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Introduction
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01.Design
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02.Product Tour
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03.Performance
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04.Color Performance
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05.Low Light Performance
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06.Motion Performance
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07.Sharpness Performance
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08.Sample Videos
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09.Usability
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10.Ease of Use
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11.Handling
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12.Controls
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13.Features
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14.Recording Options
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15.Hardware
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16.Other Features
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17.Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
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18.Panasonic HDC-SD20 Comparison
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19.Canon HF S100
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20.Conclusion
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21.Photo Gallery
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22.Specs & Ratings
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23.Comments
Canon Vixia HF20
Previous: Page 19
Canon HF S100Next: Page 21
Photo GalleryConclusion
Since it is $300 cheaper than last year’s Canon HF11, we didn’t expect the HF20 to put up the kind of numbers we saw from its award-winning sibling. What did shock us, however, was how steep of a downgrade the HF20 really is. Sure, it’s smaller and lighter than the HF11, but it simply doesn’t have the video performance to keep up with the intense pace set by Canon. Does the $899 price tag make-up for this loss in quality? Well, it depends. If you plan on using the HF20 to shoot in the dark, it simply won’t deliver the goods. It measured a terrible low light sensitivity and the noise levels in our tests were way too high. The fact that the HF20 performed so poorly in low light is extremely disappointing.
The Canon HF20 also had too many handling issues to get a free pass from us. We found the menus to be confusing and the lack of a clearly labeled ‘Easy’ mode to be disorienting for first-time users. The system for adjusting many of the manual controls were also poorly designed.
Still, there’s a lot to like about the HF20. In bright light, it measured an incredibly-high video resolution and its color accuracy wasn’t half-bad either. The camcorder features a decent set of manual controls, offers all the necessary ports and connectivity options (including a mic and headphone jack), and is a fairly portable device. It’s 32GB of internal flash memory and inclusion of 24p and 30p frame rates also deserve strong praise.
Final judgment on the HF20 really comes down to how much you value low light performance. If you’re going to do all your shooting outside, with the occasional well-lit indoor event, the Canon HF20 will probably suit you well. Otherwise, you’re money would be better spent elsewhere.
Shop for the Canon HF20
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