Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Get it now!

manual states "Recordings made with the [PF24], [PF30] frame rate are converted and recorded on the memory as 60i."Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Buy Now

After using the HF200 for a week i gotta say that canon went to the wrong direction with the HF200, they lowered the camcorder performance in trade for smaller size,lighter weight,Lowered costs

They used a new sensor that have less quality than the HF100 Sensor which made the HF200 low Light simply unacceptable unless you play with the settings and record on 1080p30 progressive mode, if you record your videos outdoors or in a room with great lights then it wont effect you

This Camcorder is pretty Much like HF100 (Check my Profile and my LONG HF100 Review for FULL Details that's help you)

Just as a reminder the Camcorder is not bad its Awesome, but if you compare to HF100 it just fall short, why pay more for a downgrade?, if you can get HF100 get them while you can, but if you cant I'd say take a look at Canon Vixia Hg20,if you do not like hard disk based camcorders then get HF200 if you are a normal user it wont disappointment youGet more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Order Now

The video quality is superb, as is ease of use. Here are a few hints and things I noticed. The battery out of the box will not power-on the camera and needs some minutes of charge to even show 0%. You can operate the camera from the charger but the battery is not being charged, says the manual.

There are two 1920x1080 picture quality modes: MXP at 24 mbps and FXP at 17 mbps -- and three at 1440x1080: XP+, SP and LP, at 12, 7 and 5 mbs, respectively. I believe it defaults to LP out of the box, which is 1440x1080 at 7 mbps. I suggest you select FXP to get true 1920x1080 resolution. Upping to 24 mbps might be a good idea only if you are going to do a lot of post editing -- I can't see an improvement over FXP. Recording times with a 16GB card are 1:25, 2:05, 2:50, 4:45 and 6:05, respectively.

When the camera is OFF, pressing the DISP button (on the camera body) will show battery capacity in minutes and percent. Pressing DISP when ON turns the LCD to max brightness. IOW, you can set the LCD brightness for normal indoor use with the menu and instantly set it bright for outdoor use. Handy.

The CINE mode seems to digitally soften the image; there may some color change but I didn't notice it from the shots I took in a park. The PF30 and PF24 rates show a jerkiness when panning as you would expect from a lower frame rate. I think these rates are simulated because all recording is done at 60i. For example when I played back PF24 stepping one frame at a time I saw the same image for 3 steps, then the next. (The "3 steps" varies with both PF24 and PF30.) OTOH, PF24 is useful in low light situations as it permits the HF200 slow the shutter speed down to 1/6 sec.

Previous Canon users will find the menu system easy and familiar, similar even to their still cameras. The joystick is "big" and has a positive, definite feedback feel to it. Menu navigation seems easier and clearer than earlier Canons I've used. There is even a Large Font choice. Good!

The Power On button is deep in a groove that makes it unlikely to accidentally turn on. But with your right hand in the nice grip you have to use the left to press it On - my fingers don't reach. No loss, you need the other hand to open the LCD panel anyway. The zoom lever on top is a middle finger control. The adjacent Photo button is for a trained index finger. Record, at the back, is thumb operated. You can also use an LCD panel button to Record.

The Quick Start feature means you can close the LCD to save power (runs at 1/3 normal) and be ready to shoot in about 1 sec after opening it. Note, if you close the LCD panel while recording it will continue to record -- so slamming it shut does not stop the shot.

The still photo features are quite amazing. The resolution is 3 megapixels, but a very good 3mp! You can shoot continuously at 3 or 5 frames/sec. And you can shoot at the same fast frame rates with flash! The flash is actually a high-power white LED, not a xenon tube. There is a separate warm-white LED for video that works OK to 5-6 feet.

There are the usual auto white balance, auto exposure, instant focus features and so on that you can read about above. There's face detection for proper focus. They all work very well. I like the Vivid color setting for most all shooting - video and photo. It is a slight pump in saturation that helps if you mainly view using your laptop LCD. Instant AutoFocus is aptly named. There is a fairly large IAF sensor next to the lens for this purpose. The 15x zoom, a first for me, is fully useful all the way out. Impressive.

Battery life (BP-809) takes a definite second place to 16GB storage. I just checked and it indicates 100%, 94 minutes. But you can of course buy larger batteries. (I use the smaller BP-808 battery from my FS100 SD video cam as a backup.) With the Quick Start feature (can be turned off) power is used between shots and this will generally use more juice that actual recording. Figure 3 to 5 times battery vs video: one hour of video needs 3+ hours of battery cap. Unless you buy a charger you must charge in the camera. Only one sample so far, but it seemed to take a little more than an hour to charge from 0%.

The supplied Pixela software is minimal. You can combine up to 99 shots into an M3TS file. It can be played on video players like Popcorn Hour and the WD HD TV player. (I have both and strongly recommend the $99 WD over the $230 PCH. The PCH can connect to Internet servers, its main claim to fame.) These players can also play the MTS format directly copied from the SD card but there is a 1-2 sec delay between each shot. Pixela lets you pick and chose shots, trim a given shot, and add titles and audio. I don't know how to get past the 99 shot limit with Pixela -- I made about 170 shots in the park yesterday.

