Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom Reviews

The video good quality is fantastic, as is ease of use. Here are a number of hints and things I observed. The battery out of the box will not electrical power-on the camera and needs some minutes of charge to even display %. You can operate the camera from the charger but the battery is not becoming charged, says the manual.

There are two 1920×1080 picture quality modes: MXP at 24 mbps and FXP at 17 mbps — and three at 1440×1080: XP+, SP and LP, at 12, seven and five mbs, respectively. I think it defaults to LP out of the box, which is 1440×1080 at 7 mbps. I recommend you pick FXP to get accurate 1920×1080 resolution. Upping to 24 mbps may be a very good notion only if you are going to do a lot of post editing — I can not see an improvement over FXP. Recording occasions with a 16GB card are 1:25, 2:05, two:50, 4:45 and 6:05, respectively.

When the camera is OFF, pressing the DISP button (on the camera entire body) will display battery capacity in minutes and %. Pressing DISP when ON turns the LCD to max brightness. IOW, you can set the LCD brightness for regular indoor use with the menu and instantaneously set it brilliant for outdoor use. Handy.

The CINE mode appears to digitally soften the image there may some colour adjust but I did not notice it from the shots I took in a park. The PF30 and PF24 rates show a jerkiness when panning as you would count on from a reduce frame rate. I believe these prices are simulated due to the fact all recording is completed at 60i. For instance when I played back PF24 stepping 1 frame at a time I saw the exact same image for 3 actions, then the following. (The “3 steps” varies with each PF24 and PF30.) OTOH, PF24 is helpful in reduced light situations as it permits the HF200 slow the shutter speed down to one/six sec.

Prior Canon users will discover the menu technique easy and familiar, related even to their nevertheless cameras. The joystick is “large” and has a positive, definite feedback really feel to it. Menu navigation appears less difficult and clearer than earlier Canons I’ve utilised. There is even a Large Font option. Very good!

The Electrical power On button is deep in a groove that makes it unlikely to accidentally turn on. But with your appropriate hand in the great grip you have to use the left to press it On – my fingers do not reach. No loss, you need the other hand to open the LCD panel anyway. The zoom lever on top is a middle finger management. The adjacent Photo button is for a educated index finger. Record, at the back, is thumb operated. You can also use an LCD panel button to Record.

The Fast Begin attribute means you can close the LCD to save energy (runs at 1/three standard) and be prepared to shoot in about one sec soon after opening it. Note, if you close the LCD panel although recording it will continue to record — so slamming it shut does not stop the shot.

The still photo attributes are quite amazing. The resolution is three megapixels, but a quite great 3mp! You can shoot constantly at three or 5 frames/sec. And you can shoot at the exact same quickly frame prices with flash! The flash is really a higher-power white LED, not a xenon tube. There is a separate warm-white LED for video that works OK to five-6 feet.

There are the usual auto white balance, automobile exposure, immediate focus functions and so on that you can read about above. There is face detection for proper focus. They all work quite well. I like the Vivid color setting for most all shooting – video and photo. It is a slight pump in saturation that aids if you mainly view utilizing your laptop LCD. Immediate AutoFocus is aptly named. There is a pretty big IAF sensor subsequent to the lens for this purpose. The 15x zoom, a first for me, is completely helpful all the way out. Extraordinary.

Battery existence (BP-809) requires a definite 2nd spot to 16GB storage. I just checked and it indicates one hundred%, 94 minutes. But you can of course get bigger batteries. (I use the smaller BP-808 battery from my FS100 SD video cam as a backup.) With the Speedy Start off function (can be turned off) power is utilised between shots and this will generally use more juice that actual recording. Figure three to 5 occasions battery vs video: 1 hour of video needs 3+ hours of battery cap. Unless you buy a charger you ought to charge in the camera. Only one sample so far, but it seemed to take a tiny far more than an hour to charge from %.

The supplied Pixela computer software is minimal. You can mix 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 each and strongly advocate the WD more than the 0 PCH. The PCH can connect to Web servers, its main claim to fame.) These players can also play the MTS format immediately copied from the SD card but there is a one-2 sec delay in between every single shot. Pixela lets you select and chose shots, trim a offered shot, and add titles and audio. I do not know how to get previous the 99 shot limit with Pixela — I created about 170 shots in the park yesterday.

All in all, I luves it.

I want a HD camcorder for my new born infant, but with a limited budget. So I compared canon HF200, Sony CX100 and Panasonic TM20R because they are all in sub 600 array. I tried all of them in local retailers and ultimately settled with canon HF200, although it’s a little bit more expensive than cx100 and TM20R.

The sensor of HF200 is the biggest one amongst these 3, one /four” (1/5″ for CX100, 1/six” for TM20R). It assured very best resolution, 2.99 Megapixels ( 2.three M for cx100, 1.14M for TM20R) and in my expertise bigger sensor also helps reduce the noise in dark atmosphere. Certainly, minimal illumination problem for HF200 is .four lux, a lot far better than thre other two. I took a couple of sample shots in regional shops and the picture from HF200 for dark atmosphere is acceptable. Sony cx100 is barely acceptable and Panasonic TM20R is total crap, not even as very good as my webcam.

After I finally bought HF200, I in no way regretted! The video good quality is just excellent. For the 1920×1080 good quality videos, it has two modes: MXP(24Mbps) and FXP(17Mbps). To be honest I can’t inform the quality big difference between these two. I guess unless you are gonna do massive editing, FXP is great enough for every day usage. So on a 16GB sd memory card, I can record 135 minutes 1080p HD video.

The even now image shot high quality is really excellent as well, and it is powered by the 15x optical lens(35mm equivalent: 39.five – 592.5mm). It gives you a really handy telephoto camera and the image stabilization performs quite nicely on the lengthy focus finish as well. Last weekend with this camera, I easily took some good photos of two bears far far away from me. Most of other HD camcorders only have 10x lens.

All the button and menu are effectively developed. It is extremely effortless to use and I do not even require to read the manual. LCD panel is in good dimension also.

Canon Face Detection is also a very great function. The very same high good quality Face Detection technologies employed in Canon digital cameras is now accessible in Canon Higher Definition camcorders. Up to 35 faces can be detected automatically, and 9 detection frames can be displayed at one time. Face Detection assures razor-sharp concentrate and organic, precise exposure of the chosen subjects.

Okay, let me also mention some cons. 1st, like 1 of the other reviewer said, the software coming with it sucks! It can only edit the authentic format from the camcorder and output to very same format as an alternative of other much 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 proper away. Nevertheless, windows film maker cannot take care of them, and you can upload .m2ts file to youtube.com but the sound of the video will be cut off right after a couple of seconds. So if you want to edit your movies and share your videos, possibly you want purchase a converting computer software like total video converter

1 issue I forgot to mention, Its twin brother canon HF20 has precisely all the very same configuration as HF200 except with 32GB interal memory. Nonetheless HF20 is nearly 200 bucks far more pricey than HF200. Now the SD memory card is so cheap. I propose you to acquire HF200 with a 16GB or 32GB SD card. Just don’t forget to use class four or up SD card.

To summarize, all round it is the greatest entry level HD camcorder. With the cost drop alert subscription from www.pricetrace.com, I got it from amazon.com for only 0.5. It is really worth every single penny.

Great camcorder, but get a greater battery this kind of as the BP-827, the default a single helps make a good backup.

The software program provided sucks, and you have to figure out by yourself which program does what: The principal interface can upload videos, but not play or edit them, as it does for photographs. It also creates a clutter of Begin menu shortcuts in Windows that you do not need given that these programs are referred to as by the main system, ZoomBrowser. About the Pixela video editing software program offered, nicely, 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 on-line photo storage provide that you almost certainly do not want if you already have a blog or email provider.

The very good issue is that the AVCHD format of this camcorder is supported by Windows Media Player 11 (at least on my Vista Greatest machine). Not positive if it is 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 “Pick an set up system”, choose Windows Media Player and the checkbox to don’t forget it.

Transferring the movies using the software package offered is really cumbersome (cantbearsome genuinely): You need both the USB and electrical power cables, and clicking your way via a few screens on the camcorder prior to the transfer can begin. I could begin the photo transfer from either the camcorder or the personal computer, but only from the computer for videos.

My suggestion: Don’t set up any of the computer software, it’s less complicated to just copy the files from a card reader to your challenging disk using Windows Explorer. You can get a multi 23-in-one card reader for about , ultimately 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 have to buy one separately. 16GB is excellent sufficient for medium good quality. If you want larger good quality or continuous shooting, you ought to almost certainly get two cards, like a 32GB card for extended capacity and a smaller a single as a backup while uploading the videos from the 1st card. Transcend SDHC Class six cards are from a excellent brand at decent prices.

The default BP-809 battery provided is good for one hour of recording, I recommend you match your battery model to the duration of your memory card. For instance, if you have a 32GB card that can retailer 3 hrs of video (at highest good quality), get the BP-827 battery that provides three hrs of battery lifestyle.

A single more point: This camcorder is Really tiny and light, and its genuine HD resolution signifies that it is challenging to shoot without making jumpy movies, you need to have to hold it with 2 hands or a lot more. The developed-in stabilizer can only assist so considerably, 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 take pleasure in the beer. I identified a tripod beneficial (when shooting from a static area is OK), any tripod should do since the camcorder is so light.

If you want a bag, the Lowepro Edit 110 is just the correct dimension and fits the camcorder with the greatest battery, an added battery, the power adapter, the remote and as numerous SDHC cards as you need to have. The camcorder manual also fits in, but it’s a pity it really is so thick, as it includes 3 languages (English, French, Spanish). There are 23 languages on the camcorder’s menus. Cables will not match. BTW, the camcorder ships with out a HDMI cable, you want to get your own if you have a AVCHD-compatible Tv and you want to playback on Tv directly from the camcorder. Not required if your Tv has a card reader or is connected to your laptop or computer.

Lastly, examine your computer rig, you could need to have an extra huge disk (one-2 TB) to retailer these movies, and a lot more than 1 if you need to have to preserve the authentic AVCHD videos for post-production: DVD backups just will not do for this type of files, unless of course you have a Blu-ray writer. If you don’t need to maintain the AVCHD files, burning DVDs is the very best way to archive your films. Just remember that even in HD, DVDs are highly compressed (which means losing a lot of the top quality of your original AVCHD files.) will get you a extremely basic USB IDE/SATA external adapter, a cheap…

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