Panning Image stuttering in Canon M300 vs S20
 

Hello,

First post here. I found a prior thread on "image stuttering" when panning CMOS camcorders, I believe. The post contained a wide variety of possible reasons why image shudder occurred. Here is my question.

Did Canon improve the 2010 Canon S series in reference to this image stuttering compared to the prior 2010 M series?

Here is my situation. Last year, I purchased a Canon Vixia S20 camcorder and have been happy with it (I'm a hobbyist only). Found the video to be good. Slow panning and zooming was relatively smooth. Low light situations were not great (indoor church plays). Still, I liked the camcorder a lot. On sale, about $850 at the time of purchase. Recently, I went looking for a less expensive camcorder. On B&H's recommendation, I purchased a 2010 Canon M300 camcorder at $349. Good price. Recently this camera shot up at B&H to a $649 list with a $200 off for a $449 purchase. Certainly, the M300 has a smaller sensor and records to SD card only.

My first tests showed significant "stuttering" with the M300. Almost unusable in panning and zooming, though fine when not moving the camcorder. I am using class 10 SD cards. Computer is modern and can play files well. Used a tripod. I have not seen this on the Canon S20.

Is it the M300 lens itself or CMOS sensor? Did Canon improve the S20 in this regard? If I can eliminate this problem, I would like to buy a couple more of these. Only $299 at CostCo for a limited time.

Thanks for any tips.