Canon Legria HF-G26/G40, Romsey/Southampton Area

johnkm

It's near impossible to find an AV dealer with either, so I am looking for someone who has one of these in my area, who would be willing to let me have a look at it and, if possible, take some test shots to compare it with my current Panasonic HDC-TM700 for video quality, etc.
I am located a little North of Romsey, so also about central to Salisbury and Winchester as well as Southampton

chrishull3

Canon LEGRIA HF G26 Camcorder | Wex Photo Video
Not sure if this is correct,personaly i doubt if the picture quality from either Canon models would be better than your TM700 if as good.

johnkm

Thank you for that.  I have already had a bad experience with the HD resolution on the HC-VXF1, which was sub-standard compared with the TM700.  So this time I am being rather careful to check in person.  I confess that I was hoping that an HD only model would be at least as good

chrishull3

Once i went 4K in 2014 i have rarely recorded in HD mode but i can assure you all the 4K camcorders and cameras i have owned have recorded as good HD picture quality as my previous HD  camcorders,have you considered a bridge camera like the Panasonic FZ1000 or it replacement the FZ2000 great video and stills from them in all modes,i have never ownd either of the models you mention but i owned a HF-G30 and i doubt that had better resolution than a very cheap Panasonic camcorder i owned once.
                                                                Best of luck

12harry

Hi, if it was you, could you provide a  link to your earlier thread?... perhaps give us an update would be mighty interesting - but I fear you are the only one to complain - but then maybe the only one to have the rather excellent TM700.

Back to Canon . . . I don't have one! However, I understand one of their plus-features is a multi-blade iris* ( 8 possibly) which is more than most at 6 and my CX410 is just 4! However, against river water many say the "sun-sparkles" are rather "PRO".
* This is said to improve the look of anything out of focus.

Have you tried a Local film-making club? - Their members will sing the praises of their chosen gear, while the others will tell it straight. I'm sure there is an active one nr Chichester, but have a "Search" for others.
  Your research will be of great use to others ( not just HERE!)..... as I'm not yet convinced I must have 4K , since "Content is King"  - - - -  For me, it could be better to "improve".
The TM700 is crisper than my own footage (although never a side-by-side comparison ). So, it might be better to stick with HD,  even for club-projection which is typically 6ft.  ( ~10ft max  ... any more and Projector light, falls off ).
Are you using a "known" test-target?  e.g. a small ornament that you take with you - otherwise it's difficult to compare multi-seasonal outdoor shoots.
( Perhaps you take the TM700 for simultaneous recording ?)

Good luck . . . .

chrishull3

As i said johnkm having owned a CANON HF-G30 and other Canon cams the HF -G30 was a nice HD cam but personaly i prefer Panasonic,the FZ1000 i once owned is still available and takes super video
                                                               
In The video comparison tests in thread 4 both cameras recorded in HD mode If you watch the videos on a tv you will see the FZ1000 footage still has more detail.

johnkm

Very sadly, while I would love to view these sample videos, we are blessed with a 1.6 to 2Mbps download speed, so viewing 1080 HD is simply not possible and even 720 is choppy!
I have a multi purpose use, so I don't want anything bigger that the Legria HF G26, plus do want to produce good audio as well and therefore need a camcorder, which to me is easier to handle anyway.  Unfortunately, there are no film maker clubs near here, hence this thread.
For information: Having ventured into 4K (to future proof), I an now very wary of the HD performance of 4K camcorders, particularly if they try to produce HD by downscaling 4K to HD 'on-the-fly'!

chrishull3

Ok good luck but i have had quite a few 4K camcorders and cameras and none gave poor HD recordings but i admit HD was rarely used on them.

12harry

I understand your concern re down-scaled 4K as a substitute for HD, but I wonder that this isn't more an issue with modern Sensors? If a sensor has the necessary tiny pixels for 4K then reconfiguring it for HD "might" mean there is a compromise*. A sensor that is designed for HD only( i.e. before we were told we needed 4K ), could produce excellent footage which would only deteriorate when shown on a cinema screen.
[ Indeed I've seen a home-made = semi pro. feature film that was 720 and no-one noticed when it was shown at a local multi-screen cinema. This was a full-size ~ 20ft  screening !....].
CVP is reasonably near you - their website confirms the G26 has an 8-blade iris and that the G40 is upgraded with a marginally larger LCD screen and GPS, WiFi etc. but for more money..... there may be other changes.
A bonus is they appear to take SD memory, rather than the much more expensive CF which both Canon Pro and Sony Pro used.... couldn't understand why..... stories of SD being slower just don't appear to be the case, IMHO.
The downside of these Canons appears to be their poor Stills-mode at about 3Mpx - that's less than your  700 (DYOR).  My next camcorder needs to offer better-than 14 Mpx so I can leave the Stills camera at home!


However, all that said I'm not quite understanding what's wrong with your TM700.... exactly why is it being up-graded?

* The compromise should be minor IMHO since HD is really 2K - so 4K has  extra pixels both Horiz and Vert  . . . . when Mfr show the extra "screen size" it looks like a big change, but just as many folks confused SD with HD on their TV, we might expect similar from Camcorders. This makes me wonder if your 4K ( "downscale") experience should be repeated with the TM700 attached to the same tripod?  . . . . This would ensure that any vibration was minimal and the same images for both.....
That really would be a worthwhile test....

Cheers.

rogs

I see Amazon sell the model in question.....https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-HF-G26-Digital-Camcorder/dp/B0798BV1PJ
Easy to try out  - and return if you don't like it?...... Probably cost less to return it than the petrol to drive to a dealer (if you can find one!)

Internet traders may have forced many actual dealers out of business, but it's part of their business model to expect a number of returns, and many folk now consider this a 'normal' way of shopping....