Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom

I got this camera today, I wanted to get HG10 as it is cheaper, but I went with this one as it has higher Hard Disk capacity with small price difference.

The first test video taken was indoors and with low light, I noticed lot of dots in the frame, however, after setting the AWB to indoor and exposure to low light, the video looked much better, then I tried the sport setting with 24p and the video was impressive!! I hooked the camera to my 40" HD LCD TV, and the colors and sharpness are breathtaking!!

One tip is to use the P (Programmed AE) setting with different selections of White Balance, the LCD screen is clear enough to make a quick decision on the fly to pick the best selection, I used 3 different settings walking in day light, then on a shady area, then inside a shop.

One thing to note that the battery works only 2 hours, Canon offers better battery with 4 hours duration priced around $100.

You also need to read the pros and cons of the video codec, there are lot of information on the Canon HG10 reviews, and very useful. In general the higher the frame bit rate and resolution, the longer it will take to process and edit the video and much longer to burn it on DVD or BluRay.

I actually found out that Google's Picasa 3 application (free download) can open the videos recorded by the camera, this tool can export any clip (or portion of it) to wmv format, once the file is exported, you can use any video editor like Microsoft Movie Maker to compress the file or change it to DivX format, etc.

Great camera. The biggest flaw is not the 60 gb drive which is bigger than you will ever need, or the menu interface which is easy, intuitive and user friendly, the biggest flaw is the lack of the view finder on this camera. Big deal you say, its got a modern screen instead of a view finder, but that modern screen in really bright sunlight kinda washes out (like all those screens do) and might lead you to adjust the settings or force you to trust your autoexposure when you are taking those priceless outdoor shots. The hg 21 has the eye piece viewfinder which is a reliable indicator of what you are shooting in those conditions, but for the extra 300 USDs it's hard to justify. The AF is super in this camera, no distiguishable periods "out of focus" as you rapidly zoom in and out. Also the head set or yellow AV jack, is a must have. Ever record tons of footage and find out the only thing you can hear is the wind buffetting your microphone? Record wearing regular ipod type headphones and you don't have to review the footage to find out if you have the shot. Don't get a camcorder without that or the mic input which this camera has. Terrific simultaneous video record and still photo to the regular full size SD card, cool, works great. Requires class 4 SD card, the speedy type. I think the HG21 with the 120 gb has tons of storage, but it's overkill and takes longer to do a full hard drive clean than the 60gb hg20, but both have a quick clean function for the hard drive. Finally don't expect much from the packaged software if you really want to edit. Corel has pro x2 which works great for avchd. Last thing is the battery. It charges when the camera is pugged in and it works great. I was made to believe that this camera is useless without an external charger and tons of extra batteries, which is not true, 95 min is good. Or just stay plugged to the wall. As a guy who typically struggles with technology, I hope all my "research" helps some one else and as the owner of the hg20 this camera delivers and is simple for anyone to use.

Buy Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom Now

The HG20 is great. Super Picture. Sound is ok. The HDD makes some noise. SW runs on older PC with 1 GIG Ram and 2.5 GIG Pent. But its right at the edge. Could use a Video Light. Cost goes up and down on this model a good bit. Computer HDD space to edit and store will need to be high. Mini HDMI cable is a must for HD sets. Did a test with A HD tv, by recording the TV. Its interesting. Have not tired yet with a IR light source. When the Cam is off, the Lense protector shakes a little. Battery is min. Will get High cap battery for trips. Lots of Warnings on Care for this unit. But at a good price, this unit have a lot of value. The HF10 and HF100 are good buys also. the HF11 is much more. The HG21 is much more, but has some added features of a view finder. Camrea Mode take Point and Shoot Pictures will. But you have to be still. Lots of manual controls. The Menu system takes a little getting used if you are use to the old canon MiniDV. Wanted to wait a little more, but the old canon ZR45MC is past 6 years. But it analog pass thru. I may use that or a Dazzle unit to put video for family and the web instead of trying to convert the MT2S files. With the video files as big as they are, having a Laptop will not be good with the unit or any HD machine.

Again wanted to wait, but old camera was looking pale on HD TV.

Good Things:

60BG harddrive, LP and SP still good for video.

Optics are great. 12X. Attachments.

Easy Button

Connections (HDMI, USB, Analog outputs), Mic in, Head Phones,

Lots of things to add on with Canon (battery, Optics)

Card Slot option

Auto Lense Cap.

Bad things,

Joy Stick control on view finder.

Heavier than Full Flash based unit.

Some Rattles (Not in function mode, just in off mode with Lenses Protector.)

Not much Software or Hardware to edit with. (Vista Requirements seem twice that of XP).

Things to consider:

Add Battery Pack (One big one, or 2 small ones).

Tripod

Optics (Filters, Wide Angle, Telephoto)

Video Light for low light.

Quad Core, 6 MB Ram, 1 TB HDD computer for editing video.

Read Best Reviews of Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom Here

My wife and I were looking for something to replace our aging DV camcorder, and decided to step up to HD.

Since we've been happy with our Canon Digital Rebel XSi SLR, and the XTi before it, Canon seemed the logical choice.

The biggest obstacle in choosing a new camera was deciding between the HG20 and the Canon VIXIA HF10. After a ton of research, we found that the HG20 and HG10 are basically the same camera. The HG20 has a 60GB hard drive, the HG10 has 16MB flash. Beyond that, the optics and Digic processors are the same (though the HG20 is capable of recording at a higher bitrate, due to the hard drive).

Since the HG20 gives you the option of writing to SDHC cards, it seemed a better value.

