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User Reviews
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Product Description |
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Canons new VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory camcorder packs
tons of excitement and high-quality imaging power into its
small, lightweight body. Capture vividly colored, realistically
detailed high definition video and photos with a Genuine
Canon 15x HD Video Lens, SuperRange Optical Image
Stabilizer, 3.89-megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor, and
Canons latest DIGIC DV III Image Processor. With the VIXIA
HF200, youll enjoy the convenience of recording to removable
SDHC memory cards.Youll also love shooting with the userfriendly
layout, and the ability to switch seamlessly between
shooting video and photos. The Canon VIXIA HF200 is packed
with innovative new features like Pre-Record that captures the
action 3 seconds before you press the record button, so you
never miss a memorable moment, Video Snapshot Mode that
lets you set 4-second video vignettes to music, and Genuine
Canon Face Detection that perfectly focuses and exposes
selected faces--even if theyre looking down or to the side.
All this in one compact camcorder! Canon USA 1-year limited
warranty included.
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Product Details |
- Record crisp HD video directly to a removable SDHC memory card
- Genuine Canon 15x HD video lens; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
- 1920 x 1080 Full HD recording; 24p Cinema Mode, 30p Progressive Mode
- Dual Shot for capturing both video and photos with ease
- HDMI terminal for easy, one-cable connectivity to your HDTV
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Video Reviews |
 No video reviews found for this product.
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Customer Reviews |
 Have it, luv it |
| Review Date: April 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Pelagic, N Calif |
The video quality is superb, as is ease of use. Here are a few hints and things I noticed. The battery out of the box will not power-on the camera and needs some minutes of charge to even show 0%. You can operate the camera from the charger but the battery is not being charged, says the manual.
There are two 1920x1080 picture quality modes: MXP at 24 mbps and FXP at 17 mbps -- and three at 1440x1080: XP+, SP and LP, at 12, 7 and 5 mbs, respectively. I believe it defaults to LP out of the box, which is 1440x1080 at 7 mbps. I suggest you select FXP to get true 1920x1080 resolution. Upping to 24 mbps might be a good idea only if you are going to do a lot of post editing -- I can't see an improvement over FXP. Recording times with a 16GB card are 1:25, 2:05, 2:50, 4:45 and 6:05, respectively.
When the camera is OFF, pressing the DISP button (on the camera body) will show battery capacity in minutes and percent. Pressing DISP when ON turns the LCD to max brightness. IOW, you can set the LCD brightness for normal indoor use with the menu and instantly set it bright for outdoor use. Handy.
The CINE mode seems to digitally soften the image; there may some color change but I didn't notice it from the shots I took in a park. The PF30 and PF24 rates show a jerkiness when panning as you would expect from a lower frame rate. I think these rates are simulated because all recording is done at 60i. For example when I played back PF24 stepping one frame at a time I saw the same image for 3 steps, then the next. (The "3 steps" varies with both PF24 and PF30.) OTOH, PF24 is useful in low light situations as it permits the HF200 slow the shutter speed down to 1/6 sec.
Previous Canon users will find the menu system easy and familiar, similar even to their still cameras. The joystick is "big" and has a positive, definite feedback feel to it. Menu navigation seems easier and clearer than earlier Canons I've used. There is even a Large Font choice. Good!
The Power On button is deep in a groove that makes it unlikely to accidentally turn on. But with your right hand in the nice grip you have to use the left to press it On - my fingers don't reach. No loss, you need the other hand to open the LCD panel anyway. The zoom lever on top is a middle finger control. The adjacent Photo button is for a trained index finger. Record, at the back, is thumb operated. You can also use an LCD panel button to Record.
The Quick Start feature means you can close the LCD to save power (runs at 1/3 normal) and be ready to shoot in about 1 sec after opening it. Note, if you close the LCD panel while recording it will continue to record -- so slamming it shut does not stop the shot.
The still photo features are quite amazing. The resolution is 3 megapixels, but a very good 3mp! You can shoot continuously at 3 or 5 frames/sec. And you can shoot at the same fast frame rates with flash! The flash is actually a high-power white LED, not a xenon tube. There is a separate warm-white LED for video that works OK to 5-6 feet.
There are the usual auto white balance, auto exposure, instant focus features and so on that you can read about above. There's face detection for proper focus. They all work very well. I like the Vivid color setting for most all shooting - video and photo. It is a slight pump in saturation that helps if you mainly view using your laptop LCD. Instant AutoFocus is aptly named. There is a fairly large IAF sensor next to the lens for this purpose. The 15x zoom, a first for me, is fully useful all the way out. Impressive.
Battery life (BP-809) takes a definite second place to 16GB storage. I just checked and it indicates 100%, 94 minutes. But you can of course buy larger batteries. (I use the smaller BP-808 battery from my FS100 SD video cam as a backup.) With the Quick Start feature (can be turned off) power is used between shots and this will generally use more juice that actual recording. Figure 3 to 5 times battery vs video: one hour of video needs 3+ hours of battery cap. Unless you buy a charger you must charge in the camera. Only one sample so far, but it seemed to take a little more than an hour to charge from 0%.
