Manage updates with the Download AppCanon Vixia HF20
Manufacturer: Canon Part number: 3535B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- While it's more expensive than its sub-$600 competitors, the Canon Vixia HF20 and Vixia HF200 deliver a more extensive feature set for the extra money. The HF200, which lacks internal memory, is probably a better buy than the HF20, though the HF20's all-black body is a bit classier-looking.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Canon Vixia HF20 price range: $1,399.90
- Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 04/19/2009
- Released on: 04/01/2009
The good: Broad manual feature set unusual in a camcorder its size; excellent video quality; attractive, functional design.
The bad: Relatively expensive.
The bottom line: While it's more expensive than its sub-$600 competitors, the Canon Vixia HF20 and Vixia HF200 deliver a more extensive feature set for the extra money. The HF200, which lacks internal memory, is probably a better buy than the HF20, though the HF20's all-black body is a bit classier-looking.
User reviews
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Excellent User Friendly Camera
by Soulpirate on November 30, 2009
Pros: GREAT VIDEO! Super sharp facial recognition. Fast boot-up. Super easy menu and controls. Simple file transfer controls. Nice LCD. Excellent image stabalization.
Cons: Has to be plugged in to transfer video. Battery life isn't great. Limited manual controls in "Dual Shot" mode. Not great in low light. Not great for still photos.
Summary: FANTASTIC VIDEO QUALITY! Stunning HD that you can burn (AVCHD) with your computers DVD-ROM drive onto standard DVD's and play in your Blu-Ray player. Light, easy to use controls ...
Summary: FANTASTIC VIDEO QUALITY! Stunning HD that you can burn (AVCHD) with your computers DVD-ROM drive onto standard DVD's and play in your Blu-Ray player. Light, easy to use controls and menus. Nice LCD. Fits well in the hand, and all the controls are easy to reach and feel very natural. Still photos aren't great, but they're okay for a quick snapshot while shooting video. The dual shot mode makes it easy to pop a pic while shooting video, but it reduces most all of your manual controls (to include backlight). Guess that's the price you pay for using the fully automatic mode. There are, however, plenty of manual controls available in the video modes of the camera if you want to use them. Make sure your computer can handle it, though. HD Editing and disc burning takes a lot of power. And if you're really into editing and disk authoring, you'll need better software than what comes with it. I got CyberLink Power Director and I love it. You can download a free 30 day trial version. I did and bought it three days later! This is a REALLY SMALL camera, but surprisingly the image stabalization is very good, even while zooming. With both internal memory, and a card slot, you never have to worry about not having, or losing, your memory card. You always have internal memory to record on. And you can transfer from the internal to the card so you can secure it away from the camera to prevent accidental overwrites. I have a Canon OpturaXi, Canon GL1 (3CCD), and a Canon Powershot, so I'm partial to the brand, but this is by far the best camera I now own. Besides being HD, the color definitions are as good as the 3CCD GL1. If you have the computing power for it, this is the HD camera for you. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it, but it's got enough bells and whistle to keep you happy if you are!
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Love it, fast bootup, great viewfinding, resolution
by mrkeb on July 16, 2009
Pros: Fits my large hand - on hand navigation and zoom
Cons: love it. I haven't found fault yet. Perhaps a concern that the hand strap might let go - I have large hands - hasn't happened. I'd sure miss that cam if it fell.
Summary: Excellent cam. I fly a gyro copter and shoot cockpit video, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GiFt5eMnGQ , Extremely difficult conditions. In an open cockpit I need to view ...
Summary: Excellent cam. I fly a gyro copter and shoot cockpit video, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GiFt5eMnGQ , Extremely difficult conditions. In an open cockpit I need to view the camera screen through a perspex visor. The Vixio screen is bright enough for me to find other aircraft and zoom into them. Anti-shake is forgiving, upload is wasy and compatible with other systems. Battery life is sufficient, almost instant switch-on-to-record-time is a winner. Shoot button is easy to find without looking.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good Camera, no download instruction, can't see in PC
by bideshi on January 21, 2010
Pros: Good Camera, records long footage
picture quality is excellent.Cons: Software that come with camcorder, is not great. it doesnot allow you load part of the video, the whole thing has to be done. Then i cannot watch the whole thing at a time. I have to watch each .MTS files separately. PAIN. I will never buy Canon.
Summary: I read a lot of reviews about HF20 camcorder being the sharpest and best pictures etc. etc.
I bought it.
I went to Hawaii vacation and took a lot of ...Summary: I read a lot of reviews about HF20 camcorder being the sharpest and best pictures etc. etc.
I bought it.
I went to Hawaii vacation and took a lot of pictures. now I cannot even see them in my PC or make DVD out of it.
