Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with

Awesome all in one camcorder and camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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!

Recommend for experienced / technical video users
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for 2 weeks now, and have successfully taken sports action, indoors and outdoors videos. Happy with no purchase regrets.

Pros

-The HD picture is outstanding. Pleased with picture quality and sound.

-It is very light. 1 lb., and easy to hold and carry

-Time to power on to shooting video is real fast with flash drive. No tapes or power up needed.

-Advanced features: 3 seconds advance video, face recognition focus

Cons

-Software – as others have noted, rather complex and takes many attempts to future out. Manual provided rather weak.

-Camera controls – numerous menus to get used to – challenging yet offers the flexibility (practice and practice)

-You are provided with component cables, yet lacking the HDMI HTC-100 cable. Suggest to buy from Amazon at same time. $40

I-mage Stabilization does not help much. You will be carrying a tri-pod!

Bottom line: If you are a bit more experienced / technical, then you will enjoy this model. Else, it’s a bit rich in functionality and you should consider an simple model.

You Little Beauty
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had this camera now for about 10 days and I have used it and tested it under a variety of conditions trying to work out what it does well and what it doesn’t do well.

My summary is that this is a fantastic little camera taking amazing video in most lighting conditions although not very low light and of course Pixela software is so bad it is embarrassing for Canon and should never have been released (just be honest and say BUY YOUR OWN SOFTWARE).

The quality of the camera is evident really in every detail of the camera including the nice screen for the lens that activates when shooting, no more loose lens caps. Having solid state memory is fantastic, no worries about vibration, less power consumption (imagine a battery with 90 minutes life that comes standard with the camera, used to be 30 minutes with my older canon MV digital camera).

The menus and controls are all well designed and thought out. I found though you have to be very careful to hold the camera steady and I often use both hands.

The auto focus of the camera is exceptional and most of the time works so fast you don’t even notice it. I know from my experience of cameras over the years that this is quite a technical feat. My old Canon MV camera would hunt badly especially when using the zoom at maximum. Even taking video of my budgies int their cage, the autofocus correctly focussed on them and did it quickly whereas most cameras would just focus on the cage wires.

The colour accuracy is exceptional as is the saturation and and dynamic range. I shot some video late in the afternoon and had a good look at the footage (megabittage) and was very impressed with the colour accuracy of lit and shadow areas.

The resolution of the camera is exceptional which means that the lens must be very good and this sharpness and clarity extends to the extremes of the zoom range which is unusual. Detail drops when light drops such as indoor shots but that is to be expected and detail remains very good with indoor shots under reasonable light.

The exposure control is also very quick and accurate. Dynamic range is exceptional and it generally prefers lighting darker areas at the cost of some blow out in bright areas but no camera is as good as the human eye so still very impressed.

Low light performance is still very good on a reasonable lit indoor setting but if the indoor lighting is poor can become very grainy indeed and not nice to look at. I think most people won’t find this too big an issue. I found that the low light performance of my old mini VHS Sharp was better than my Canon MV mini DV camera and this in turn was better than the Canon HF 200!

I tested about five trial video editing software packages and settled on Pinnacle Studio 14 which just came out last week. Pinnacle was the only one that I tested thoroughly that didn’t crash on my Windows 7 64 bit system (pre release RC software). Adobe disappointed me in that it came with ‘trial software’ adorning all the video images so I didn’t even bother testing it, as it annoyed me. What were their propellor heads thinking? A trial is just that, give the customer the real software and let them evaluate. Mind you they were one step ahead of Roxio Creator who won’t even let you trial their software so needless to say they didn’t get my money either. Pinnacle is very nice easy to use software. Vegas was great but randomly crashed, Corel crashed the computer with a driver error and Cyberlink crashed when editing. In the end Pinnacle was the most expensive but hey this software will last for years (I hope).

Overall an excellent camera and I would thoroughly recommend it although I also had my eye on the Panasonic TM200 (marketed in most parts of the world as a very similar TM300) but this camera is quite a lot dearer.