The supplied Pixela software is minimal. You can combine up to 99 shots into an M3TS file. It can be played on video players like Popcorn Hour and the WD HD TV player. (I have both and strongly recommend the $99 WD over the $230 PCH. The PCH can connect to Internet servers, its main claim to fame.) These players can also play the MTS format directly copied from the SD card but there is a 1-2 sec delay between each shot. Pixela lets you pick and chose shots, trim a given shot, and add titles and audio. I don't know how to get past the 99 shot limit with Pixela -- I made about 170 shots in the park yesterday.
All in all, I luves it.
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The best HD camcorder under $600
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| Review Date: August 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Katie Moter, |
I need a HD camcorder for my new born baby, but with a limited budget. So I compared canon HF200, Sony CX100 and Panasonic TM20R since they are all in sub 600 range. I tried all of them in local stores and finally settled with canon HF200, although it's a little bit more expensive than cx100 and TM20R.
The sensor of HF200 is the biggest one among these three, 1 /4" (1/5" for CX100, 1/6" for TM20R). It guaranteed best resolution, 2.99 Megapixels ( 2.3 M for cx100, 1.14M for TM20R) and in my experience larger sensor also helps lower the noise in dark environment. Indeed, minimal illumination condition for HF200 is 0.4 lux, much better than thre other two. I took a couple of sample shots in local stores and the picture from HF200 for dark environment is acceptable. Sony cx100 is barely acceptable and Panasonic TM20R is total crap, not even as good as my webcam.
After I finally bought HF200, I never regretted! The video quality is just superb. For the 1920x1080 quality videos, it has two modes: MXP(24Mbps) and FXP(17Mbps). To be honest I can't tell the quality difference between these two. I guess unless you are gonna do massive editing, FXP is good enough for daily usage. So on a 16GB sd memory card, I can record 135 minutes 1080p HD video.
The still image shot quality is quite good too, and it's powered by the 15x optical lens(35mm equivalent: 39.5 - 592.5mm). It gives you a very handy telephoto camera and the image stabilization works very well on the long focus end too. Last weekend with this camera, I easily took some nice pictures of two bears far far away from me. Most of other HD camcorders only have 10x lens.
All the button and menu are well designed. It's very easy to use and I don't even need to read the manual. LCD panel is in good size too.
Canon Face Detection is also a very nice feature. The same high quality Face Detection technology used in Canon digital cameras is now available in Canon High Definition camcorders. Up to 35 faces can be detected automatically, and 9 detection frames can be displayed at one time. Face Detection ensures razor-sharp focus and natural, accurate exposure of the chosen subjects.
Okay, let me also mention some cons. First, like one of the other reviewer said, the software coming with it sucks! It can only edit the original format from the camcorder and output to same format instead of other more popular formats. Thanks god the newest windows media player support the video files directly from the camcorder. You can just use the usb cable or pop the sd memory card into a card reader and copy all the .mts file into your computer and rename them into .m2ts, then by double clicking it windows media player opens it right away. However, windows movie maker can't handle them, and you can upload .m2ts file to youtube.com but the sound of the video will be cut off after a couple of seconds. So if you want to edit your videos and share your videos, probably you need buy a converting software like total video converter
One thing I forgot to mention, Its twin brother canon HF20 has exactly all the same configuration as HF200 except with 32GB interal memory. However HF20 is almost 200 bucks more expensive than HF200. Now the SD memory card is so cheap. I suggest you to buy HF200 with a 16GB or 32GB SD card. Just don't forget to use class 4 or up SD card.
To summarize, overall it's the best entry level HD camcorder. With the price drop alert subscription from www.pricetrace.com, I got it from amazon.com for only $560.5. It is worth every penny.
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Nice little beast but poor software
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| Review Date: May 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Chimel, Seattle, WA USA |
Great camcorder, but get a bigger battery such as the BP-827, the default one makes a nice backup.
The software provided sucks, and you have to figure out by yourself which program does what: The main interface can upload videos, but not play or edit them, as it does for photos. It also creates a clutter of Start menu shortcuts in Windows that you don't need since these programs are called by the main program, ZoomBrowser. About the Pixela video editing software provided, well, let's just say that it's better forgotten...
Only 15 music tracks in wave format are provided to use as soundtrack.
There is also a Canon online photo storage offer that you probably don't need if you already have a blog or email provider.
The good thing is that the AVCHD format of this camcorder is supported by Windows Media Player 11 (at least on my Vista Ultimate machine). Not sure if it's native to Windows or if it came with other software I installed. The MTS file extension was not supported, though, you need to add it manually: Open a MTS file from Windows Explorer, choose "Select an installed program", select Windows Media Player and the checkbox to remember it.
Transferring the videos using the software provided is very cumbersome (cantbearsome really): You need both the USB and power cables, and clicking your way through a few screens on the camcorder before the transfer can start. I could start the photo transfer from either the camcorder or the computer, but only from the computer for videos.
My suggestion: Don't install any of the software, it's easier to just copy the files from a card reader to your hard disk using Windows Explorer. You can get a multi 23-in-1 card reader for about $20, finally get rid of this useless floppy drive, and add a front USB port to your PC!
The camcorder in this offer does not ship with any card, you need to buy one separately. 16GB is good enough for medium quality. If you need higher quality or continuous shooting, you should probably get two cards, like a 32GB card for long capacity and a smaller one as a backup while uploading the videos from the first card. Transcend SDHC Class 6 cards are from a good brand at decent prices.
