AC130: Compared: Canon XH-A1 vs Panasonic AG-AC130

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Firefox39

Active member
So I received a Panasonic AG-AC130 and compared some footage with my Canon XH-A1. Keep in mind I have only had the AC130 for a few days so I do not know it as well as my Canon.

See a short video below:

Note: I am kicking myself for using a preset on the Canon to make the color pop, I should have used the Canon with no preset.

Observations:

AC130 is/has:
- Bigger
- Sharper, better picture
- Cleaner and better in low light (but not as much as I was hoping for)
- Wider on the wide end
- Bigger and better screen
- Auto white balance is better

XH-A1 is/has:
- Better Auto-focus
- Longer reach
- Better zoom rocker

The AC130 has a usable gain of 12 where the Canon looks pretty bad at 12 db. This may not be a big deal to some, but for a wedding videographer it is nice to have in case you need it. In the Panasonic, the DRS was on.

Panasonic AC 130 vs Canon XH-A1 - YouTube
 
Hi

Thanks a lot for the test. I own a Canon XH-A1 myself and will probably in the future get a new camcorder. The 130/160 models are just about the right camcorders for my taste, and to see this test just makes the descision easier. As I can see the Panny has a much cleaner picture and other tests I've seen also shows that the lens doesn't suffer from cromatic abberation as the lens on the XH-A1. The zoom range is also grate, it's just a few percent shorter on the tele side and much wider.

Again, thanks for the test.


Regards,

/Bo
 
DRS - To use or not to use?

DRS - To use or not to use?

I did more testing with DRS on and off. When on, and "DRS Effect 3" used instead of "1" as in the first test, it was much brighter but did introduce more grain to the footage. I will take some time with the camera to get it just right but I like what I am seeing. Let me know if anyone would like to see some footage of DRS Effect 3 compared to the Canon.
 
Yes, yes, yes. :-)

A new compare would be nice, especially as you lern to handle the setup parameters on the AC130. Also perhaps a more flat (less saturated) image on the XH-A1 to give more justice to the test. And, if it's not to much to ask for, the setup parameters on both camcorders.

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

/Bo
 
They were on auto white balance? If so, the AC130 did so much better...It's a nice comparison, thanks. By the way, the auto-focus in XH-A1 is so so much better! Instant spot on while the Ac130 hunts a little...
 
cherchieh said:
They were on auto white balance? If so, the AC130 did so much better...It's a nice comparison, thanks. By the way, the auto-focus in XH-A1 is so so much better! Instant spot on while the Ac130 hunts a little...
Click to expand...

Auto white balance? I think I tried 3200 for each at first but then just did Auto on the Panny and 2800k on the Canon. See the new video that I will post shortly, both are 2800k for all the shots.
 
Firefox39 said:
Auto white balance? I think I tried 3200 for each at first but then just did Auto on the Panny and 2800k on the Canon. See the new video that I will post shortly, both are 2800k for all the shots.
Click to expand...

Sorry, totally slipped my eye that you had the 3200 written in the testing video...maybe too focused on counting how many clothes you hanged there...haha...

by the way, the DRS really did surprised me a little. nice test, thanks.
 
Firefox39 said:
I did more testing with DRS on and off. When on, and "DRS Effect 3" used instead of "1" as in the first test, it was much brighter but did introduce more grain to the footage. I will take some time with the camera to get it just right but I like what I am seeing. Let me know if anyone would like to see some footage of DRS Effect 3 compared to the Canon.
Click to expand...


So far I am finding that using DRS Effect level 2 offers the best trade off in terms of increased brightness without introducing a lot of noise. I would suggest that people experiment using gain 3 or 6, together with DRS at 2, and see how they like those combinations in terms of quality in low light conditions.

The Auto White Balance on the AC130 is indeed surprisingly good.
 
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