Great Buy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
After 2 months of research this was what I bought. I was looking for a camera to video wildlife and sports mostly. I didnt want to drop a grand and also wanted HD. NO tapes or disks, had to be an SD Card. Technology changes to fast I will probably buy again in 4 years. For the price range this was the best I could find. Just like everyone says the low light is not great (the reason for 4 stars). That wasnt a concern to me b/c with my last camera I only shot 10% in low light. Spending an extra $400 didnt make much sense for me. Easy to use and operate, looked great on Panasonic 42 inch plasma on playback, awesome zoom, fits great on my leupold spotting scope (should be able to see a mnt goat at 600 yards pretty clear). I havent done any editing yet or put burned a Blue Ray. If you graduated high school you should be able to read the manual and other websites on setups. I bought mine from B&H because I wanted to , but leaving a review here because this was one of the places I did research. Yes you have to hold the camera steady, this is HD, that means is shows everything. So if you have an ugly fat friend this aint gonna hide it. Try SD if you want to impress on match.com. First thing I did with the download disks that came with the camera was toss them in the trash. Everyone said they sucked. This review is on the camera. Ya the battery wont run 12 hours straight, No there is no HDMI cord, no SD card (I bought 2 Transend 16′s, hdmi cable, extra battery, partridge in a pear tree). When all is said and done for the price I dont think it can be beat.If you think it can leave a comment and keep the price within a benjamin, no disc, or tape cameras either. For the people that complained about the camera being to small, your stupid.

small but powerful
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I chose this product from many other competitors. I prefer card writing models with full HD recording. As far as I see, this is the cheapest and most featured product I might orders and that’s why I purchased this model.

I am using SanDisk Ultra II 32GB SDHC card with this product. Powering up is 1 seconds only. You may take picture of 3mp but I prefer it for full HD recording. The view is very clear and the Image Stabilization is very accurate and help you avoiding bad transitions while you move the camera very quickly.

The playback function is also very practical. The remote command is very useful and easy to use.

I connected via both HDMI and component and both are very good transmitting to full HD LCD TV.

It is very light (450g with battery) and very small. It is lost within my hair. The battery lasts ~3 hours while recording 1080i.

I highly recommend who wants to buy an Full HD recorder.

speechless
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
When I insert battery into camcorder it displayed message “unable to communicate with battery” I called up Amazon helpline requested for replacement, I have received new package and returned old item. After using couple of days, again it is displaying message as “unable to communicate with battery”.

Excellent buy for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am very happy with this product except for some minor issues. It is very sleek, compact, light weight that fits in your hand comfortably and takes some stunningly clear videos. It works really well in low light conditions also. Recorded sound quality is also pretty clear. As this has no moving parts (like Hard disk cameras) it is light weight and more shock resistant. The menu and functions are quite easy and intuitive. Full HD videos are great but they are best played using the camcorder and mini HDMI cable. I wish they had bundled a mini HDMI cable with the camera (many cost less than $5). I am using Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader TS16GSDHC6-S5W.

I had troubles using the Pixela software (bundled with the camera) on my MacBook. Instead, I used iMovie on Mac for transferring movies to my laptop. I am yet to use the software on Windows. Remember, burning the videos on DVD (if you want to use it as backup) results in loss of video quality. If you want to preserve full HD videos on a disc then you will need a Blu ray players or PSP3 for later playback.

Did Not Work For Me
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Although I did buy the camera and did use it briefly (it seemed very nice), I am not posting a review. I am simply posting to let other potential buyers know that this particular camera is not suitable for motorsports or any activity with sever vibration or shaking. It’s CMOS sensor, in extreme shake environments produces something called “Rolling Shutter Effect”. No matter what the settings are, no matter how you adjust the camera, the image you get is not usable and def not worthy of price paid. Look for a camera with a 3CCD sensor for motorsport use.

Love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really like this camera. I have used it in many different scenarios, from home movies, to professional corporate productions, and it has not disappointed me yet. With so many reviews, there’s not much left to say. I will say one neat feature is the HDMI-out, which let me both record and preview on a large LCD display at the same time, the video that was being shot. Apparently this camera doesn’t work with Class-10 SDHC cards, which is a bummer, since in the near future Class-6 cards will probably become harder to find, so hopefully there is a firmware upgrade for that. Other than that, I love this camera, it was very affordable, and no matter if you’re shooting your kids’ soccer game, making a video for your company, or looking for a nice budget camera for an indie project, this camera will do the job for you!

Flash storage giant leap foward
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Flash storage cameras with few moving parts are much more reliable. Good low light performance.

Would like to see a eyepiece viewfinder included.

Have it, luv it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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 1920×1080 picture quality modes: MXP at 24 mbps and FXP at 17 mbps — and three at 1440×1080: XP+, SP and LP, at 12, 7 and 5 mbs, respectively. I believe it defaults to LP out of the box, which is 1440×1080 at 7 mbps. I suggest you select FXP to get true 1920×1080 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.

GREAT ON TRIALS!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have only had my Vixia HF200 for a few days,so as far as knowing how it will hold up over time will take awhile.

The day I received it I charged the battery and started taking video. So far it has surpassed my expectations(after reading other reviews). My first worry was downloading the AVCHD to my MAC. It was so simple that I had no problem at all. And for you that have windows I have read that windows7 will take care of AVCHD. We have had overcast skies here for several days and I had to test it in very cloudy days. It is not the best in low light,but a lot better than some camcorders I have had. I do not take many photos or movies in low light so that was not my biggest worry.

The 15X optical lens really surprised me at the high end,very clear. Today I received a HDMI cable from Amazon and connected the HF200 to a 50 inch Plasma TV. Another surprise on how clear the movie was at that size.

I had thought about going to another model in the Canon line,but have changed my mine as of now.

I have an HV20 Canon that surpassed all my expectations when I purchased it(beautiful images) but I’m not fond of tapes.

To sum my review up,you could probably get extras on some higher end models,but I really can’t see in my opinion how the image could be better to warrant the $$$$$ you would spend. And after all a camera or camcorder is all about the quality of the image in the end result .Like I said so far I am more than pleased with the performance of the HF200 and the price!!

10/24/2009 After trying every way I could think of to transfer video to DVD I have give up. There is where it lost a lot of it’s quality. I have to remove some of the video from my hard drive to allow new video. When I transfer it to DVD I lost a lot of the picture quality. I wanted to like this camcorder,but cannot justify keeping it because of the lost in picture quality on DVD. I will return it. I used iMAC and Windows 7 to process the transfer to DVD.

so-so
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Nice little camera with plenty of features. Unfortunately the image quality pales compared to two other (Canon HV20 and Sony HDR-HC7) HDV cameras I used before. And the image stabilizer is much worse in my opinion than the one in the HV20. I bought this specific camera for the full 1920*1080 at 30p resolution, which has been a disappointment, even though I set it to 24Mbps mode. I do like the solid-state storage. Since the image quality is what counts for me here, I can only give it two stars.

Consider the audio too…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a fine camcorder, one could really call it a “prosumer” level camera. You certainly can get great quality for a reasonably low price. The video quality is what one would expect from a company like Canon, excellent, so I’d like to “focus” my review on the audio portion of this camcorder, which is often overlooked. The built-in stereo mic is designed to pick up just about every sound, i.e., ambience, noises all around, noises that you make while recording, in addition to the audio that you want to capture, that is, cacophony. To remedy this, the HF200 includes a “mini” shoe for an optional directional shotgun mic, such as the Canon DM-100, which is what they recommend, obviously. However, while Canon may be a great company when it comes to video, this particular mic leaves something to be desired in my opinion (read reviews elsewhere). Still, if you want to capture decent directional audio, in addition to video, you should consider a shotgun mic. I like the Rode VideoMic ([...] ). Rode mics are universally recognized among audio engineers as among the best in the business, and the VideoMic is no exception. The good news is it’s really inexpensive, under $200 US (they also make a stereo VideoMic for under $250), and the quality and versatility is unsurpassed, including a wind screen and an innovative shock mount, both designed to reduce ambience. The not so good news is that the shoe mount itself doesn’t fit on the HF200′s “mini” shoe, you have to sand it down a bit, or you could simply get an extra cable and hold it while shooting (not that difficult), or mount it on a tripod. To many, this will be a turn off, because they’ll want a nice fit on top of the camera, and I don’t blame them, but really, good audio is equally important to good video. If you’re thinking of shelling out the bucks for the HF 200, think also about the audio, and how you’d like to be able to control it, just like the video.

Wow, blew my mind.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a camera to shoot videos for a company blog. I bought the HF200 here on Amazon after reviewing every comparable camera I could find. I’ve been shooting for 3 months now and the video quality is incredible on such a little camera.

The controls are easy to use. A lot of camcorders are featuring touch screen. Tapping on my viewfinder while trying to stay steady seems like a hassle. The HF200 uses a joystick on the outside of the screen. It’s sensitive enough to be accessed easily, but not so much that you’re accidentally changing the exposure just as they say “you may kiss the bride.”

SD cards are cheap now. Amazon has 16GB Class 6 cards for $36. I just bought 4 of those. Get the Class 6 if you want to shoot 24Mbps, which is “full quality” on this camera. Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6

The audio from the internal microphones is, eh. It’s camcorder sound. Buy the Canon DM50 mic. It makes everything much more watchable. $137. $500 worth of improvement. I set the mic direction to “shotgun” and do street interviews with the wind sock. The audio is fine for the internet.

Canon Directional Stereo Mic (DM 50) for Camcorders with the Advanced Access Shoe

Finally, there’s no way to get a good field of view with a tiny lens. If you’re going to be filming indoors, buy a wide angle lens. There are cheap ones here on Amazon. I bought the kit below. The lenses cause a little vignetting when fully wide, so zoom to at least 10%. .42x HD Super Wide Angle Fisheye Lens + 2x Digital Telephoto Professional Series Lens + 0.5x Digital Wide Angle Macro Professional Series Lens + 3 Piece Digital Camera Filter Kit + 6-Piece Deluxe Cleaning Kit + Full Size Tripod + Deluxe DB ROTH Accessor…

That’s it. For the money, there’s nothing better as of today than the HF200. I couldn’t be happier. For less than $1000, the HF200 takes better video than my Panasonic DVX100b.

This camcorder is spectacular!!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Crystal clear pictures in a light package!!! Who could want more??? Save your money and buy this camcorder—-hard drive camcorders just weigh more and cost more!!!!

This works for me…!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Canon HF200 is what I bought for Vegas trip as a primary documenting device replacing my bulky Nikon D300.

I was also considering Samsung HMX-H104 HD SSD Flash Memory Camcorder w/16GB memory &10x Optical Zoom.

Samsung puts more functional features in HMX-H104, such as time lapse recording, slow motion capture..etc However, proven image quality of the previous model, HF100 was the main reason why I decided to go for Canon HF200.

My impression about the image quality is similar to what others say: After setting the image quality to MXP, the video out of this tiny camcorder is really stunning on my 1080p HDTV. The indoor image is just acceptable. I would suggest using built-in video light for a really dark place.

I find video editing challenging. However it is not unique to HF200 but common for all AVCHD camcorders. I guess AVCHD cams are ahead of their time because I need more powerful computer and still pricey Blueray recorder to nicely complement this AVCHD cam. Having this said, I think Canon HF200 is a forward looking investment, that can survive and serve better for years to come thanks to its fine image quality.

To sum up:

[Things I found personally appealing]

* impressive image quality (24Mbps)

* tiny size & build quality (a lot easier to carry around than my usual camera outfit)

* effective optical image stabilizer

* Mic jack and Mini Advanced Shoe (my outfit can grow flexible with more optional accessories if I wish to)

[Things I want to be improved]

* more wide-angle (40mm-equivalent in 35mm film photography at the lowest zoom setting. I bought Kenko SGW-05 Wide Angle Conversion Lens)

* more features such as time lapse & slow motion capture

* better low light image quality (maybe due to small sensor size)

* accompanying software (less than adequate; a complete mismatch to the camcorder itself)

Lightweight and easy to use
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I found the Vixia HF200 easy and fun to use. Sometimes when just carrying around in dual or video mode, inadvertant depressing the video button will start recording. Menu’s are understandable but take a little studying to learn, but that would be with anything new. They are intuitive to follow. Battery life is the only downfall I see so far so plan to buy an upgrade or a standby.

Great quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera has been excellently reviewed by previous reviewers. All I can say is, it is a great camera.

- Very tiny, fits into my palm

- Great ergonomics

- Manual focus, not so easy to work around, but good enough.

- Video quality is great

- I use a Mac and did not need any software, iMovie recognizes the AVCHD and imports it. Converts it to Quicktime and I can easily edit it too.

- Low light, like any other cam corder, not bad! Unless you are expecting something extraordinary!

- Battery life: 1.5 hrs

- I have a 16GB card…SDHC class 4…great to record… gives me just over an hour at 24MBPS. If it was class 6 recording would not be affected , but playing back or uploading to a computer would be.