The software came with it is handicapped, cannot do everything.
Nothing written about it either.
Also canon manual is very bad about explaining features, like what feature is for what besides some obvious ones.
I have over 200 clips of video .MTS file formats that I don't know how to watch. I need to load it off the camera, so I can take more pictures.
The canon GUY, I talked to rambled over and over but never told a clear cut solution.
I am so frustrated, I hate to loose all these pictures.
I copied all the 264 .MTS files into PC and hope someday there will be a way to watch that. or make copies of DVDs.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great product with no use
by p_singaravelan on January 19, 2010
Pros: Recording features are very good and having rich colors.
Cons: I allready spend more that 20 hrs, and I couldn't download the vedio out of my camcorder. I called both Canon and Pixela and both of them washed their hands. Canon stats its Pixela's responsibility, and Pixela confirms they are not ready for Win7.
Summary: May be a great product which I would like to down load and view it.
Summary: May be a great product which I would like to down load and view it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Just bought this at best buy on black friday, LOVE IT!
by rx_schlegel16 on November 28, 2009
Pros: Small, light weight, easy to use,..more to come as I use it more
Cons: I need to use it more before I can add any cons.
Summary: Love it. Highly recommend it. In the review, the reviewer makes a comment about her SanDisk, I found this on a thread while looking for info on the best memory ...
Summary: Love it. Highly recommend it. In the review, the reviewer makes a comment about her SanDisk, I found this on a thread while looking for info on the best memory card to buy: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1167251&page=3. It is about half way down and talks about how SanDisk has changed their Extreme III disc from a Class 6 to a Class 10 and that no Canon Vixia camera cannot read a Class 10 disc, only a Class 4 and 6. Hope this helps.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Vey good video not so goos still
by zshadar on October 24, 2009
Pros: Good video quality even in low light conditions, easy to operate.
Compact. Enough features for amatures.Cons: Still photos are not that good, but acceptable for small prints.
Sound is senstive to wind noise.Summary: I like the product becuase of it very good HD video, simplicity, and small build.
I wouldn't replace it with my still camera.Summary: I like the product becuase of it very good HD video, simplicity, and small build.
I wouldn't replace it with my still camera.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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"beaver crash at lake hood" youtube shot with hf20
by navylcc19 on September 7, 2009
Pros: My son had camera for less than a week when he made video, very user friendly, Its small and the buttons all seem to be in the perfect place.
Cons: I don't have any cons on the camera, but as with any hd video, your computer and video processing program needs to be fast, especially for dvds and blu-ray
Summary: Not a good technical write up I know, however I went and bought one too
Summary: Not a good technical write up I know, however I went and bought one too
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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It's as good as Lori says
by Chachi.us on July 15, 2009
Pros: Good price for the feature set, 32GB built in (HF20). 1080p is awesome.
Cons: CMOS CMOS CMOS.
Summary: Video generally looks very good. It's nice being able to produce my own 1080p HD content for a relatively low price (my last camcorder was a Hi-8!). My only ...
Summary: Video generally looks very good. It's nice being able to produce my own 1080p HD content for a relatively low price (my last camcorder was a Hi-8!). My only complaint is the weird jitter you get from the CMOS sensor when panning.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Decent camera.
by mryzenga on February 8, 2011
Pros: Nice color and sound. Easy to record with.
Cons: MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR MAC USERS.
Summary: Good luck transferring your videos to a Mac. I'm a seasoned Mac user and I'm still trying to transfer my videos to my machine. I've tried about ...
Summary: Good luck transferring your videos to a Mac. I'm a seasoned Mac user and I'm still trying to transfer my videos to my machine. I've tried about everything and it's still not working. This is NOT AT ALL what I expected. Canon, please take some actions to simplify or improve your software/driver solutions. Good luck people!
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surprising feature set, intuitive menus, fine video
by beoww2001 on January 2, 2011
Pros: it is so easy to use, even in low light, has a hdmi port for those of you with newer flat scteen tvs and a removable media (sdhc) slot. the high def or even max def settings are outstanding, startup time is quick, built in light is nice.
Cons: very little, ...wireless connectivity?, the remote control seems to be wimpy, only works in front of the camera, and at short distances, the still camera could have higher res.
Summary: get this for great home movies. i shot a year of high school football with a cheaper mini casset recorder and it was time consuming and i didn't realize ...
