range, or is the M500 the best bang for the buck?

Also is a 45 MB/s SD card overkill for this kind of use? Would there be a very noticeable difference from the 30 MB/s card with the M500?

post #4 of 5

2/1/13 at 7:00am

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Quote:

Originally Posted by asdfmsc

There's the Panasonic V700 for $399, This camcorder shoots "60p" / 60 progressive frames per second:
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-HCV700K-Angle-Camcorder-Black/dp/B0072B5E7E/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359730181&sr=1-4&keywords=camcorder+panasonic

With any of these camcorders, unless you're shooting for under an hour at a time, a spare battery will be needed.

With the Canon M500, you can use class 4 SDHC for video without issue. Class 4 is the minimum speed it will write.
A class 10 card is important if you have a DSLR and are taking rapid-fire stills or for video devices that shoot at a higher bitrate.

I would still get a class 10 as it's more future-proof for any other devices you might eventually use. Sandisk is a good brand.

post #5 of 5

2/1/13 at 7:35am

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Thanks, you've been very helpful! The only 700k on amazon is one with internal memory at $520, so think I'll stick with the M500. Gonna just go ahead and get the 45 MB/s 64 GB SD card for $10 more than the 30 MB/s, and a pair of knock-off 727 batteries for only $25 (even includes a car charger!). Should be more than adequate for my needs.

Thanks again.