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Sony H5 vs Canon S3 IS vs Panasonic FZ7: Head-to-Head-to-Head Digital Camera Reviewby Patrick SingletonPublished on July 31, 2006
Metering Metering options for the three cameras will provide users a varied palette of options depending on which camera is selected. The Canon S3 IS has evaluative, center-weighted, and spot metering options. The spot metering option allows users to fix it to the center, like on most cameras, or move the point with the Set button. The Panasonic FZ7 has multiple, center-weighted and spot metering modes that produced predominately similar results with minimal alteration when attempting to compensate for complicated or backlit subjects. Producing the most marked metering results displaying the greatest ability to compensate for scenes which are backlit or otherwise compromised was the Sony H5 which comes with metering options for spot, center, and multi. .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) left to right: Canon PowerShot S3 IS, Panasonic Lumix FZ7 & Sony Cyber-shot H5 cropped stills from video footage at 100% Image Size / Quality All three digital cameras shoot video at the consumer camcorder standard of 30 fps at 640 x 480 resolution – although the Sony H5 requires a Memory Stick Pro Duo card to do so. In addition to this setting, the Panasonic FZ7 also has options of 640 x 480 at 10 fps, 320 x 240 at 30 fps, and 320 x 240 at 10 fps. In addition to these 4:3 aspect ratios the Panasonic FZ7 also has a 16:9 format option for widescreen viewing that has an advertised pixel count of 848 x 640. The Canon S3 IS doesn’t have the 16:9 mode found with the FZ7, but it does have an option for shooting 60 fps video with 320 x 240 pixels. In addition to the fast frame rate mode, the S3 IS user will also have standard options such as 640 x 480 and 320 x 240 – both at 30 or 15 fps. The Canon S3 IS features a dual shooting control setup that separates the movie start/stop control from the shutter button and places this mode control on the back of the camera body. This dual control setup provides users with the ability to capture full resolution still images in movie mode and movies without switching out of still modes. This is certainly helpful when shooting still images and wanting to immediately begin video capture without turning the mode dial and suffering through several seconds of warm up delay. This instantaneous switch isn’t as great when shooting in movie mode though. When stills are captured in the middle of a video, the final video file will display a stutter wherever still images were captured. Additionally, there was a tendency to forget about the special movie recording button when shooting since the natural tendency is to activate the shutter button positioned on the top of the camera body. The Sony H5 will provide its users with alternate video size and quality parameters for 640 x 480 at 16.6 fps and 160 x 112 resolution with a paltry 8 fps. With a Memory Stick Pro Duo card, this Cyber-shot can also record television-quality 640 x 480-pixel video at a more standard frame rate of 30 fps. The H5 definitely provides the least options with more limited parameters; if aspect ratio or frame rate choices are wanted the FZ7 or the S3 IS will be far better options. Editing / Playback Features (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS) The video editing options on the Canon S3 IS provides users with a variety of control features, offering more flexibility than the other two models. The Canon S3 IS enables users to scan video clips with play, slow motion, first frame, previous frame, next frame, last frame, and exit. Editing controls allow users to scan video clips frame by frame to select the appropriate point for cutting and cropping videos (from either the beginning or end of clips) and will also allow for previewing newly cropped video prior to saving to memory. The Sony H5 has similar playback and control features although the “divide” feature found with this camera will only provide the user with the ability to scan video files second by second before choosing a spot to split the file in two. Bringing up the rear with no in-camera editing options is the Panasonic FZ7 which will merely allow users to play back video files. Video Performance Outdoor Scene (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS) We tested the video performance of these three models in a sequence of outdoor evaluations, as well as in controlled studio setups, with similar results garnered - in terms of resolution, noise and color - in both situations. In our outdoor evaluations, the FZ7 displayed the cleanest transitions, exhibiting the least amount of jagging on diagonal edges. The Panasonic also maintained focus well, with subjects in the background remaining far more legible than those captured by the H5, for example. The Canon S3 IS turned in respectable results in terms of noise and resolution performance, but did display heavier noise than the FZ7; however, the S3 did produce footage noticeably better than the Sony H5. The FZ7 also handled the borders between subjects without less distortion and discoloration than either the S3 IS or H5.
The major issue beyond resolution and jagging with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H5 is the under-saturated nature of its video, even when shooting on a well lit afternoon. The other two cameras were much more capable of producing footage with legible detail in the foreground, a basic feat that the H5 grappled to succeed at. With the Sony H5, the planes and dimensions of the moving cars are reduced to stark contrasty two-dimensional forms that have little to no shading and transition between surfaces. These transition lines between planes, when cropped and expanded, display further distortion and color inconsistencies that weren’t in the original scene. These problems appear as a halo on either side of the subject like those displayed in the images below. In addition to these problems, the clouds in the upper left corner become overloaded and blow out to pure white without any subtleties in tonality. This problem was also notable throughout the recordings done with the Panasonic FZ7 and only marginally apparent when recording with the Canon S3 IS. Motion / Compression (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS) Motion was an area of interesting separation with the Canon S3 IS having a unique edge with its fast frame rate mode. The 320 x 240-pixel resolution captures 60 fps and turns in a smooth clean video when capturing moving subjects. This lower resolution will be a problem if being output straight onto a television screen where it will be translated to 640 x 480, it shouldn’t be a huge concern if intending to use these video files for online sharing services where resolution is often 320 x 240 at a maximum. Video clips captured in this mode displayed only an occasional digital artifact and for nearly all of its footage, the motion was smooth and clean. Interestingly, a continuity skip occurs in the Panasonic FZ7's recordings at 640 x 480 at 30 fps that will cast this camera’s hybrid potential into question. The highest quality shooting mode with the Sony H5 was not able to overcome the limitations found elsewhere with this digital camera’s movie mode. The video results for the H5 display a tendency to create digital artifacts with moving subjects and a somewhat stuttering delivery when compared to the other two cameras, although this camera didn’t have the major hiccup that occurred with the FZ7.
Image Stabilization (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS) The H5 turned in admirable results with both image stabilization on and off and users should find that the footage captured with this feature turned on is nearly as clear and sharp as the S3 IS. The only major concern with the H5 exists along the vertical division between foreground and background on the left side of the image. The S3 IS was able to establish the physical separation between these two depths in a manner that just wasn’t present with the H5. In addition the overhanging metal at the top of the image is not nearly as crisp or concise as footage shot with the S3 IS. That said the footage for the H5 is certainly better than the FZ7 with image stabilization on and off.
Color (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS)
To test for color accuracy, each digital camera captured video footage of the standard digital camera still color chart in addition to the color chart standardized for video camcorders. The results from the still camera chart were taken and results were extracted using Imatest. When shooting at a strongly lit 3000 lux, all three cameras tended to over-saturate colors. The Panasonic FZ7 displayed results with the most color error, also varying between under and over-saturation depending on light levels. The S3 IS and H5 strayed from the ideal colors a bit, although they had the most overall consistency when examining the entire color spectrum. The Sony H5 showed slight under-saturation and tonal inaccuracy within the yellow, green, and blue areas of the spectrum while the magenta section of the spectrum presented the most difficulty for the Canon S3 IS. When the cameras were tested at the lower light levels, footage produced by the Sony H5 was consistently under-saturated and dull. The Panasonic FZ7 once again turned in a potpourri of results that were both under and over-saturated depending on the area of the color spectrum. Tonally, the FZ7 suffered in low light and the results strayed markedly from the ideal marker designated by Imatest. Producing the best color results of the three digital cameras in low light was the Canon PowerShot S3 IS with minimal tonal inaccuracies and nominally off-axis saturation levels in low light conditions. Although its color performance was not quite as strong as the Sony H5's in bright conditions, the S3 IS produced more consistently accurate colors in varying light levels. Color Performance - Video Capture The following charts were captured using a Sony DCR-HC46 camcorder that captured video footage of our still image chart for comparison to our three digital cameras.
Resolution (Advantage: Panasonic Lumix FZ7)
When examining the vertical trumpets, the marked discoloration found with the H5 is absent although the camera still fared the worst of the three models tested. The trumpets display jagging along their edges and the clarity of the trumpet quickly falls into foggy incoherence. Noise is definitely present along the edges of the trumpet in the gray area and the overall image is hardly impressive. Once again, the Canon S3 IS came in second with an interesting moiré pattern at the narrow end which reconstructed the tightly packed resolution lines as three bold black bars. The jagging is once again smoother than the H5 at the wide end of the trumpet and the clarity of the trumpet does extend further than the Sony. The Panasonic FZ7 again turned in the best resolution results with an image that displayed minimal jagging and the least distortion and moiré when compared to the other two ultra-zoom models.
Low Light Performance (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS) Low Light Performance - Video Capture Audio (Advantage: Canon PowerShot S3 IS)
The microphones for the Canon S3 IS are a stereo pair that record audio from the left and right side of the top of the lens barrel and are far superior to the single mics on the Panasonic FZ7 or Sony H5. Their spacing and location improve the potential to really notice auditory panning and other acoustic phenomena which occur based on spatial positioning and movement through a recording field. This design actually gives the camera an advantage over many pure camcorders which place the left and right microphones in close proximity on the front face of the camcorder body; even if physically panned hard left and right these microphones won’t perform in quite the same way as those found with the S3 IS. The quality of audio in playback is markedly better when shooting with the Canon and the microphone position is far enough away from fingers so users won’t need to worry about handling noise. The camera does suffer from wind striking the microphone, however the internal wind filter did cut down on this problem to a large extent. In addition to the wind cut filter, users can select between three audio sampling rates as well as five audio recording levels for both microphones. Both the Sony H5 and the Panasonic FZ7 have only one microphone which is certainly adequate but will be more revealing whenever audio inconsistencies, glitches, or other mistakes occur during recording. The audio quality with the Panasonic FZ7 displayed a distinct prevalence of wind noise on the audio track and while it did pick up audio from fifteen feet away, the muffling tendency of the distorting wind on this marginally breezy day resulted in unusable audio content. The Sony H5 suffered from the same debilitating wind noise found as the FZ7. While the distortion caused by wind noise was less marked on the H5, neither model approached the S3.
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