I’ve received quite a few requests asking for a comparison test between the Canon Powershot SD960 IS digital camera and the Canon VIXIA HFS100 HD camcorder. On the surface, this seemed like a one-sided comparison. After all, I’m putting up a $299 digital camera against a $1,300 (when paired with a Canon WD H58 Wide Angle Lens ) prosumer level HD camcorder. However, the little digicam from Canon held its own pretty well.
A couple of things to keep in mind. First, the quality of the HFS100 is higher than what is shown in the test clips. The VIXIA records at full 1080 HD resolution but Vimeo is limited to 720 HD uploads. Still, the difference in quality between the HFS100 and SD960 is pretty easy to see. If the HFS100 sounds better it’s because the camcorder records in stereo while the SD960 is limited to mono sound.
My conclusion is both are great cameras. The SD960 is a great take it anywhere and shoot type of camera while the HFS100 is geared toward more professional work. Any blogger should be happy with either units. Which one do you like more?
