Canon VIXIA HF200

Canon is one of the most trusted names in photography equipment as well as camcorders. Their optical prowess is well known and they tend to be leaders in their area. That’s why when the Canon HF 200 camcorder came to the market we felt that a review was in order. This high definition camcorder has the clarity you expect from a Canon, not only for the videos but for still images as well. While it is super lightweight it won’t fit in a pocket or a small purse. Beyond that though, this camcorder delivers.

Canon VIXIA HF S200

Features

The Canon HF 200 camcorder offers the 3.89 megapixel CMOS image sensor that is exclusive to Canon. It also includes their DIGIC DV III in its latest form. These features reduce lighting issues and increase image clarity, which is a necessity for those important moments you will record.

It also contains Flash Memory, which is the method that MP3 players, cell phones and super lap top computers use. This means that you can get six hours of great high definition video that can be put on an SDHC card.

Canon goes way beyond the pocket sized camcorders as you can record at 24 mega bytes. This is one reason that the image is such a quality one. To be more specific regarding the camcorder and its lovely properties it should be mentioned that the recording time can reach up to 12 hours and 15 minutes depending on the mode. To gain this much recording time you have to run in LP mode at 5Mbps. There is nothing wrong with running slower to get high quality video at a longer time. If you choose the maximum speed at 24Mbps you will only get 2 hours and 55 minutes. You still obtain the 1920×1080 resolution, which is the best high definition video you can have with current technology.

As always the HF200 camcorder gives the buyer exclusive features. This camcorder comes with the 15x HD video lens, Face Detection, the Super Range Optical Image Stabilizer and a host of new control options. Canon allows your creative side to emerge with this new camcorder. The lens zoom ratio is 15x optical/ 300x digital. You might be wondering what that means, so to explain a little further it is the highest ratio attainable in Canon’s camcorder line. Other models reach 12x or 10x at 200x digital. The focal length with this style lens reaches 39.5 to 592.5 mm in a standard SLR lens or 4.1 to 61.5mm on camcorder length. Additions you may want to add to the camcorder could include a TeleConverter. This allows you to be in the back row at a school performance or at a concert, but record the event like you are right in front. A Wide Conversion lens and video light are other accessories that will allow you to record video in any environment. To add to the high zoom you also have four zoom speeds, three of which are fixed and one variable.

The LCD screen on the camcorder is 2.7 inches and it comes with amulet-angle widescreen. There is also a built in 3.3 megapixel digital camera to capture those still images and a microphone terminal that has manual audio control. The software is Pixela ImageMixer 3SE which allows for great downloading capabilities. If you want to be able to take your camcorder near water there is an optional purchase of a WP-V1 waterproof case. Add instant auto focus, full HD recording and the lithium ion battery and you are ready to make some excellent videos.

Actual user review:
“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.” – B.Kennington (CA,USA)

Optional Equipment

Besides the camcorder you can generally receive the following equipment in the box: a battery pack, power adaptor, component cable, wireless controller, USB cable, stereo video cable, digital video solution disk, the software, music CD and a wrist strap. This package was found directly on the Canon website. What is included if you buy it elsewhere could be different.

Conclusion

Canon camcorders are definitely something a professional videographer would use, and while the Canon VIXIA HF 200 isn’t in their professional series it provides high quality videos. This camcorder retails for around $750.00 dollars, but is worth the investment. However, to say this is worth the investment is probably an understatement considering the low price and high quality features. Even the latest S11 model by Canon does not have 15x optical zoom, though I will grant you the newest model is lighter and has better memory capacity. The point is what really matters to you regarding the features and specifications should make your decision.

Actual User Reviews:

• “This is such a great camcorder and I love it! 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. 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 lasts up to 3 hours and 15 minutes. 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 Vixia HF 200 camcorder and I got nothing but great reviews from everyone!” – H.A.Bruning (USA)

• “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. 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. 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.” – S.Kortas (CA,USA)

Average User Rating: