Canon Vixia HF M52 First Impressions Review

Auto Mode

The many available automatic modes might be a bit too much for beginners. Canon offers several possibilities for automatic use, though in the standard mode, everything except zoom adjusts automatically. While shooting video, the Cinema style filter is used, and this is probably the most flexible automatic mode available, allowing optional manual adjustment of every variable except for shutter speed and aperture.

Scene Modes

There are nine Scene modes, in addition to the Cinema mode. Smart Scene is available too, this time with 38 different shooting situations. The new Audio Scene mode allows the user to choose from five options including ambient noise reduction, music, and speech. All Scene modes may be used in conjunction with video snapshot or story creator.

Exposure

The M52 allows manual control over many shooting options, including aperture and shutter (though only one or the other), focus, exposure compensation, automatic gain control limit, and visual effects like color, sharpness, contrast, and brightness. Manual settings are also available for white balance and AF/AE tracking.