All in all, I luves it.
Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Decide Now

Great piece of equipment! Many options! Easy to operate with super results! I already filmed a wedding and the video and sound was great! I also used the camera function for quite a few shots! The 3.3 MP is great unless you want to enlarge to poster size prints(not too many times is there a need) This camcorder is also very portable, and durable! My only knock is that I wish it had a viewfinder for bright sunlit outdoor shots, although the LCD so far seems to be sufficient. Again, I am VERY pleased with this camcorder and I did my homework by looking at SEVERAL others...some less expensive and many were more expensive. In conclusion I don't think there is a better all around camcorder in the under $1200.00 price range!Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom Right now

Just spent a day shooting with my HF200. For reference, I have been using a Sony TRV 17 for about 7 years. (BTW, great camcorder, still works perfectly well).
Pros: Great video - don't expect Discovery channel quality, but outdoor shots are wonderful. The small size also makes it a lot easier to lug around. Photos are pretty good (but not great).

Cons: This is may just be me, but the larger & heavier Sony felt a lot more comfortable to hold and shoot with. The ergonomics of this camera seem to have been (a bit) sacrificed for the more compact form factor.
Second issue - The ultra sensitive microphone picks up a lot of wind noise. So a great outdoor shoot on sunny, breezy day was somewhat marred by a very 'hissy' audio. However, I guess you cannot have it both ways - great microphone pickup, and no wind noise.

Summary - Generally satisfied with the purchase, but expected a wee bit more!

May 13, 2009: using an HDMI cable, the image quality of videos shot in bright sunlight are indeed close to what you see on a local HD news channel - awesome. However, the supplied video editing software sucks!Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Lowest Price Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

I don't know how much time I want to devote to something that Canon apperently didn't spend much time in thinking through. If you'd like the Cliff notes, here they are:

Canon Exec 1:
-Chad, I've got a great idea.

Canon Exec 2:
-Really Chester? What's that?

Canon Exec 1:
-Let's take our winning formula of blowing the market away cameras that are years ahead of our competitors, make them worse, and charge more!

Canon Exec 2:
-I don't follow.

Canon Exec 1:
-You see the economy's bad, people are looking for ways to save money. They want the newest and best, but they don't want to spend a lot of money. So we'll downgrade last years model.

Canon Exec 2:
-And charge more...

Canon Exec 1:
-...

Canon Exec 2:
-...

Canon Exec 1:
-Synergy.

Canon Exec 2:
-Oh, Synergy. Sounds good.

-The End-

Buy the hf100/hf10, or hell, save some money and get the Sanyo VPC-HD2000

Canon... c'mon. And yes, I expect you to use the HF S200 to make up for this and it better have native progressive or you're going to watch Sanyo and Panny take over your house and haz all your cheezburgerz.Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.

Low Price Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

Great camcorder, but get a bigger battery such as the BP-827, the default one makes a nice backup.

The software provided sucks, and you have to figure out by yourself which program does what: The main interface can upload videos, but not play or edit them, as it does for photos. It also creates a clutter of Start menu shortcuts in Windows that you don't need since these programs are called by the main program, ZoomBrowser. About the Pixela video editing software provided, well, let's just say that it's better forgotten...

Only 15 music tracks in wave format are provided to use as soundtrack.
There is also a Canon online photo storage offer that you probably don't need if you already have a blog or email provider.

The good thing is that the AVCHD format of this camcorder is supported by Windows Media Player 11 (at least on my Vista Ultimate machine). Not sure if it's native to Windows or if it came with other software I installed. The MTS file extension was not supported, though, you need to add it: Open a MTS file from Windows Explorer, choose "Select an installed program", select Windows Media Player and the checkbox to remember it.

Transferring the videos using the software provided is very cumbersome (cantbearsome really): You need both the USB and power cables, and clicking your way through a few screens on the camcorder before the transfer can start. I could start the photo transfer from either the camcorder or the computer, but only from the computer for videos.

My suggestion: Don't install any of the software, it's easier to just copy the files from a card reader to your hard disk using Windows Explorer. You can get a multi 23-in-1 card reader for about $20, finally get rid of this useless floppy drive, and add a front USB port to your PC!

The camcorder in this offer does not ship with any card, you need to buy one separately. 16GB is good enough for medium quality. If you need higher quality or continuous shooting, you should probably get two cards, like a 32GB card for long capacity and a smaller one as a backup while uploading the videos from the first card. Transcend SDHC Class 6 cards are from a good brand at decent prices.

One more thing: This camcorder is VERY small and light, and its true HD resolution means that it is hard to shoot without making jumpy videos, you need to hold it with 2 hands or more. The built-in stabilizer can only help so far, and will not save you from the butterfly effect: A wing beat on the other side of the planet WILL shake your video. On the other hand, nobody can see the difference if you shot your video drunk or sober, so enjoy the beer. I found a tripod helpful (when shooting from a static location is OK), any should do because the camcorder is so light.

If you need a bag, the Lowepro Edit 110 is just the right size and fits the camcorder with the largest battery, an extra battery, the power adapter, the remote and as many SDHC cards as you need. The camcorder manual also fits in, but it's a pity it's so thick, as it includes 3 languages (English, French, Spanish). There are 23 languages on the camcorder's menus. Cables won't fit. BTW, the camcorder ships without a HDMI cable, you need to get your own if you have a AVCHD-compatible TV and you want to playback on TV directly from the camcorder. Not necessary if your TV has a card reader or is connected to your computer.

Lastly, check your computer rig, you may need an extra large disk (1-2 TB) to store these videos, and more than one if you need to keep the original AVCHD videos for post-production: DVD backups just won't do for this kind of files. If you don't need to keep the AVCHD files, burning DVDs is the best way to archive your movies. Just remember that even in HD, DVDs are highly compressed (meaning losing a lot of the quality of your original AVCHD files.) $13 will get you a very basic USB IDE/SATA external adapter, a cheap way to use obsolete hard disks to archive your videos.Get more detail about Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom.