Canon HF S11 Stabilization Example

Testing the optical image stabilization on the Canon HF S11. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/?ytube

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Canon
• HF
• S11
• Stabilization
• OIS
• optical
• HD
• video
• camcorder
• camera
• Test
• Shake

[KevinBjorke]

I can't fault your commitment to consistent testing, I think the principles of how stabilizers work have moved on?

While not explicit on your "how" page it seems you're using linear noise or straight-random motions. Research over the past couple of yrs has shown this to be a statistically inaccurate representation of hand-held motion. Not just Canon, other co's and academic researchers too.  Do you have plans to further augment your tests?

[cmonthisisridiculous]

Who is going to take video shaking like that? An astronaut during re-entry? Someone riding their bike down the side of a mountain? Someone that just finished a Starbucks coffee drinking contest? So this test is meaningless for the average user. Demo video using 'typical shake' parameters (hand held standing, walking, riding in a car on a paved road), not the extremes shown. Cmon. Don't be ridiculous.

[rayman4449]

I personally own the S11 and have spent hours taking test video with the Sony 500s and I stand by everything I've said. The impression you get from just seeing this video is very misleading.  Enjoy your Sony they have a good offering as well.

[rayman4449]

Also, the S11 doesn't warp the image like the Sonys do which I personally didn't like. Also, in 30p mode the Canon has better low light capability than the Sonys. It's also important to note a reason why the Sonys have better low light, 50% lower effective video megapixels. Buy what you want, my comments are for those on the fence trying to evaluate the new S11 and also the IS.

[rayman4449]

Read what I said below again. The results you see in this test are not reflective of how effective the S11 IS is in REAL WORLD application. Again, you missed the point when you say the Sony IS is 10x better than the "Canons". You are grouping the S11 with the other Canon offerings. The S11 has a new enhanced stabilization that the other Canons DO NOT HAVE. The IS in the Canon models before this suck. The S11 IS is excellent.

[Severianb]

Are you saying these tests are false? Because I just looked at the Sony tests, and they are about 10x better at stabilizing the image than the Canons. I mean it's not even close. Pick the Canon over the Sony for many reasons: 24fps mode, higher bitrate, more manual controls, sharper video & still photos, etc. but DON'T try and say the OIS is comparable. It SUCKS compared to the Sony's. The low light ability is also pretty bad compared to the Sony 500 series.

[rayman4449]

..and figured Id rather have the better image quality over the better IS, but now that I have the camera and have seen the IS I dont feel Ive compromised at all and in fact, prefer this over the Sony as it doesnt warp the image. Theyre both excellent camera offerings and you really cant go wrong either way, but the S11 does deserve a close look. In the end I think this IS test video is a bit misleading of how good the S11 IS really is.

[rayman4449]

You can hand hold the S11 and get a rock solid image very easy. For those on the fence and leaning towards getting the S11, go for it, you wont be sorry. And for the record, you will see from my videos posted that Im an average consumer like yourself and not an employee or paid to write positive reviews. I went for the S11 because it had a 50% greater effective video pixel quality

[rayman4449]

Another positive about the S11 IS is it doesn't warp the picture image as the XRs do. If you look at the image finder on an XR and move the camera up and down you will notice the outsides of the image bow down while the center stays put or raises slightly. While in most cases this probably is that big a deal, you can see it and once you know its there you can see it.

[rayman4449]

After weeks of researching and trying to decide, I finally went with the Canon S11 over the Sony XR500/520v and from my initial tests I'm glad I did. For those trying like me trying to decide between the S11 and the Sonys and are unsure about the S11 Image Stabilization, let me just say the S11 IS is EXCELLENT. It is far far better than I ever expected it to be and in some ways I feel it comes pretty close to the sony XR500 family.