We've had the camera for just over a week now, and the image quality is generally outstanding. In low light, the HG20 produces an acceptable picture, though it is a bit grainy and "digital" looking. With adequate light though, the picture is outstanding.

The image stabilization works better than expected, especially when you're zoomed in, but keep in mind that this is the primary reason it's there. If you have jittery hands and aren't giving some thought to what you're shooting, you're still going to produce movies that look like they came from any old camcorder.

Taking still pictures is reasonably easy, and the camera's ability to focus and take a decent photo at full zoom is incredible. However, if you have a digital camera that's less than three years old, it's probably going to take better pictures. This is definitely a "nice to have" feature, but you shouldn't go in to this expecting it to replace a point-and-shoot digital camera.

If you're familiar with Canon Digital Rebel, PowerShot, or Elph cameras, the menus on the HG20 will make perfect sense to you. All of the settings are where you'd expect them to be. And if you're not familiar with other Canon products, learning the menu system is quite easy.

Now, some caveats...

Right off the bat, editing AVCHD video is going to pound on your computer. If you're using a Mac, a current-generation MacBook Pro is probably the minimum you'd want to use for any sort of editing. On the bright side, iMovie 08 (and 09) will see this camera and do its thing without any hiccups. But actually getting a full-res movie from the camera to your computer is only marginally faster than DV (to those who may be confused: it takes about as long to import the video as it does to play it).

The next issue -which is true for so many Canon products -the Genuine Canon accessories are ridiculously expensive. Unlike their digital cameras to date, a third party battery isn't going to work 100% properly in the HG20. So if you're not prepared to deal with not knowing the "real" charge on your battery, plan on spending more for a battery. The included battery claims to get about 108 minutes on a full charge. Step up to the Canon BP-819 Lithium Ion Battery Pack, and you'll get in the high 200's without having a massive battery pack jutting out of the back of the camcorder.

On a similar tangent, a big irritation for me is that you have to connect the camera to wall power to import video to your computer. If you're planning on going on the road with your camera and laptop, you might want to look at a power inverter for your car. Otherwise, you're not dumping video until you get home (or somewhere with an outlet).

That said, there are some universal accessories you can pick up without breaking the bank. I own these all, and can confirm that they work just fine with the HG20:

Tripp Lite Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable (6 feet)

Lowepro Edit 140 (Note: this bag is just about perfect for the HG20's size, and can hold all of the included accessories, as well as an HDMI cable and two filters)

Sunpak CF-7026 UV 37mm Ultra-Violet Filter

Sunpak CF-7051 CP Circular Polarized Filters 37mm

Now that the 2009 models are out, you can pick the HG20 up for an excellent price. Considering the features and picture quality, the camera is a great value. And as long as you go in to it knowing you're going to need to spend some more money for accessories (or computer upgrades, video editing software, etc.) you won't be disappointed.

Want Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom Discount?

This camera was on sale for $300.00 off MSRP at a local chain Amazon.com had it even cheaper, but I was in an unusual hurry to tape my son's event that evening. I wasn't looking for an HD quality recorder, but for the price, I couldn't really pass it up!

This thing has an "Easy" button, which meant I didn't need to read the manual before heading out. I packed up my tripod and set up my camera within a few hours I used the power cord.

The camera performed very nicely, auto adjusting for lighting condition and color, with the "Easy" button turned on. If you have ever video-taped in a gymnasium, you know how not-wonderful that light can be.

The next morning I installed the included software to convert the AVCHD format to AVI for editing in Pinnacle Studio 12, Ultimate. While I had a lot to learn about the editing software, the camera software transferred the file very simply [I had read terrible reviews of it, but seems to work well.]

My final movie was proof that the camera adjusted well for lighting conditions, and that the stabilization and auto focus worked nicely. I don't think one could go wrong with this camera it seems to be a lot of bang for the buck. I can't wait to get into the advanced, priority modes, and other features.

Caveats??? Of course you knew there'd be something I'd only given four stars!

1 Small battery, but detailed battery meter. You will need to get a back-up. A high-capacity battery is available;

2 Battery only charges on the camera no separate battery charger;

3 No on-camera view-finder. For that you need the HG21, and a few more $$$.

4 Only 12x optical zoom. BUT... I normally won't use digital zoom, but I needed it to get in close enough my son was across the gymnasium. The digital artifacts were not distracting it did a very nice job. ALSO, note that a telephoto extender, and a wide angle adapter, are both available if you need this capacity.

So far, that's all I've got. I thought I had some "buyer's remorse" at first, but when I saw the output, that went out the window. Thank for reading I hope this helps.

REVISITED 05/10/2009:

So... That was a very encouraging review, wasn't it? Well, sorry to disappoint... I took the Vixia HG20 back... it even cost me a restocking fee to return it. "But why?" you ask... Go ahead, ask...

Although this camera made phenomenal videos, and was lightweight and very easy to use, and had great features, the most important factor for me was edited output. I don't think it is this camera's fault. From my research I have discovered that this AVCHD video format is simply not yet supported efficiently by the major editing packages. I have tried several, including Ulead, Pinnacle, Microsoft, etc... This format is unusable. I've even downloaded conversion software to create MP4, AVI, MPG, and other file formats. The AVCHD file is way too compressed, and this causes problems.

Don't get me wrong. For straight-out-of-the-camera use, I don't think you can find a better deal. Personally, I'm going to find a good digital tape recording unit getting harder to find these days, and I'll just suffer through the download times prior to editing. This will give me an uncompressed file, and a cheap media for backing up the original recordings.

I hope this helps. Please don't take my word for it; research AVCHD and see what the rest of the world says.

Thanks.