Sharpness
Overall, the M4xx series' video looks relatively sharp--and looks even better played directly on a TV, like most of its competitors. There is some aliasing on edges, generally a result of the interlaced video format. (frame grab)
Distortion
I don't normally shoot a distortion shot for camcorders, though I'll probably start now; given how narrow the lens at its shortest focal length (43mm), I was surprised by the amount of barrel distortion there is. (frame grab)
Low-light quality
The camcorder's low-light video looks quite good; a little soft, but with a nice balance between sharpness and color saturation and accuracy in its noise reduction. (frame grab)
Color and exposure
Overall, the camcorder's exposure and color rendering look very good, with a broad tonal range--there's no excessive clipping in the highlights or shadows. (frame grab)
Color
This is just an example of the color processing difference between video and stills. Note how the saturation is pumped up for the stills.
Bokeh
Though the M4xx series uses the same sensor as the more expensive HF G10, the lenses are very different, and it shows in a variety of ways. In this case, the more pentagonal aperture renders less pleasing out-of-focus highlights.
Because the camcorder was stopped down to its smallest aperture it emphasizes the effect. (Frame grab)
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