The default BP-809 battery provided is good for 1 hour of recording, I suggest you match your battery model to the duration of your memory card. For instance, if you have a 32GB card that can store 3 hours of video (at highest quality), get the BP-827 battery that provides 3 hours of battery life.
One more thing: This camcorder is VERY small and light, and its true HD resolution means that it is hard to shoot without making jumpy videos, you need to hold it with 2 hands or more. The built-in stabilizer can only help so much, and will not save you from the butterfly effect: A wing beat on the other side of the planet WILL shake your video. On the other hand, nobody can see the difference if you shot your video drunk or sober, so enjoy the beer. I found a tripod helpful (when shooting from a static location is OK), any tripod should do because the camcorder is so light.
If you need a bag, the Lowepro Edit 110 is just the right size and fits the camcorder with the largest battery, an extra battery, the power adapter, the remote and as many SDHC cards as you need. The camcorder manual also fits in, but it's a pity it's so thick, as it includes 3 languages (English, French, Spanish). There are 23 languages on the camcorder's menus. Cables won't fit. BTW, the camcorder ships without a HDMI cable, you need to get your own if you have a AVCHD-compatible TV and you want to playback on TV directly from the camcorder. Not necessary if your TV has a card reader or is connected to your computer.
Lastly, check your computer rig, you may need an extra large disk (1-2 TB) to store these videos, and more than one if you need to keep the original AVCHD videos for post-production: DVD backups just won't do for this kind of files, unless you have a Blu-ray writer. If you don't need to keep the AVCHD files, burning DVDs is the best way to archive your movies. Just remember that even in HD, DVDs are highly compressed (meaning losing a lot of the quality of your original AVCHD files.) $13 will get you a very basic USB IDE/SATA external adapter, a cheap way to use obsolete hard disks to archive your videos.
Windows 7 update (01/26/2010): While you still need to install the driver tools in Vista Ultimate for MTS playback, none of this is required for Windows 7 Ultimate, it can play the MTS files natively and the Import Wizard will start automatically as soon as you insert the SD card in your computer's card reader. |
Great camera, easy-to-use with MacBook Pro and iMovie HD or 8/9
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| Review Date: May 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul Schwan, Ft. Myers, Florida |
After reading many of the earlier reviews I took the plunge and purchased the Canon VIXIA HF200 flash memory camcorder. I upgraded from a Canon mini-DV camcorder because I had purchased my first HDTV from Amazon last Christmas. Of course, I needed an HD camcorder with my new HD television!
I use a Sonnet 21-in-1 multimedia reader&writer Express Card/34 and pop the SD card in to transfer the video clips to my MacBook Pro. Using iMovie '09, this works great. iMovie '09 recognizes it without flaw, and with this software I can choose the clips I want to download from the SD card to my laptop. I use iMovie '09 to organize my videos, and I make the initial selections of clips that I want in each project using iMovie '09. Then, I export to Apple's Intermediate Codec and open this export file in iMovie HD. I prefer the timeline in Apple's older version of iMovie. I also purchased Final Cut Express 4, but haven't cracked that product yet, as it's much more complicated than what I'm used to in iMovie. So, for now, I'm bringing video clips in with the latest version of iMovie, then downconverting and editing in iMovie HD; this works great. I'll eventually learn Final Cut Express and move forward in my video editing hobby. I share all of this because I didn't realize until I read in David Pogue's Missing Manual book (iMovie '09 and iDVD) that I could still use iMovie HD with a flash memory video camera and the AVCHD codec. I'm glad to have discovered this.
As others have said, getting AVCHD encoded video clips into a computer takes LONGER than real-time because of the converting that must take place. My mode of operation with a Canon mini-DV camcorder was to fill a 60-minute tape, then transfer it to the laptop when convenient. I would get it started and come back 60 minutes later to 60-minutes of video ready to edit. Now, I come back 90 minutes later instead. Transfer seems to take about 1.5 times the length of the clips, give or take. For me, this is not a problem when I use my usual transfer and edit process.
If you're looking for instantaneous transfer of files in useable form, though, flash memory won't give it to you -- at least with this camera. Others have stated, and I found directions in David Pogue's book stating that it's possible to transfer the files to the computer's hard drive for LATER conversion to useable form for editing. I haven't done this yet, and I would be nervous about deleting the clips from my flash memory card until I had them converted, could see them, and had them backed up on another hard drive. That's when I clear the flash card and re-use it for new video clips. I've had too many lost data situations in the past and I guess I'm a bit overly cautious when I have once-in-a-lifetime video that I don't want to lose. I believe in multiple copies of precious data, video data included. I get around this limitation by having two 16 Gb flash memory cards which, in best mode on this camera, gives me about 1.5 hours of video per card. I have yet to fill one before transferring video.
I also have multiple firewire and/or USB hard drives which I use for backing up video. If I take a long trip I'll just buy a handful of SD chips, along with the two batteries I already own, and shoot away. Each evening it's my practice to download to hard drive anyway, back that up to an external drive, and this seems to work for most situations. It's less expensive to do this with mini-DV tapes (which provide one backup source), but when precious video is involved I don't mind paying for a few extra 16 Gb chips. They're pretty inexpensive on Amazon.com.
I recommend this camera if your habits fit mine, or if you're looking for great-looking video on an HDTV. I have a lot to learn about this camera to get the most out of it, including the editing process. It will serve me for many years to come, as did my Canon mini-DV standard-definition camera.
APRIL 10, 2010 UPDATE:
I've received many nice comments and questions via Amazon, so many that I decided it might be helpful to create a video to show how I move video from a memory chip to my MacBook Pro laptop. If you're a Mac user you might find this helpful. I use iMovie 9 and this tutorial explains the process using that software.
Video (be sure to click on the full screen button): [...] |
Excellent Camcorder, Better than expected Low Light Performance
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| Review Date: June 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Farrah, Columbus, OH |
This camcorder purchase is my second one in about a month. The first try was a Sony HDR-UX20, which is also a HD camcorder, priced at $599.
I tried the Sony for a couple days, but was very unhappy with the performance in regular day-time living room light, i.e. noise levels. I sent it back and researched a ton on camcorderinfo and cnet to find a decent mid-grade camcorder for around that price range.
I hesistated on this camera at first because of the reviews...but I really have to say I was totally impressed with the quality of low-light performance, and it's of course great in better lit areas as well.
The "cinema" mode makes the video look great, and it adjusts shutter speed automatically to enhance low light performance. The 60i fps is good enough, but if you have a slow moving (or still) subject, you can adjust that to the 24-fps mode. In very low light, which is how I would described the living room last night, the lower shutter speed on 24-fps caused too much trailing.
Last night, I got the package, it was after 9 before I began shooting, so the living room was dark, turned on one fluorescent light, and the video light, played around with the settings and I was shooting decent video in no time. It even had a compensatory mode for shooting under fluorescent lighting. The amount of noise on the footage was about the same or better than the Sony during the middle of the day! So if you're at all hesitating because of low-light, I think this camera does a better job than others in the mid-grade price range. I also like the joystick controls, and user interface/menu system, better than Sony's. It's easier to move around the screen with the LCD size being so small, and it's intuitive.
The video quality, image stabilization, added features and amount of manual controls are wonderful for this price range. I would have a hard time justifying spending another $400 for the the HFS100, I just don't know if could be that much better. |
CANON VIXIA HF-200 CAMCORDER REVIEW
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| Review Date: September 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kenneth W. Wingle, |
I had the Sony HDR-FX1 HD camcorder (1440x1080) a few years back and that was impressive then but this camcorder is even better at 1980 x 1080. I was trying to
decide if it was a good idea to go tapeless this time and make the transition to
SDHC cards so I ordered the HF-200 to see what I was getting into. Well after 2 weeks monkeying around with this thing I'm glad I bought it. I know some of you are complaining about the static electric charge that can remove all your photos
from the card. Well there is an easy solution to this. Make sure you back up all your videos to your hard drive. It's easy to drag and drop from the drive or using the imagemaker software. This is nice cause imagemake gives you the option of writing the mts files back onto the card. So save your stuff before you decided to
touch the card and remove it to a card reader. I have not had to take the card out yet anyway. And play it safe when you have the card in your hand. make sure you touch something first to discharge before pull the card out and don't walk around the room with that card in your hand. Remain stationary when inserting it and removing it.
The other problem I hear so much about is the editing part. Well I'm a guy who likes quick fixes and someone in an earlier post said that COREL VIDEO STUDIO PRO X2 DOES a great job. I downloaded the trial version (30 days) and it works flawless!!!! If you want an easy solution thats it. Here is how I did it. I hooked the USB connector to the computer (with play function on the camcorder) and imagemixer 3 software(provided with the camcorder) will automatically download all the m2t files. I prefer to just click on the drive and drop and drag all the files onto a file in my hardrive. Thats easy enough. Then bring up Corel VideoStudio program up, look for the file with the m2t files and it will make thumbnails of all the files you drag into the program. It also has a little viewer/player at the bottom so you can check out each file and play it before you drag in into the mainframe/timeline.
After you do drag the files into the program for editing and you cut, enhance, process, add titles or whatever. When finished just click on the the 'CREATE VIDEO FILE" and use either of these 2 settings. I tried them all and these gave me perfect picture quality.
HDV 720-30p (HDV)
HDV 720-30p (for PC)
Note files rendered in HDV are half the size of those in (for PC) mode. I could not get WMV to work right at all. It looked like a 25th generation VHS copy. I'll have to do more tests. My favorite video editing program is Magix Video Edit pro (11& 15) so I just load the HDV conversions into it and save it as
WMV-HD or other settings. This will save you a lot of head splitting aggravations!!! I spent almost a week trying to find a program that could just read the m2t (mts) files from the HF-200 and kept getting blocked one way or another, Corel Video Studio pro takes care of the whole problem. In fact it has a feature called "SMART PROXY" that makes handling any size m2t files like regular
old analog video. If you had a 2 hour video in HD you could go from one end of the
mainframe layout to the end in a second!!So there is your quick fix for the average guy and I am a guy who always looks for the quickfix when I have a problem.
PS: One thing I have not read on any of these posts is something also that needs to be addressed. Ever wonder why some people rate software 5 stars and other people rate it 1? When you are editing video on a computer--that computer needs to not only have all the engine power, ram, etc. It also needs to be a dedicated computer. A dedicated computer is one that is only used for editing and you must keep it off the internet. No computer can be protected from the digital filth floating (spyware, malware, viruses) etc. in cyberspace.
