Canon VIXIA HF20

For a light weight high definition video camera, the Canon HF20 certainly has some great qualities, and no wonder. Canon is one of the top manufacturers of all styles of cameras. The ability to provide compatibility with earlier models, filters, and accessories just adds to the product you consider purchasing.

The Canon HF20 will offer the 3.89 Megapixel CMOS image sensor and DIGIC DV III processor. It is also the lightest weight camcorder Canon has to offer. This series has the flash memory, ease of use, download components, and exclusive Canon features like Canon 15x HD video lens, Face Detection, and Optical Image Stabilization. The advantages of the Canon HF20 include compact design, top image quality, accurate and vibrate colors, and comfortable design. The disadvantages are listed as limited software compatibility, short battery life, poor low-light performance, and requires power adapter connection for download.

Canon VIXIA HF20 Camcorder

Exploration of Advantages for the Canon HF20

The Canon HF20 comes with a dual flash memory. It has an internal 32GB internal flash drive and capability for external SDHC memory card. The 32GB of memory at 24Mbps offers 2 hours and 55 minutes of recording. At the LP memory capacity of 5Mbps you receive 12 hours and 15 minutes of recording. If you add an external memory it is best to go with an additional 32GB card for the best performance. Anything less and you receive 6 hours of recording time.

The size of the compact camcorder is 2.8″ wide, 2.4″ high and 4.9″ deep and it weighs in at 12 ounces. This small size when combined with the memory truly shows you how great the camera can be. Typically a small, light weight camera will have a lesser internal memory and features, but not with the Canon.

Even the newly released Canon HF S11 does not have the 15x HD Video Lens, though the new camera and the HF20 offers four zoom speeds with 3 pre-set and 1 variable speed. Like all Canon cameras, the HF20 provides the super spectra coating technology to decrease any ghosting or flare the lens might have had. The design of the lens increases the resolution, but decreases any aberration to offer a high quality and clean image for still photos or videos.

Despite the Canon HF20’s small size you still have the 2.7″ multi angle widescreen LCD. The screen is coated with an anti-reflection surface to help you see the true color through the screen, and thus get an accurate video recording. If at any time the color is off, the HF20 comes with RGB technology to sharpen the colors.

As mentioned you are able to take still images with the HF20 because it has a built in 3.3 megapixel digital camera. While 3.3 megapixel is not the top option on the market it suffices for the typical photo use of the camcorder. You still get to use the Canon DIGIC DV III processor and it has auto focus features and manual modes. With programmed AE’s you can also set the camera to focus appropriately on specific image situations like snow images versus night images.

Actual user review:
“Video from HF20 is too good. Connected the camera to my 1080p TV, with a $5.00 HDMI cable, I could not believe the video quality. My grip is about the night shots, captured video is too noisy. The still images are also bad in low light. I know it does auto focus by sensing the reflected beam of IR or something from the subject. But in low light it seems to get lost or takes a long time. I have still not used the software provided by Canon. Windows Vista does not recognize .mts files. So I got Window-7 RC and it works great, as soon as the camera was connected to PC, Win-7 started copying the .mts and .jpg files to hard drive, then played them.” – R.Durai (TX,USA)

Disadvantages

It is not all sunny with the HF20. There are some definite drawbacks like the 3.89 Megapixels for video recording. The newer Canon camcorders are at 5.89 Megapixels to give you a comparative basis.

The other huge drawback is the software options. In order to download a video or image from your camera you have to use the Canon software program. It is hard to send the files to another computer after they have been downloaded and the software even tells you they may be rendered useless. You have a limited option for the types of files you can save. However, the camera can use Final Cut Pro for clean up and editing. You also have to have the camera plugged in to an electrical outlet before you can download.

There is a debate on the low-light performance, but many find it is not sharp enough to truly get a distinction within the images when looking at peoples’ faces or colors. Overall the Canon HF20 is an earlier camcorder designed for high definition and to be light weight. There are better products on the market like the Canon HF S11, but for the cost you are getting a great video camera. Current suggested retail for the HF20 is $799.99 for slightly lower features than the S11, which is at $1400.00 to give you a true comparison.

Average User Rating:

• “Bought this camera a week ago and have had some time to play around with it. You do need a pretty beefy computer to play/edit these files but they look great! File transfers from this camera are quite fast. Comes with composite and component cables so you can watch video straight off the camera to practically any TV. You do need to purchase a separate HDMI cable if you want to connect it to an HDMI capable TV but is not necessary if your TV has Component in. I love all the manual functions such as aperture setting, exposure and focus, a must for anyone wanting to ‘compose a shot’. Along with the manual setting though it can be set to fully automatic, point and shoot! I am impressed that the video mode also uses Canons face detection technology so it actually can track a face (or faces) while shooting video to keep the important subject in focus! Some drawbacks to the camera are that the stock battery last only about 90 minutes. I picked up a spare for about $60 for our upcoming road trip. Another issue for me is that you have to connect the camera to wall power in order to transfer files from the internal memory. I guess it makes sense, you don’t want to lose power while tranferring files, but it seems like a hassle. Overall I really like it. It’s small, easy to use with some nice manual features as well. Built in light and flash if you need it and nice looking video for this price range.” – M.K.Lee (WA,USA)
• “When it comes to filming and making it look good, lighting is everything. As long as there is adaquate light in your shot, the HF20 will give you a crisp, vivid picture that looks great on HDTVs. AVCHD is gaining greater support, and on my Mac, it’s as easy to work with as P2 downloads. Both iMovie and Final Cut Pro (Version 7) can easily ingest footage from the camera. I highly recommend springing for a shotgun mic that sits in the hot shoe, and a higher capacity battery. With 32GB storage, you need a better battery before you can ever expect to full the memory on a single shoot. Very easy to use, and very favorable results.” – D.Mortensen (CA,USA)

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