Informal 1080p HD video comparison: Panasonic GH1 vs Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon SX1 IS vs Sony HX1
Many of today’s digital cameras boast High Definition movie recording, and many of them look pretty good. But how do they really compare against each other? To find out we shot the same sequence moments apart with four cameras, each quite different from the other, but all capable of recording smooth 1080p video.
All four cameras were using their default automatic settings and the sequences were filmed handheld with image stabilisation enabled. This is very much an informal test, and doesn’t demonstrate the advantages of using a DSLR (or the GH1) for video – including better performance in low light, interchangeable lenses and the potential for a small depth-of-field. Indeed by zooming during the clip, it places the 5D mark II and GH1 at a disadvantage compared to the super-zooms which are designed for it. But since we had the opportunity to shoot the same sequence with four 1080p-capable cameras, we thought you’d be interested in seeing the results.
Note the Panasonic Lumix GH1’s MTS format (for its AVCHD video mode) is not compatible with Vimeo, our video host, so we used Adobe Media Encoder to convert its files into the MP4 format using the same frame size, frame rate and H.264 compression.
The original files are all available for registered members of Vimeo to download and evaluate for themselves. Let us know which you think looks best in the Cameralabs forums!