That should be stated on every editing software package sold on the market and every professional review made available to the public (videomaker magazine etc)
does use an unpolluted PC for proper function. Furthermore! Though I have a dedicated computer for video editing you must keep it defragged monthly and use a registry fixer (windows has one free on the internet)to keep internal bugs from bugging your good working program. Kenn
Here is a link to some test footage I uploaded on YOUTUBE:
[...]
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Best consumer HD camcorder
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| Review Date: July 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Video Lover, Chicago,Il |
I just came back from family vacation from sunny Mexico, connected camcorder via HDMI cable to my HDTV, and I was stunned. Picture quality from this camcorder was amassing and comparable to if not better then blu ray DVD. Outdoors shoots were comparable to professionally done movies, color were vibrant and rich, but not over saturated. They were natural, and accurate. Sharpness was excellent, and thanks to superfast auto focus you do not vast firs few very important seconds of your video on un usful video footage. Indoor footage was a little bit granny, but considering low light conditions I did not expect better results. You can use built in video light to improve video image for close shoots (which did help), but I plan on purchasing external video light that you can connect via hot shoe connector. You can do a ton of adjustments on this camcorder, and that was important to me since I used to work as a cameraman for TV station. Sound was great, and you can control level of sound recorder during recording (this is one of many professional tools in consumer camcorder in this price range offered only by CANON). Still photos were great quality. Do not let relatively low number of pixels on this camcorder to confuse you. This camcorder is equipped with 3.3 MP chip, good enough to reproduce stunning still pictures as big as 8x10. If you want to make poster size pics, than you would need more mega pixels. This camcorder is so small and lightweight that I fit in in camcorder/camera bag that I carry on my belt. I owned this camcorder for only 7 days and I am vary satisfied with my purchase.
Prior to this one I owned several Sony camcorders (analog and digital), and I was big fan of them, but I have to say: GOODBY SONY, HELLO CANON.
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Better than it's competitors
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| Review Date: June 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Kennington, Newport Beach, CA United States |
For the price, this is a really great camcorder. Canon makes the Canon VIXIA HFS100 and Canon VIXIA HFS10 which are higher end than this camera, but cost a lot more. I thought about getting those higher end cameras, but I ultimately decided on the HF200 because it's smaller and easier to carry. The camcorder is very comfortable to hold, fits easily in a coat pocket and the controls are easy to use. The HFS100 and HFS10 are both a lot bigger than the HF200. The Canon VIXIA HF20 HD Dual Flash Memory with 32 GB Internal Memory and 15x Optical Zoom is almost the same camcorder that just has 32GB of internal memory, which seems like a waste of money because 32GB of SDHC is much cheaper than the price difference between the HF20 and HF200. I also looked at the Sony HDR-CX12 High Definition Memory Stick PRO Duo Handycam Camcorder With 12x Optical Zoom but didn't like that it only used Sony's proprietary memory cards, and it was a lot more expensive.
I think the quality from the HF200 is nearly as good as the higher end models, just make sure that you set the video quality on the HF200 to MXP (24 mbps) because the default setting is not that impressive. That setting does use up a lot more memory, but I bought this camcorder because of the quality and don't want to use the lower levels. I bought a second SDHC card, but quickly found out that I needed more storage. I bought a MoFoto 500GB Portable Photo & Video Storage to download all my video, and think it's awesome. It works well with this camcorder and gives me nearly unlimited recording capacity.
The other accessory which is a must have, is at least one additional battery Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders. If you're adventurous then you could go for an off brand battery like the Canon BP-827 3000mAh Li-Ion Battery by Pexell to save some cash. |
Compatible SDHC cards
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Vig, Ashland, VA |
| So far we have really enjoyed this camera. With that said one thing that I learned the hard was is that you can only record in the higher video modes using a class 4 or 6 card. I purchased a Class 10 card which will only record in the lower settings. After research I found buried on the Canon page that the Class 10 cards came out after the camera was released and will only record in the lower settings. Hope to keep someone else from making the same mistake I did. |
Great entry prosumer camera for amateur films/home movies
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| Review Date: March 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Justin T. Marx, |
This is a review of the HF20, but everything still pertains.
First off, I'm going to keep my actual feelings about the camcorder brief, considering other reviewers have covered the bases far better than I ever could. The HF20 is a pretty great AVCHD camcorder, especially for the price, and I just wanted to share a couple things I noticed as well as a couple of add-ons that I've tested myself that greatly enhance the experience.
Now the camera itself is a little larger than the size of your palm. The grip is a bit awkward at first, but you quickly adapt and it feels quite natural. While the camera itself has no optical viewfinder, the side mounted pivotal LCD does the job more than well enough. The zoom toggle and record buttons are located in natural positions, but the bulk of the controls are done through buttons located on or around the LCD panel.
The HF20 has 32 gigs of internal memory, as well as an expansion slot for SDHC cards. I was first leaning towards the HF200, which is the same camera, spec wise, but lacks the internal memory. Seeing as how I wanted to use this camera for moderate amateur film-making purposes, I figured I'd want the flexibility, so I settled on the HF20. The internal memory included is flash based, so there are no moving parts to break or move around. Since you can choose where to record easily enough, I enjoy having the best of both worlds.
Two others I looked into were the HFS10 and the upcoming HFS20. While these cameras were supposedly much better in terms of feature sets and overall quality, I found the advantages to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, especially for the much higher cost. The quality on the HF20 puts it far ahead of cheaper camcorders, but if I was going to spend upwards of $1000, I would consider more fully equipped professional options.
