Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 16 GB Internal Flash Memory and 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 16 GB Internal Flash Memory and 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: Beautiful looking video for the money! Some caveats...
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros: Sharp video quality, full HD, no moving parts!, records to SD cards, sound quality is good, simple and intuitive.
Cons: POOR battery life, AVCHD is quirky, editing your video requires a lot of expensive hardware.
Summary: I love this camcorder. It is a top performed in my opinion, especially for a price tag under $600 including a carrying case [...]. Great bargain.
The video quality is very good. It is as sharp as you could possibly expect for the small footprint of the camera and the low sticker price. For home movies, I couldn't really ask for anything more. Make absolutely sure your shooter has a steady hand though, because the more the camera moves the more artifacts and glitchy digitalisms you'll see in your video (a product of the AVCHD file architecture which I don't have time to go into here). In any case, I'm very pleased with the video quality. Sound quality is good, though subjects are hard to hear in noisy environments. This complaint, however, is about how microphones work in general, not this particular camcorder.
If you're like me - a geek looking to do every geeky thing with every gadget he has - you're going to be very interested in editing your video. This is where the camera gets more tricky because of its video format (the following should hold true of all camcorders recording in AVCHD). You CANNOT edit AVCHD natively on Mac. I'm using Final Cut Express and it first must be converted to either ProRes or AIC format before editing can take place. This conversion drastically inflates the size of your files. Your editing size is about 40gb per hour, give or take 10gb depending on the nature of your video. Therefore, full HD editing requires a FAST hard drive, preferably Firewire 800 if you can swing it. This said, however, my videos come out in outstanding quality and the extra cash to make all of this happen is money well spent.
I'm a big fan of flash based products in general because, in my experience, having hard drives in particular but moving parts in general is an invitation for unwanted problems. So long as your HF10 doesn't experience a long drop or hard impact, it should continue to work for a very long time. It uses SDHC cards, which are relatively cheap and take up a lot less space than HDV tapes!
Technical observations: the camera starts quickly, but takes about 5 seconds to think before allowing you to record. Sound is generally good. Included battery will only yield 60-70 minutes, but for 125 bucks you can get one that lasts over four hours (if you need it). Menu system is easy to use. I don't really know my way around manual settings so I can't comment there. The autofocus, however, is amazing.
All in all, a great camcorder if you want to take the HD plunge. I highly recommend this product, especially at the new lower price since this year's model is set to replace it. You should, however, do your homework before making this purchase! Happy shooting.
Digital camera Review: Best Quality & Simple To Use
Summary: 5 Stars
I did a lot of research of HD camcorders and am very pleased with the choice I made with the Canon Vixia HF10. It is a very simple camera to use and is packed with a lot of great features. HD camcorders are more expensive than the standard definiton, but I suggest to go the HD way. The 16G built-in memory is excellent and it's nice to not have the tapes to deal with. The HF11 is a little more in price with twice the built-in memory, but if you choose the HF10 you can always purchase a memory card. The HF10 model is very small and doesn't take a lot of room. It doesn't come with a case, but you should get one. Excellent camera!!!Digital camera Review: CRANK 2
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't own one of these but am considering one. I just read an article in HD VIDEO PRO magazine wherein they mentioned the extensive use of these cameras in the new Jason Statham flick CRANK 2. They used a handful of larger Canons and ten of these because of their size, weight and performance. If you're an indie filmmaker wanting to jump to HD they seem to be a practical alternative.Digital camera Review: Canao VIXIA HF10 Video Camera
Summary: 4 Stars
The camera has met and/or exceded my expectations. It's light weight, easy to handle and the operation and functions are very intuitive and easy to learn. The sound quality of the built in mic was a pleasnt suprise. The HD playback is quite impressive! The free software provided is, well, free. The cost of a backup battery is a little stiff, but technology advances will most likely bring the cost down in the near future.Digital camera Review: Cannon HF-100
Summary: 5 Stars
Great camera. Easy to use, yet has many options if you want them. Turns on and begins taping very fast. Great picture. No problems with battery life, yet...
The camera did seem to not realize you had changed modes from viewing video to shooting video very quickly.
I have already recommended this camera to a friend. It's very small and easy to take with you.