 Great camera overall. Be aware of requirements |
| Review Date: September 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Tech Buyer, USA |
I'm not going to review the camrea, because it's a great product from canon and it is a nice upgrade from regular digital video. I just want to comment on few "issues" people have with the camera and you need to consider before buying it:
+ Quality in low light. Most cameras perform better in regular light. In low light, the video is grainy and not nice. You need a LIGHT if you are planning to use it mostly in low light. Canon has some but they are quite expensive.
+ Computer edit. You need a newer computer for playback. To edit it will be also faster in a new computer. You also need a special video editor to edit the HD files.
+ Slow transfer to computer. It's slow because of USB 2.0, but you can transfer it as you shoot the video, instead of doing it all at once. I believe they don't added firewire because it's not widely supported in most computers.
+ Battery life. Yes, it last around 1 hours, so? Get another one. Most product use lcd displays, replacing optical viewfinder. This makes them smaller and compact. Most camcorders will last the same.
+ HD Video + Blu Ray = Great videos. You should use HD with Blu Ray, not DVDs to get the most of it.
+ This is not a digital camera. Don't expect great pictures. The technology to combine video and photos is still not here.
I am amazed people complain about little things when it has nothing to do with the camera. Why do you spend this kind of money if you don't want to spend a few more in accessories? In order to use a product you need to meet some requirements AND GET EDUCATED. One of the reviewer gave it 2 stars because he can't even read the manual. |
Mac-friendly, even for users new to camcorders.
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| Review Date: May 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dorothy Rosa, Hill Country, Texas |
After a frustrating week of trying to learn how to transfer video from an otherwise exquisite Sony camcorder to my 24-inch, 2.6 GHz Intel Core Duo iMac (running OX 10.5.6 and iMovie 09), we returned the Sony to Amazon (thanks, Amazon!) and replaced it with this Canon.
The Sony manual, website, and tech support were useless to me as a Mac user, but the Canon manual told me everything I needed to know. I didn't need to spend hours scouring the Net for workarounds. I didn't have to call Canon's Tech Support.
This Canon is all previous reviewers say it is. But for me, an experienced Mac user new to modern camcorders, it was especially valuable because Canon's built-in support of Macs shortened the learning curve (and, fellow newbies, there IS a learning curve!) tremendously.
Experienced camcorder users running PCs will find the Sony virtually perfect in every way; less experienced camcorder users, on the other hand, will likely find the Sony manual -- which appears to have been written by experienced users for experienced users -- of little help at all. Mac users new to today's camcorders will weep, scream, and be sorely tempted to throw the whole thing against the nearest brick wall.
The Mac's notoriously creative user base can only wonder, sadly, at Sony's failure to support that not-insignificant segment of the marketplace -- and, likewise, marvel at Canon's commitment to doing so.
In short: Mac users, think Canon.
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For amateur videographers, this is plenty camera.
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| Review Date: May 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JCC, New York, NY United States |
This is my first foray into camcorders. I've been waiting at least 10 years for just the right camcorder to come along. This is the first one that had many of the criteria I was looking for: HD, small size, high quality image, OIS, photo taking, built in memory, etc.
I have to say that I'm satisfied with it considering the price you're paying for such a little marvel. The only things I think that can stand to improve are the sharpness of the photos, the low light performance, the capacity of the 809 battery, a wheel for manual focusing and perhaps a larger touch screen instead of the manual controls. Other than those things I can't think of anything else that would enhance this little gem.
It works wonderfully with iMovie '09. Just plug it in and you're ready to go. No hunting the internet or CDs for drivers.
The PQ of the videos are extremely good in good light, decent with moderate light. I think most people would be very satisfied with it. |
Fantastic Camcorder
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| Review Date: July 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: clubking, Berwyn, PA |
I've had the HF 20 for about an hour. It's simply the best camcorder I've ever owned. I work on an older (3 years) Intel Core Duo Mac and iMovie '09 and there are no issues. The image quality (even a step below HD) is stunning.
I'm accustomed to Canon menus and the menus on the HF 20 take a little getting used to, but an hour out of the box and I've edited a two minute movie (FXP @ 24FPS).
I highly recommend this camera, but you need the right computer and editing software. Forget the software that comes with it.
One additional caution: You'll have to play with the quality level that you shoot in if you plan to send your video to friends and family. Many receiving computers cannot handle very high quality video. I've had good success with FXP (one step below HD). |
Finally I can transfer good quality video to the computer - FAST!
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| Review Date: September 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ross Freeman, New England |
This won't be a long review. I really don't do reviews. But I'll tell you what I like.
I can shoot a video. Go home and back it up to my computer in minutes. And erase the video on my camera. Nowadays hard drives are cheap. Get a terabyte drive for about [...]. or so. Who cares if it's the fastest on the planet. It's a place to store you high def videos.
I don't burn to Blue ray. It's too expensive still. So I convert my hi-def video to Mpeg2 and burn the result to DVD. The quality is outstanding! I have a [...]OPPO dvd player with built in "up-conversion" and the resulting videos I make "pop" off of my HDTV screen.
You've heard by now that yesterdays computers bog down handling hd camera files. That's true. If you don't have a dual-core processor and a decent computer you will get frustrated. But... one day you WILL have a better computer. And the same files that frustrate you today will be easy to use tomorrow... so don't dispare.
I have a vision too... that more and more people will buy the HD camcorders and store their precious moments to a hard drive. And someone will build an inexpensive interface that allows you to connect your terabyte drive directly to your HD TV and control it with your TV remote. No more conversions. Just watch your HD videos with the push of a button. They are working on it. Maybe a year or so away. You just watch.
I have posted a link to a youtube video made with my camera. This was done in subdued lighting in a church standing about thirty feet away. The anti-shake is turned on. The video is cruched down to be able to upload it to youtube. Still... for the setting, I think the quality is great!
[...]
Great little camera!!! Love it! |
Canon VIXIA HF20 HD Dual Flash Memory with 32 GB Internal Memory and 15x Optical Zoom
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| Review Date: June 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Huy D. Cao, |
Bought this product about three weeks ago and used it to record my kids activities. The video came out great and also the pictures too. I have no complaining on this camera. Menu is also very easy to use and navigate.
One thing Canon should do is to include the extra external battery charger. |
great camera!
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| Review Date: July 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ---, |
| This is a great video camera. It works the best outdoors or inside with good lighting. It works perfectly with macs. The video gets imported then converted into a editable format. The only bad thing is that it does not have firewire, but that is not to bad. |
Excellent Vidcam
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| Review Date: April 16, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Justin Mytwocents, United States |
This a sweet vidcam! It is compact, light, ergonomical, (seems like it should be a word :-) fully-featured and beautifully made. I am completely satisfied with it's performance. Sure, it could do better indoors, but I added the optional light, and it works well. I find the menus a breeze, but I highly recommend investing some time to read the manual and get to know all the functions and menu layouts.
I agree with another reviewer that Canon should have included the wall charger, (Canon included a wall charger with my point-n-shoot camera, why not this $$$ vidcam?) but I don't feel that should affect the rating this camera gets.
And I didn't get wrapped up with concern over the software in deciding on a vidcam. It wasn't important to me. (I have a Mac computer running Final Cut Studio 2 and therefore have no issues.)
So I have nothing to complain about, and lots to be happy with!!!
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