The camera itself is a sleek combination of gloss and matte blacks (this is another reason I chose it over the HF200. Trivial I know, but the black just looks better than the silver/grey). When gripping the camera with your right hand, your index finger rests naturally on the zoom switch, and your thumb on the record/stop button. Moving your thumb to the right gives access to the mode toggle dial, alternating between picture mode, movie mode,and dual-shot mode. Beyond these, and a small picture button just behind the zoom switch, there are no other buttons accessible with your gripping hand.
Opening the LCD gives you access to the rest of the camera layout. A small enclosure opens to reveal the expandable SDHC slot. And there are access indicator lights that flash to show read/write activity. On the LCD itself is a small joystick for navigation, and buttons along the bottom row for playback settings. A function button rests below the joystick, which acts as a switch for the front light in certain modes. Now the learning curve for the menu system is steep, but you'll easily be navigating in no time. The LCD also has a hidden IR receiver, for use with the included remote. This comes in handy, but the remote has to be pointed at the screen portion to function properly.
As for the still picture quality, it is good enough, but will not replace any dedicated point-and-shoot cameras of comparable quality. When in picture or dual-shot modes, video tweaks are turned off or throttled back so severely that they almost aren't worth using. If you're buying this camera, it's most likely for the video, not the stills, and considering the fact that stills can be extrapolated from footage in post on a computer, I see no need for dual-shot or the dedicated picture mode.
The battery is adequate, but by no means stellar. Fully charged, I get about 80 minutes of usage when using the highest settings. Video playback cuts into this total as well, so for longer shooting sessions (with the internal 32 gigabytes, coupled with a 16 gigabyte SDHC card, I get about 5.5 hours at highest settings) you're going to want to keep the included ac adapter plugged in.
As for the footage and the highest quality settings there-in, I'll be brief due to the myriad variations you can tweak. I'll say this though: in MXP, 24p, and Cine modes, the results are breathtaking in normal light, and more than satisfying in lower light conditions. Using the camera extensively, the video quality is bar far it's strongest selling point, and any other gripes are negligible by comparison.
But there ARE gripes, albeit small ones. The included software is garbage, everyone knows that. If you're just shooting home movies, and just need to move them to a computer, any Windows or Mac will due that via SDHC card reader or USB to the camcorder. Editing however, is another issue, and I'll get to that soon. Another problem is the fact that the camera needs to remain plugged into a power source while transferring. This isnt huge, but a bit of a gripe considering other cameras let you transfer via USB without attaching external power.
Lastly, lets talk briefly about editing and computer performance. Because the included software is relatively horrible, you're going to want to use a dedicated video editing suite. I'll recommend one later for you PC users. Mac users should be able to use the latest versions of Final Cut Pro and iMovie to get the job done. The real problem is computer specs for the AVCHD format, which has been mentioned in other reviews. Now, to clarify, I bought this camcorder knowing the strengths and minimum requirements of the format. Others, however, may not think of this. Let this be a warning: if you're computer is not a fast dual-core with a decent amount of RAM as well as shared video memory, it will not handle the AVCHD format well at all. I myself am running a Core 2 Quad processor with 6 GB DDR3 and a Geforce GT250. It's a bit overkill, but edits beautifully. Any high end Core 2 Duos, or any Quads, i5s, or i7s should do fine. I havent used AMD chips in years, so I cant comment on their performance.
Finally, I wanted to link and recommend some products I've found essential when trying to shoot quality movies. One thing I'm not going to mention here is lighting, which is key. Outdoors on a sunny day is fine, but any interior or nightime shots should be lit properly, and you should usually use something to diffuse the light and make it less harsh. But thats another discussion entirely.
First up, if you're buying the HF20 over the HF200, you're going to want a solid SDHC card. Myself, I picked up a 16 GB Transcend Class 6. Two things to look out for are the class (get 6 or better for HD video) and the size (I found 16 GB cards hit a sweet spot between size and value. The 32 GB cards, to me, are still too expensive. But they also double the memory provided internally, so it's up to you), but beyond that, you can pick almost any brand and get comparable results. The Transcend card hasnt failed me yet, so it gets my seal of approval.
Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC Card: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Class-Flash-Memory-TS16GSDHC6/dp/B0015AOK1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268752588&sr=8-1
You're definitely going to need some good editing software if you're looking to make short films are pro-looking clips. Since I'm a PC user, I went with Sony Vegas Pro 9. I've heard good things about other programs, but from experience, I know this works and I know it offers a ton of options for editing and perfecting film clips.
Vegas Pro 9:http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SVDVD9000-Vegas-Pro-9/dp/B001GM275C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1268754253&sr=8-2
Next, you're going to want to beef up the audio to match the video quality. While the internal microphone is far from horrible, separate add-ons do a much better job of offering semi-pro sound at decent prices. One of these is from Canon directly, and plugs directly into the accessory shoe at the top of the camera. The other plugs into the external mic jack, on the back of the camera. The shotgun mic is omnidirectional, and should be used in most situations. I threw in the lapel mic for interviews and such, as it has pretty focused sound for singular voice and whatnot.
Canon DM-100 Shotgun Mic: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-2591B002-Directional-Microphone-Camcorders/dp/B0012ILNK0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268752501&sr=8-5
Sony DS70P Lapel Mic: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECM-DS70P-Electret-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00006HOLL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268752576&sr=8-1
The basis for all good shots is a good, stable tripod. I have three different ones for three different situations. First is your basic, regular-old tripod. Almost any brand will do, but with tripods it's good to read reviews. I have the one mentioned, and it does what it's supposed to well enough. The second is a steadycam system. These things are handheld, but offer a counter balancing weight system to keep moving shots steady and clean. The Tiffen Merlin is the best, but it's ludicrously expensive. I myself have a Hague, but Amazon doesnt sell those (Google it). The one I'm linking is sold by Amazon, looks reasonably priced, and you get the idea of what it does. Youtube it for test results, it really does make a difference. Lastly is the Gorillapod. I love these things. I have three of em, all different sizes, and I always carry at least one with me, no matter what. Essentially, it's an ultraportable, ultraflexible tripod, which can be bent in any way to wrap around branches, poles, arms...you name it. The one I'm linking is the size you want for the HF20. Smaller cant handle the weight, and bigger is more money than you need to spend. I also have the Gorillatorch, which I'm not linking. The Torch has nothing to do with cameras, but is essentially a gorrilapod with magnetic feet and a super-bright LED flashlight fused to the top. Look it up, very useful.
Dolica 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball Head: http://www.amazon.com/Dolica-AX620B100-62-Inch-Proline-Tripod/dp/B001D60LG8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268754799&sr=1-3
Manfrotto 585 ModoSteady 3-in-1 Camera/Camcorder Stabilizer: http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-585-ModoSteady-Camcorder-Stabilizer/dp/B00103BRMQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1268754769&sr=8-3-fkmr0
Joby GP2-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod with Bubble Level: http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP2-D1EN-Gorillapod-Flexible-Digital/dp/B001QVUEFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268752548&sr=8-1
Finally, I suggest this for anyone, not just people with the HF20. Doesnt really matter what brand, but carry one of these everywhere. It's a lens cleaning pen, and it includes a retractable brush, as well as a soft chemical cleaning pad for smudges. While the HF20 specifically has an automatic lens cover, it's always good to clean it frequently to avoid problems down the line. A necessity.
Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7072-Lens-Cleaning-System/dp/B00006JN3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1268752562&sr=8-1
Beyond that, there isnt much else you'll need. As I said before, look into good lighting options and diffusers. For post effects, a cheap green screen might be a good investment. Other than that, all you need is a bag, and almost any will do. I personally use a Canon DSLR bag, since I can fit everything in there and it supports the camcorder nicely. It's up to you though.
Well, that ran way longer than I expected. I hope I covered all of the bases, and if I didnt, feel free to comment and I'll do my my best to answer any questions. The HF20 is a really solid camera, the best in it's price point, actually. Of course, more money will get you a better camera, but this is an awesome balance of quality, value, and versatility for any video situation.
If you want to see test footage, or a review, visit my Youtube Channel: Alfeetoe.
Again, thanks for reading, and good luck |
Fantastic Camcorder
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| Review Date: September 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Adam, NJ |
| This product is top notch in every way. The video that it takes is crystal clear and despite what some say, it takes great video in low light. Also don't be fooled by the low mega pixels, this device takes excellent still photos. If you know anything about still photography then you should know that the quality of your photos is not totally dependent on the MP count. One recommendation is to get a 32GB SDHC card and an extended battery. You won't be sorry you got more memory and a longer battery life. |
A sight to behold
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Shin, Hawaii |
Here's my update/edit to my original post:
Put it to good use on my holiday trip to the East Coast (NY, Boston, DC) and the video is fantastic, everything it's claimed to be. Having stepped up from an old Hi8 tape camcorder, the video is phenomenal. You need to take the time initially to go through the manual and the full menu functions on the camcorder. The default video and photo modes may not be what you want (not at the highest settings) so it may need to be adjusted. Also, you may need to know how to initialize a memory card if you stick in your old one. My 4GB SDHC memory was not recognized initially, a new one had no problems. Also, buy a class 4 or higher SD card to take full advantage of the camcorder. I put it a 8 GB class 6 card and it works fine and seems to be good for little over 1 hour of video at FXP mode. I've had no problem with the battery holding it's charge and you can easily last the day without worrying about draining the battery. I'll see how the battery holds up before purchasing a second one.
The software that comes with the unit(Image Mixer 3)is a very basic video transfer and editing program and WILL NOT work very well with Windows 7 (tried it on Vista and works ok). Somewhat disappointing that Canon don't have a upgrade to Win 7 compatible yet. The software works pretty good in transferring video to the computer hard drive. Please note that you cannot directly transfer video files using the simple Windows method although it works fine with the photo files. The transferred files are stored in folders based on the date the video is shot - 20091227 for Dec. 27,2009 for example. Regardless, the software is NOT good enough if you want to do a lot of editing and slick video work. I purchased Corel Video Studio Pro 12 to do the editing but encountering some bugs with it (like inability to burn to disk). Note that this is a software problem and NOT camera problem although one could argue that it's all inter related. Please be forewarned that these software are computer resource hogs, temperamental, and can be agonizing slow to complete a video project.
Please don't complain about the camcorder if your real problem is inadequate computer hardware and software. You definitely will not get the full power of HD if you are not somewhat computer savvy. I've rendered a 3 1/2 minute video clip shot in FXP mode (step below the highest setting), into a 1440 HD clip and it took 20 minutes in Corel Videostudio to accomplish this. So take note, it'll take hours to render a 1/2 hour video (if the computer don't choke first). I will say though that the outcome is awesome.
The camcorder is small, easily handled but the small size increases the shakes when shooting, especially when zoomed in (the included optical image stabilizer is a necessity). Mounting on a tripod is a must if you must have steady scenes. The complaints about the power on-off light is correct - don't know why the light is red when on and green when off. The built in mini video light may help on indoor closeup but seems pretty useless for longer shots. At least the camcorder has a attachment for external flash or mike (most other vendors don't have this in this price range). There's definite noticeable jagginess if you pan or zoom too fast. Well, I guess you could take it as a good reminder on shooting good video. The graininess does increase in indoor low light conditions but I still found the video to be better than all my previous camcorders under similar circumstances.
Also took some pictures at the highest setting. Very good but not as good as what I get from my Sony 7.2 megapixel camera. The colors seem a little muted and is not as sharp. The ability to shoot both great video and very good still pictures means that for most purposes, I don't need to carry a separate camera anymore, especially when the size of this camcorder is smaller than my camera.
I got this camcorder for $520 from Amazon, a good 8 GB class 4 SD memory costs about $20, a good video editing program cost $60, and if you must burn to blue ray disk, I have no idea what that would cost. Finally, if your computer is old then you need to upgrade your computer system. So consider all this before you plunk down your hard earned money for this camcorder, even though it's a great unit.
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AWESOME CAMCORDER FOR THE MONEY !!!
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| Review Date: June 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Henry A. Bruning Jr., |
This is such a great camcorder and i love it! I have seen some bad reviews about this camera and i just don't know why! This Canon HF 200 is so easy to use, yes when light is low it does not have the same quality of HD as it does during sunlight, but i have made videos at night time and i am impressed with the quality! During alot of lighting or on a very sunny day this camcorder puts out its HD at its best and the video quality and colors are fantastic! Alot of people say that they have problems hooking this camcorder to XP and VISTA, i have both versions and i have no problem at all. Yes the software that does come with this camcorder just is not worth a darn to use at all. The software that comes with this is called "PIXELA", i ONLY use this software just to download into my computer..THAT'S IT! When it comes to editing video what i use is Corel Videostudio Pro X2 which works on XP and Vista and works so well that i can't believe the videos i am putting out! As for memory cards i use SANDISK 4GD memory cards, which on MXP i can get up to 20 minutes of HD recordings. When you buy a 16GB card you can get up to an hour of HD recordings. The battery life is great on this camcorder too as it will last up to 2 hours, i just bought me a spare but i use this as my primary battery and it lats to 3 hours and 15 minutes.
For all those people who gave bad reviews about this camcorder and complain how they have problems with hooking up to Vista, i advise all of you to know what your computer can handle and you have enough disk space and ram memory space too, if this camcorder does not work on your computer..DON'T BLAME THE CAMCORDER and be sure you have enough memory! I have learned to not take what these people say for bad reviews because most of them are not computer literate and don't know anything about computers! Learn about your computer first before you put any bad reviews about this camcorder! This is the best HD camcorder to buy for the money and i just love this. Also the mic detects great sound and you can hear what this great camcorder can get into the mic! I have made lots of videos with this Canon Vixea HF 200 camcorder and i got nothing but great reviews from everyone ! |
Awesome all in one camcorder and camera
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| Review Date: April 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Roger Smith, |
| Great piece of equipment! Many options! Easy to operate with super results! I already filmed a wedding and the video and sound was great! I also used the camera function for quite a few shots! The 3.3 MP is great unless you want to enlarge to poster size prints(not too many times is there a need) This camcorder is also very portable, and durable! My only knock is that I wish it had a viewfinder for bright sunlit outdoor shots, although the LCD so far seems to be sufficient. Again, I am VERY pleased with this camcorder and I did my homework by looking at SEVERAL others...some less expensive and many were more expensive. In conclusion I don't think there is a better all around camcorder in the under $1200.00 price range! |
Great little thing.
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| Review Date: July 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Kortas, Los Angeles, CA |
I used the HF200 on a recent trip out of the country and loved the quality, both the build quality as well as the video I recorded. The camcorder feels very sturdy in hand, and is just perfect size to fit in the palm of my hand when in use, and in my pants pocket when idle (large pocket pants though). The battery life wasn't the greatest, however it charges extremely fast and lasted about 80-90 minutes. The thing to keep in mind is that you will record a short clip, couple of minutes maybe?, and turn it off. Since the camera boots in no time this saved me a lot of battery life.
I did have some trouble holding the camera steady while zooming. While the zoom on this camcorder is amazing and reaches really really far, holding the camera steady while doing so was really difficult and the image stabilization was not exactly helping me either.
I also don't know how my 20gis of video on the SD card became 100gigs on my computer after importing it to iMovie; this by the way took about 2 hours over a USB cable while I was hoping to just copy the SD card over and be done with. iMovie didn't recognize just a copied file so importing from the camcorder was the only way to go.
The video looks just awesome on my 40" Sony Bravia LCD. With the quality, size, and the dropping price of this thing, I really don't see how you can go wrong with the HF200. |
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