Product Comparison: Canon VIXIA HF R800 vs Sony HDR-CX405

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Best Pick

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

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Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

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General Specifications

Brand

Canon

Sony

Model

VIXIA HF R800

HDR-CX405

Origin

China

About the Product

Capture your family's most precious memories with the VIXIA HF R800 camcorder. Thanks to its powerful zoom, you can record moments near, far and in between. Exciting new features include Highlight Priority mode with backlight correction to help you get the best shots you can, and improved slow and fast recording options that let you experiment with different ways to record. The lightweight package of the VIXIA HF R800 means you can keep it on hand to record whatever you want, whenever you want, to removable SD cards that provide quick and convenient sharing. Easy to use and bring with you, pick up the VIXIA HF R800 and start making memories.

Make it memorable with Sony Full HD/60p quality. Capture amazing footage in low light and control. Get close to the action with a 27x zoom, wide-angle Carl Zeiss lens and say goodbye to shake with Steady Shot image stabilization. It’s the perfect starter camera.

Key Specs

Sensor Resolution

2.07 MP

9.2 MP

Sensor Type

CMOS

Exmor R® CMOS

Maximum Frame Rate

60 fps

Video Resolution

1080 p

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

1080p on a 128 GB will give you 8 hours and reducing to 720 will give you up to16 hours of recording.
While it only goes up to 1080/60p, the image quality is superior to anything else I've seen thanks to the CMO sensor (which does VERY well in the low-light bar settings I often encounter).
No 4k resolution. Something that even $50 cameras have.
Not a lot of options in enhancement feature while filming.
It's ok for price, good camcorder with good enough focus and features. Just sensor size not good enough to have good video quality especially in the low light condition.

Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

Nice camera. I like its high quality of resolution, but be careful it is very light.
Camera that is high quality and high resolution for a wonderful price.
Love the simple instruction as well as great resolution.
I can shoot videos with the same resolution and audio using the camera on my phone. This product does not shoot in true "HD."
Not worth, resolution is not good and the storage is not good

Size & Weight

Height

2.3 in.

2.38 in.

Width

2.1 in.

2.25 in.

Depth

4.6 in.

5.13 in.

Weight

10.8 oz.

6.7 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Imaging

Optical Zoom

32 x

30 x

Digital Zoom

1140 x

350 x

Aperture

F/1.8 (W) - 4.5 (T)

F/1.8 (W) - 4.0 (T)

Image Stabilization

Optical

Face Detection

Yes

Low Light/High Sensitivity

Yes

Image File Format(s)

MPEG-4, MP4

AVCHD, MP4, JPEG

What customers say about "Imaging"

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

Its optical image stabilization is fantastic as the videos I took were not shaky or disorderly.
On my walking and driving test, I was getting 60 fps. Keep in mind that I was walking in a busy mall as the cam needed to adapt to numerous lighting issues (Was quite pleased with the fps over this).
Color, adjustment, stabilization are all automatic and yes you have the option to customize it yourself if you want to.
A unique mode called highlight priority prevents your videos from being blown out. This means that you will lose some detail quality but more information on what you’re filming will be preserved. I don’t use it but it’s something to note.
Low lighting is not the best for this one. It’s alright but you’ll see the difference in quality compare to daytime filming.
Complete zoom out doesn’t give you a whole 180 degree viewing as its right at the fisheye lens.

Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

Perfect camera for the price. Good quality images.
The sony camera is a great item. The quality of the images and movies is excellent.
The camcorder has a very good zoom, excelent image quality
With low light conditions image looses quality.
Camera feels sheap.... and image quality to mach...

Display

Display Type

TFT LCD

Touch Screen

Yes

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Screen Size

3 in.

2.7 in.

Touch Screen
Screen Size

What customers say about "Display"

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

The video looks brighter on the video camera screen.
I love the touch screen and that you can flip it around to face you if you're filming a YouTube video for instance, so you can see what is being captured and frame your shot correctly.
Screen rotates 180 degrees +
The touch screen is rather fiddly. Someone with large fingers could have trouble with it.
Operating touch screen while filming can spoil shot by moving camera (and everything is done through the screen)

Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

Takes very clear video and looks great on HD screen when viewing.
Very simple to use, clear video recording. Compact and clear screen
This is a light weight video camera with a nice size LCD screen. It is very easy to setup and use. It was just what I was looking for.
The screen menu is self explanatory and very simple to use.
My only problem is that it does not seem thus far able to record while the lcd screen is open.

Features

Slow Motion Recording

Yes

HDR Mode

Action Camera

Night Recording

Yes

Wind Noise Reduction

Yes

Shock Resistant

Water Resistant

Extras

57x Advanced Zoom, DIGIC DV 4 image processor, Zoom lens with instant autofocus, Stereo audio signal

Optical SteadyShot™ with Intelligent Active Mode, Up to 26.8 mm wide-angle lens, Exceptional image quality, Highlight Movie Maker, Motion Shot Video, Built-in USB cable, Dual Video Recording, Dual Record mode

Microphone Type

Built-in Zoom

What customers say about "Features"

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

You’re going need to get an external microphone if you’re planning to talk with it on the road.
Regarding with the mic issue, keep in mind that it doesn’t have a manual audio control level for an external mic input.

Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

This camcorder is simple to use and has great features. Best quality videos. Also got a great deal for thanksgiving.
I like the feature of the charging cord attached to the camera.
Great camera with lots of features. Beautiful pics of Alaska.
I love all the features on the camera. Such as the filters you can film in.
Great camera for value. The features are strong and the device is easy to use.

Connectivity

Wi-Fi Enabled

Yes

Microphone Input

Tripod/Monopod Mountable

Yes

Output(s)

Mini-HDMI (Type C), USB 2.0, Headphone

Micro-HDMI (Type D), Composite Video Out, Bravia Sync, USB 2.0

What customers say about "Connectivity"

Canon VIXIA HF R800 Full HD Camcorder

You have the option for an HDMI output if you want to plug it into your TV.
The documentation doesn't cover this, but he camera can be used for live streaming. I use an Elgato Cam Link which goes between the HDMI output and a host computer's USB 3 input. You can then use an application such as OBS to record or stream your video.
This camera has an option for a clean HDMI output, so its great for streaming to Twitch using a capture card with this camera.
There's no WiFi capability so you can't stream to the internet.
The various input/output ports (mic, USB, HDMI, etc) can only be used with the screen open; it would have been great if they could have placed them so they were accessible without having to open the screen. (Not really a big deal, but worth mentioning.)

Sony HDR-CX405 HD Video Recording Handycam Camcorder

Great camera, easy to operate and connect to computer.
Fits well in hand and has in-built usb to connect to pc. Videos were excellent.
Easy to use. Not hard on the battery. No problems with connecting to the PC. Pleased with both video and camera features
I love this camera. Easy setup and easy to connect to tv. Even my kids are able to use it.
Video quality looks really good when connecting directly from Camera to my Samsung LED TV.

Power

AC Adapter Compatible

Yes

Battery Model

BP-727 Li-ion rechargeable battery

NP-BX1 rechargable battery

Charging Interface(s)

USB

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications