which camcorder is better

[Guest]

I'm trying to figure out which camcorder is better. I'll be going on a trip in Japan and I would like to film the area and vlog with it

I am on a budget of 200 euro, I found 2 nice camcorders that can film in 1080p and they look reasonable, but I have no idea which one would be better
 

Sony Handycam HDR-CX240E or Panasonic HC-V160

[Rocko]

if you're going to vlog I would recommend getting a camera like this

[ALwin]

I'm trying to figure out which camcorder is better. I'll be going on a trip in Japan and I would like to film the area and vlog with it

I am on a budget of 200 euro, I found 2 nice camcorders that can film in 1080p and they look reasonable, but I have no idea which one would be better

 

Sony Handycam HDR-CX240E or Panasonic HC-V160

 

Tough decision, both will have similar performance in video image quality.  Personally if I had to choose just between these two I'd get the Sony, as the Panasonic is 1080 interlaced at 60fps while the Sony is 1080 progressive at 50 fps.

 

The Panasonic uses NTSC region frame rates and the Sony uses PAL region frame rates.

[ALwin]

or should the Sony Handycam HDR-CX405 be a better choice?, that one is only a little above my budget

 

Comparing the specs, the CX405 is slightly better.  The image quality will be about the same, and depending on where in the world you buy I guess you will get regional frame rates (i.e. NTSC or PAL).  The 405 has a tiny bit longer optical zoom, 30x vs 27x.

[ALwin]

the 405 also has optical stabilization and the other one is digital. Optical is better right?

 

They both have the same kind of image stabilization.

[Philosobyte]

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/431022/canon-legria-hf-r606-zwart/specificaties/

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/372544/canon-legria-hf-r506-zwart/specificaties/

The Canon Legria HF R606 or R506 should have a bit better image quality because the sensor size is a bit bigger, at 1/4.85" compared to Sony's smaller 1/5.8" sensor. However, I'm not sure how image stabilization or other features compare.

 

You'll have to look for YouTube reviews/comparisons for that. The Legria HF R606's U.S. counterpart should be the Vixia HF R600 - that might give you an easier time searching for reviews. 

[ALwin]

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/431022/canon-legria-hf-r606-zwart/specificaties/

http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/372544/canon-legria-hf-r506-zwart/specificaties/

The Canon Legria HF R606 or R506 should have a bit better image quality because the sensor size is a bit bigger, at 1/4.85" compared to Sony's smaller 1/5.8" sensor. However, I'm not sure how image stabilization or other features compare.

 

You'll have to look for YouTube reviews/comparisons for that. The Legria HF R606's U.S. counterpart should be the Vixia HF R600 - that might give you an easier time searching for reviews. 

 

At this price point, both the Sony cameras that OP is considering and the Canon cameras you recommended should be very close competition.  There won't be very significant differences that make one model a lot better than the other. There are some slight differences, but it will depend on the buyer's needs.  My needs in a camcorder might be different from yours.

• The Canon has a slightly larger sensor and longer optical zoom
• But the Sony seems to have a slightly wider field of view at the widest focal length.

35mm equiv. focal length, assuming both are just showing the optical focal length without the digital zoom portion.

Sony: 26.8 - 804mm

Canon: 38.5mm-1232mm (Advanced zoom: 32.5mm - 1853mm)