Summary: get this for great home movies. i shot a year of high school football with a cheaper mini casset recorder and it was time consuming and i didn't realize at the time, very grainy. with the sony hf20, it's literally exponentially better quality and clarity. 1080i @ 60fps is great!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon
- Part number: 3535B001
- Description: Canon has a well-known and highly-regarded reputation for optical excellence, advanced image processing, superb performance and technological innovation, built on Canon's legendary photographic and broadcast television lenses. Based on that experience, Canons brings some advanced in high definition camcorders. The Canon VIXIA HF20 dual flash memory camcorder is one such example. The VIXIA HF20 delivers brilliant video and photos through a Canon exclusive 3.89 megapixel CMOS image sensor and the advanced version of Canon's advanced image processor, DIGIC DV III. It is ultra lightweight - Canon's smallest and lightest HD camcorder, and brings the ease and convenience of flash memory. This technology, the same used in advanced laptop computers, MP3 players, PDAs and cell phones, allows the VIXIA HF20 to record to both its large internal memory for over 12 hours of crisp, high definition video as well as to a removable SDHC card. You have extended available recording space and more flexibility in file transfer and playback. What's more, the VIXIA HF20 allows you to record at up to 24Mbps, the highest bit rate in AVCHD format, for the highest quality image. The VIXIA HF20's Canon exclusive features - such as the genuine Canon 15x HD video lens, genuine Canon face detection, super range optical image stabilization and a host of control and creative options - makes Canon's flash memory camcorder unmistakably Canon.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Camcorder - 1080p
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 3.89 megapixels
- Effective Video Resolution 2.99 megapixels
- Digital Zoom 300 x
- Effective Photo Resolution 3.31 megapixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 2.99 megapixels
- Total Pixels 3.89 megapixels
- Camcorder Media Type Flash card
- Optical Sensor Size 1/4"
- Optical Sensor Type CMOS
- Min Illumination 0.4 lux
- Analog video format NTSC
- Digital Video Format MPEG-4,
AVCHD - Image Stabilizer Optical (SuperRange)
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Shooting modes Digital photo mode
- Shooting Programs Snow,
Beach,
Sports mode,
Night mode,
Sunset,
Spotlight,
Fireworks,
Portrait mode - White Balance Automatic,
Presets,
Custom - White Balance Presets Cloudy,
Daylight,
Fluorescent light (warm white),
Fluorescent light (cool white),
Tungsten light,
Shade - Exposure Modes Program,
Automatic,
Shutter-priority,
Manual,
Aperture-priority - Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Image Recording Format JPEG
- Widescreen Video Capture Yes
- AV Interfaces HDMI,
Composite video/audio Lens System
- Type 15 x x Zoom lens - 4.1 mm - 61.5 mm - F/1.8-3.2
- Lens aperture F/1.8-3.2
- Features Built-in lens shield
- Optical Zoom 15 x
- Lens system type Zoom lens
- Min focal length 4.1 mm
- Max focal length 61.5 mm
- Auto Focus TTL phase detection
- Filter Size 37 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Min Focus Range 0.4 in
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Additional Features
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- Additional Features 24p Cinema Mode,
RGB primary color filter,
Progressive scanning,
Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording,
Histogram display,
Takes photos while movie recording,
PictBridge support,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Direct print - Remote control Camcorder remote control - Infrared
- Software Drivers & Utilities,
PIXELA Image Mixer - Included Accessories Component video cable,
IR remote control,
Wrist strap,
USB cable,
Power adapter,
Audio / video cable Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type 2.7 in LCD display
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Component video output,
1 x Composite video/audio output,
1 x HDMI,
1 x Microphone,
1 x USB Memory / Storage
- Media type Flash card
- Memory Card Slot SD card
- Internal Storage 32 GB Flash
- Included Memory Card 32 GB
- Video Recording Modes LP,
SP,
XP+,
XP
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon BP-809
- Supported Battery 1 x Canon BP-809 Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
Power
- Battery type - Lithium ion
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Features Rotating
- Resolution 211,000 pixels
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2.8 in
- Depth 4.9 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 12 oz
Accessories
- Sony LCE X3TH - case for camcorder (34881135)344.95
- Sony SPK HCH - marine case for camcorder (35266605)299.00 - 299.99
- Porta-Brace Rain Slicker RS-55 - rain jacket for camcorder (31059775)239.84 - 242.17
- Canon HC 4100 - hard case for camcorder (30584700)239.95 - 256.30
- JVC KA-551U tripod adapter (32090695)295.00
- KATA PRO Video Collection CCC-10-A - carrying bag for camcorder (34400943)325.00
- KATA PRO Video Collection CCC-1A - case for camcorder (34931653)299.00
- Panasonic AG-HT30G - hard case for camcorder (30964047)270.34
- Panasonic P2HD-CASE - carrying bag for camcorder (33921985)363.95
- Porta-Brace Shoulder Case with Raintop SC-D250 - soft case for camcorder (31068748)372.37 - 379.22
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Canon
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
