Canon HF S11

The Canon HF S11 has double the storage capacity – 64 GB – of Canon’s preceding version, the HF S10. The new camcorder also has improved optical stabilisation whose performance truly impressed us.


Handling

When I opened the box, I admit I couldn’t see any difference from the HF S10. The HF S11 is a carbon copy of its older brother. The shape, the colour, and even the buttons are all absolutely identical. But there’s nothing wrong with that, as the HF S10 was a fairly handsome camera. The HF S11 has the same mode selection dial at the rear. It lets you choose between movie or photo mode, or else Dual Shot mode (in which you have the possibility of shooting both photos and video). The menu (not always intuitive) is still just as exhaustive, complete with joystick-button for navigating through the different headings, and the Custom dial – which gives you manual adjustment over focus, exposure, AGC limit, or microphone level – is in exactly the same location under the lens. We do have to say it’s a shame that a lens manufacturer like Canon hasn’t included a manual-focus ring. About the only camcorder that still has one is the Panasonic HDC-HS300.

To see what you’re shooting, there’s no viewfinder, only a 2.7” LCD display with good definition (211,000 pixels). The body has a very classy black-lacquer finish. There’s an accessory shoe for attaching an external microphone or a video light.

You turn the camcorder on by pressing the Power button, which automatically opens the lens shutter. Under it is a 10x optical zoom that starts at a focal length of 43mm – a bit narrow. We would have hoped for a slightly wider angle, even if the Sony HDR-CX520 does no better.


Image Quality

Canon has now caught up with Sony's image stabilisation capabilities.  Sony had pulled off a masterstroke last spring by providing an “active” image stabilisation system on its HDR-XR500, and more recently with the HDR-CX520, which cancels out movement to the point of letting you shoot while walking.



But the HF S11 has made up the difference with its SteadyShot in Dynamic mode, also capable of vertically stabilizing the movements of a person walking. I tested it myself, and even compared it to the CX520. The verdict: the Canon excels and surpasses the Sony! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stabilisation system that absorbs movement to the point where you get the impression that the camera is on an air cushion. To give you an idea of what it can do, there’s a video that lets you compare them. Even though I took no pains to limit my movements while walking, I think you’ll agree that the field of view is astonishingly stable.

The Dynamic mode earns the HF S11 the title of best-stabilised camcorder on the market. Add to that the precision of the images, encoded in HD at a bit rate of 24 Mbps in AVCHD, which results in a sharper image than the CX520. Colours are also very accurate. Really the HF S11’s only weakness is too much digital noise, which shows up as soon as the light levels falls. On this point, Sony still has the advantage with its Exmor CMOS sensor.

Movie buffs will appreciate being able to shoot in 24p Cinema Mode to give their video a “movie” feel, and also the mic input and the volume indicator which is visible on the LCD display. On the other hand, the AVCHD format is still laborious to edit, even with a recent computer.


The 64 GB built-in memory can hold seven hours of video in the best HD quality (MXP mode) and up to 24 hours at the lowest bit rate (1440x1080 at 5 Mbps). That’s not at all bad for a start. The camcorder also has an SD/SDHC card reader for recording video or photos in 8-megapixel quality, and an automatic flash.



The supplied battery powers the camera for less than an hour--just 45 minutes--but recharges in only 20 minutes, which is rare for a camcorder.