A unique selling point in Canon’s mid and high-end Legria
camcorders since a couple of years ago is the company’s HD CMOS Pro sensor,
which is usually a 1/3-inch sensor with a resolution of about 2 megapixels. The
rationale is that by packing fewer but significantly larger pixels in the
sensor, the camcorder is able to offer much higher sensitivity, better low
light performance, and more details due to the expanded dynamic range.
Canon Legria HF G30
The Legria HF G30 takes things up a notch, packing 3.09
megapixels in a slightly larger 1/2.84-inch sensor. It’s equipped with a 20x
optical zoom lens, supports AVCHD 2 (which means 1080/50p recording is now
possible), and a maximum MP4 bitrate of 35Mbps. Interestingly, Canon also has a
G25, which held the flagship title for a few months before the G30 arrived. The
key differences are the G25 has a slightly smaller sensor (1/3”, 2.37
megapixels), a shorter optical zoom (10x), comes with 32GB built-in memory (you
can only rely on the dual SDXC card slots for the G30), and is restricted to
50i recording.
While at first glance the G30 looks very much like the G25,
it’s quite a different beast when you delve deeper. There’s still the
detachable lens hood with built-in barrier to replace a lens cap, the front
lens ring that makes focusing and zooming a breeze, and the large eyecup
(though the G30’s viewfinder has a higher resolution and can tilt upwards). The
G30 is unmistakably heavier and bigger though.
The focus/zoom ring at the front is
precise and very convenient
Even though the hand strap is comfortable, at 765g, you’ll
feel the strain after prolonged use. That said, the G30 has several other
design wins, like the joystick at the back of the camera that makes menu selection
easy, the five customizable buttons found at various parts of the unit, and the
nice and big zoom rocker. Also, the G30’s 3.5-inch, 1,230K-dot OLED touch panel
produces vivid colors and crisp images. The built-in dual-band Wi-Fi is another
highlight, allowing you to control the camcorder remotely or upload videos
online via a mobile device.
The G30 continues to delight in the image quality
department. Expectedly, when compared to 50i, the 50p footage is noticeably
sharper and smoother. 25p shooting is also possible. Low-light performance is
also the best in class, thanks to the lens’ fast F1.8-2.8 maximum aperture and
the sensor’s large pixels. In addition, the camcorder’s Intelligent IS image
stabilizer is very effective, switching between four modes automatically based
on scenarios, with the Dynamic mode employing a 5-axis correction.
Screen Camera of Canon Legria HF G30
To sum up, the G30 is the best flagship camcorder we’ve
tested yet, and it’s only $100 more expensive than the G25. At $2,499, it costs
the same as the projector and 96GB flash memory-equipped Sony Handycam
HDr-PJ790VE. You can’t go wrong with either camcorder, but the G30’s
well-though-out controls just happened to appeal to us that little bit more.
Specifications
·
Lens: 12x optical zoom (26.8-576mm equivalent), 400x
Digital Zoom; F1.8 (W)/2.8 (T)
·
Video Recording Standards: AVCHD Progressive, MP4
·
Audio Compression: AC-3/H.264 (AVCHD), AAC/H.264 (MP4)
·
Microphone: Stereo condenser mic
·
Minimum Illumination: 0.1lx (low light mode)
·
Display: 3.5”, 1,230K-dot, OLED touchscreen
·
Storage: 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC slots
·
Terminals: Mini-HDMI-out, AV-out, USB, mic, Headphone,
Remote Jacks
·
Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n, 2.4GHz/5GHz
·
Battery: Rechargeable battery BP820, 7.4V/1,780mAh
·
Dimensions: 109x84x182mm
·
Sensor: 1/2.84” CMOS
·
Optical Zoom: 20x
·
Weight: 765g
·
Price: $2,499
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