Canon Vixia HF20 Camcorder Review

by Jeremy Stamas
Published on Mar 25, 2009 12:41 PM

 
Intro Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Resolution Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Sanyo VPC-HD2000 Comparison
Panasonic HDC-SD20 Comparison Canon HF S100 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Core Specs
Year 2009
Format Flash Memory
Class Consumer
HD
Lens
Filter Diameter (mm) 37.00
Focal Distance Minimum (mm) 4.10
Focal Distance Maximum (mm) 61.50
35mm Focal Distance Minimum (mm) 39.50
35mm Focal Distance Maximum (mm) 592.50
F-stop Minimum 1.80
F-stop Maximum 3.20
Wide Angle (degrees) 51
Image Stabilization Digital
Imager and Processing
Sensor Type CMOS
Sensor Count 1
Sensor Size (inches) 1/4
Video Pixel Count (gross) 3890000
Video Pixel Count (effective) 2990000
Still Pixel Count (gross) 3890000
Still Pixel Count (effective) 3310000
Compression and Media
HD Video Format AVCHD
SD Video Format None
Frame Rate(s) 60i, 30p, 24p
Primary Audio Format Dolby Digital (2ch)
Secondary Audio Format None
Primary Media Internal Flash Memory
Secondary Media Memory Card
Tertiary Media None
Memory Card Type SD/SDHC
Included Media Capacity 32GB Internal Flash Memory
Maximum Recording Time (highest quality in minutes) 175
Recording Quality Option(s) MXP (24Mbps), FXP (17Mbps), XP+ (12Mbps), SP (7Mbps), LP (5Mbps)
Included Software Digital Video Solution Disk, Pixela ImageMixer 3SE Video Editing Software, Music CD
Manual Controls
Zoom Control Type(s) Joystick
Optical Zoom 15
Advanced Zoom 0
Digital Zoom 300
Manual Focus
Manual Focus Control Type(s) Joystick
Focus Assist / Peaking
Manual Exposure
Manual Exposure Steps 23
Manual Aperture
Manual Aperture Steps 10
Minimum Aperture (f/) 1.80
Maximum Aperture (f/) 8.00
Manual Shutter Speed
Manual Shutter Speed Steps 15
Minimum Shutter Speed 1/6
Maximum Shutter Speed 1/2000
Manual White Balance
White Balance Presets Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual
Manual Gain
Manual Gain Steps 0
Manual Noise Reduction
Audio Dubbing
Auto / Easy Mode
Face Detection
Color / Image Control(s) Image Effects (Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Soft Skin Detail), Custom Image Effects (Brightness, Contrast, Sharpening, Color Depth), x.v. Color
Low Light Mode(s) Night (Scene Mode)
Scene Mode(s) Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks
Other Manual Control(s) Onscreen Markers
Still Features
Still Image Resolution(s) 16:9 - 2304 x 1296; 4:3 - 2100 x 1575, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480
Flash
Flash Settings Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off
Simultaneous Video / Still Recording
Self Timer
Manual ISO
Manual ISO Steps 0
ISO Minimum 0
ISO Maximum 0
Continuous Shot
Bracketing
Other Still Feature(s) Extra shutter speed options (1/4, 1/2); capture still from video playback
Still Media 32GB Internal Flash Memory, SD/SDHC Memory Card
Still Media Included 32GB Internal Flash Memory
Body
Body Type Horizontal
Weight (g) 400.00
Width (mm) 70.00
Height (mm) 62.00
Length (mm) 124.00
Body Color(s) Black
LCD Size (inches) 2.70
LCD Resolution (pixels) 211000
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Resolution 0
Viewfinder Diopter Adjuster
Video Light
Connectivity
Composite (RCA) output
Composite (RCA) input
FireWire
Audio-only AV input
S-Video
USB
Component output
Component input
HDMI
Headphone output
Mini Microphone input
LANC / Control L
Accessory Shoe
Accessory Shoe (Hot)
Included Wireless Remote
WiFi
GPS
Other
Sister Model Up Canon Vixia HF S10
Sister Model Down Canon Vixia HF200
Included Battery BP-809
Battery Life (minutes) 98
Other Accessories Wrist Strap
Other Features Video Light, Digital Effects, Quick Start, Pre-Record, Video Snapshot
Ratings Weight
Color 8.37 2
Noise 5.65 1
Motion 10.80 1
Video Sharpness 12.78 4
Wide Angle 10.20 0.8
Low Light Color 6.18 1.25
Low Light Sensitivity 1.16 1.5
Low Light Noise 3.63 1.25
Audio Features 5.75 1
Compression 7.00 1
Media 8.52 1.5
Editing 7.00 0.75
Auto Mode 9.13 0.5
Zoom 7.00 0.75
Zoom Ratio 5.29 0.5
Focus 4.00 0.7
Exposure 8.30 0.65
Aperture 6.50 0.65
Shutter Speed 6.60 0.6
White Balance 9.50 0.55
Gain 0.00 0.5
Color & Image Controls 9.00 0.5
Other Manual Controls 1.00 0.5
Still Features 11.56 0.8
Still Color 6.53 0.6
Still Noise 1.64 0.6
Still Sharpness 4.21 1
Ease of Use 5.10 1.25
Handling 5.75 1.25
Stabilization 0.00 1
Portability 8.32 0.8
Battery Life 4.90 1
LCD & Viewfinder 7.88 0.6
Menus 3.00 1
Playback 6.50 0.3
Connectivity 6.88 0.8
Other Features 4.50 0.5
Total237.228 
 

 



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