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lmn927 · Jan 18, 2007, 1:02 PM

How does the video quality on the H5 comapre to the Canon S3?

1eyedeer · Jan 18, 2007, 5:58 PM

I recently bought an H5.Video quality was very important to me, since the one camera is used for stills and video clips on holidays (to save bulk and weight ) and then a combined DVD is made. The S3 and FZ7 were the main alternatives (Fuji cameras were atrractive for low light but rather large), and the reviewers seemed to judge the S3 video as better. In the end I plumped for the H5.

Having used the H5 on a long holiday in Oz, and making the DVD, mine and others opinion is that the video quality is comparable to a camcorder (I have a Sony Hi8), and I have been very happy with H5 stills and video capability.

You might need to look however in more detail at the actual use when switching between stills and video on the same day with the S3 or the H5.

With the H5, if you shoot stills in one of the manual modes and then switch to movie mode, the camera retains settings such as spot focus and spot exposure. This means that the video can have rapidly changing focus and exposure as the camera is "panned". If the S3 automatically adopts matrix metering and multi-point focus (as the H5 does for Auto stills but not Movie), I might have considered the S3 to be a better camera for my use, since image quality is probably similar. One other thing that caught me out was that although the default image setting for stills was Fine, the default setting for movie clips was only Normal (perhaps to maximise card space).

As all the experts say, handling and using a camera is the true test to find out if it meets your needs, but cameras like the H5 have quite a large number of variable settings, and it takes time to find out which suit your use.

jakoky · Feb 3, 2007, 9:23 PM

Quote:

With the H5, if you shoot stills in one of the manual modes and then switch to movie mode, the camera retains settings such as spot focus and spot exposure. This means that the video can have rapidly changing focus and exposure as the camera is "panned".

Quote:

Hi there, i have a question for you...the last 2 times i have used my movie mode in my H5, i noticed my video got kinda blurry, like it was having trouble focusing....when i read your above comment, (i usually take all pics in P mode), does that mean when i take video i need to change my focus to multi point and my exposure to something else....i have taken lots of video clips and this kinda blurry thing, like my focus is hunting, has only happened a few times...thx

Quote:

sharon

1eyedeer · Feb 4, 2007, 4:05 PM

Hi Sharon - hope that you are enjoying the H5 as much as I have so far! I made the comment that you picked up as one of the few negatives for me when taking both stills and movie clips. I tend to use centre or spot autofocus and centre weighted exposure for stills - the camera retains these settings when switched to movie mode. Some of my movie clips suffered from changing focus and also exposure changes. On checking the manual, it says on page 39 that multi-point AF is recommended for Movie mode.

My feeling is that the software should automatically change the focus to this mode when switched from one of the Manual modes to Movie (it does it with Auto stills!).

So it seems as if we have to remember to change AF to multipoint and exposure to matrix each time we switch!

I've been using the Teleconverter for bird close-ups and its been great fun - but you have to have pretty good light for handheld shots due to the need for higher shutter speeds. Something else learned the hard way!

jakoky · Feb 5, 2007, 12:18 PM

hi, thx for the great response...i use the same setting as you, i almost always have it on center, sometimes spot..i will have to remember to change it as 2 weekends ago i was using my camera to take pics of my daughters cheerleading competetion...i fliipped it to video mode and the focus kept hunting, so in turn, i had some blurriness :sad: I love the camera, i love the pics it takes, normally i have had great video(now i know what i need to do to always get great stuff)...thx so much, you were very helpful....have fun taking pics

sharon

1eyedeer · Feb 5, 2007, 1:11 PM

Thanks for the thanks! This forum and the Dpreview Sony Talk are great for hearing of other peoples' experiences and for getting ideas from experts. I'm gradually moving up from P & S to more manual control andcan only refer to mylimited use with digital cameras, but avidly read what the DSLR users advise in various threads. A DSLR will probably be the next stage for me, but at present the H5 is great for my needs. (and my wife might say something about spending £1000 on yet more camera equipment!)

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Jan 18, 2007, 1:02 PM	#1
lmn927 Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 35	How does the video quality on the H5 comapre to the Canon S3?

Jan 18, 2007, 5:58 PM	#2
1eyedeer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 200	I recently bought an H5.Video quality was very important to me, since the one camera is used for stills and video clips on holidays (to save bulk and weight ) and then a combined DVD is made. The S3 and FZ7 were the main alternatives (Fuji cameras were atrractive for low light but rather large), and the reviewers seemed to judge the S3 video as better. In the end I plumped for the H5. Having used the H5 on a long holiday in Oz, and making the DVD, mine and others opinion is that the video quality is comparable to a camcorder (I have a Sony Hi8), and I have been very happy with H5 stills and video capability. You might need to look however in more detail at the actual use when switching between stills and video on the same day with the S3 or the H5. With the H5, if you shoot stills in one of the manual modes and then switch to movie mode, the camera retains settings such as spot focus and spot exposure. This means that the video can have rapidly changing focus and exposure as the camera is "panned". If the S3 automatically adopts matrix metering and multi-point focus (as the H5 does for Auto stills but not Movie), I might have considered the S3 to be a better camera for my use, since image quality is probably similar. One other thing that caught me out was that although the default image setting for stills was Fine, the default setting for movie clips was only Normal (perhaps to maximise card space). As all the experts say, handling and using a camera is the true test to find out if it meets your needs, but cameras like the H5 have quite a large number of variable settings, and it takes time to find out which suit your use.

Feb 4, 2007, 4:05 PM	#4
1eyedeer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 200	Hi Sharon - hope that you are enjoying the H5 as much as I have so far! I made the comment that you picked up as one of the few negatives for me when taking both stills and movie clips. I tend to use centre or spot autofocus and centre weighted exposure for stills - the camera retains these settings when switched to movie mode. Some of my movie clips suffered from changing focus and also exposure changes. On checking the manual, it says on page 39 that multi-point AF is recommended for Movie mode. My feeling is that the software should automatically change the focus to this mode when switched from one of the Manual modes to Movie (it does it with Auto stills!). So it seems as if we have to remember to change AF to multipoint and exposure to matrix each time we switch! I've been using the Teleconverter for bird close-ups and its been great fun - but you have to have pretty good light for handheld shots due to the need for higher shutter speeds. Something else learned the hard way!

Feb 5, 2007, 12:18 PM	#5
jakoky Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 22	hi, thx for the great response...i use the same setting as you, i almost always have it on center, sometimes spot..i will have to remember to change it as 2 weekends ago i was using my camera to take pics of my daughters cheerleading competetion...i fliipped it to video mode and the focus kept hunting, so in turn, i had some blurriness :sad: I love the camera, i love the pics it takes, normally i have had great video(now i know what i need to do to always get great stuff)...thx so much, you were very helpful....have fun taking pics sharon

Feb 5, 2007, 1:11 PM	#6
1eyedeer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 200	Thanks for the thanks! This forum and the Dpreview Sony Talk are great for hearing of other peoples' experiences and for getting ideas from experts. I'm gradually moving up from P & S to more manual control andcan only refer to mylimited use with digital cameras, but avidly read what the DSLR users advise in various threads. A DSLR will probably be the next stage for me, but at present the H5 is great for my needs. (and my wife might say something about spending £1000 on yet more camera equipment!)