- 15x optical zoom and 300x digital zoom is awesome…I have seen other cameras where the digital zoom is terrible.

- Sensor size is smaller than HFS100 and HF10/100/11 but I am not sure if that would make a difference. I have read it will in the low light conditions, but I am very happy with this camera…

AMAZON:

Takes too long to ship! TERRIBLE

Yes BH has the same price and they ship the same day/ next day at most

Cannot Connect to Battery
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
After initial charge the camera now errors, “Cannot connect to the battery” and the battery will not re-charge, so I am tethered to the power cable…it does work connected to the a/c cable. This will be RMA’d Monday after Christmas.

Very good HD video
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I like the weight and size of this camcorder which fits nicely on my palm (I have a small hand), and I don’t feel tire anymore even after recording for an hour. I hope Canon provides a better manual especially on the video software.

I am very please.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this video camera to get some HD footage for my business. The picture quality is awesome and I am very pleased so far. It is winter and I have not had time yet to get the outside footage I needed, but the indoor quality is very satisfactory. I did take some trial footage of some of the plants outside and the clarity and detail on my HD television is wonderful. I got this around $500 and for the money it is an amazing little camera. The resolution on the still pictures is not great, but that is not what I bought if for. I have a much better camera for stills and wasn’t planning on using that feature anyway. I still have a lot of features to try out, but so far am very please.

AWESOME CAMCORDER FOR THE MONEY !!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is such a great camcorder and i love it! I have seen some bad reviews about this camera and i just don’t know why! This Canon HF 200 is so easy to use, yes when light is low it does not have the same quality of HD as it does during sunlight, but i have made videos at night time and i am impressed with the quality! During alot of lighting or on a very sunny day this camcorder puts out its HD at its best and the video quality and colors are fantastic! Alot of people say that they have problems hooking this camcorder to XP and VISTA, i have both versions and i have no problem at all. Yes the software that does come with this camcorder just is not worth a darn to use at all. The software that comes with this is called “PIXELA”, i ONLY use this software just to download into my computer..THAT’S IT! When it comes to editing video what i use is Corel Videostudio Pro X2 which works on XP and Vista and works so well that i can’t believe the videos i am putting out! As for memory cards i use SANDISK 4GD memory cards, which on MXP i can get up to 20 minutes of HD recordings. When you buy a 16GB card you can get up to an hour of HD recordings. The battery life is great on this camcorder too as it will last up to 2 hours, i just bought me a spare but i use this as my primary battery and it lats to 3 hours and 15 minutes.

For all those people who gave bad reviews about this camcorder and complain how they have problems with hooking up to Vista, i advise all of you to know what your computer can handle and you have enough disk space and ram memory space too, if this camcorder does not work on your computer..DON’T BLAME THE CAMCORDER and be sure you have enough memory! I have learned to not take what these people say for bad reviews because most of them are not computer literate and don’t know anything about computers! Learn about your computer first before you put any bad reviews about this camcorder! This is the best HD camcorder to buy for the money and i just love this. Also the mic detects great sound and you can hear what this great camcorder can get into the mic! I have made lots of videos with this Canon Vixea HF 200 camcorder and i got nothing but great reviews from everyone !

first take – HF200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
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!

Outstanding Quality in Good Light
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera has outstanding picture quality in good light. It is small, easy to operate, and in some respects seems like the perfect camera for the home video enthusiast. Be aware however that taking videos indoors at night, most things in the winter take place, you will get very grainy video unless you have a very well lit room. But even though it gets grainy quickly as light levels decrease, when comparing this high def camera to a standard def camera, it’s no comparison at all, especially when viewed on a high def television.

After receiving the camera I have dealt with a few issues. After having the camera for about a month, the battery would absolutely not hold any charge. This may be my fault because after initially charging the battery all the way up, I did not completely discharge the battery before charging it again. Since the battery was completely useless and because it was within a month that I purchased the camera I returned the camera for a new one of the exact same model. So far I haven’t had trouble with the battery, but I am making sure I fully charge and discharge the battery each time.

The second issue I have run into is the format. As good as it looks, AVCHD is a humongous pain. If you buy a mini HDMI cord (I suggest a cheap cord from [...]) and plug the camera directly into the TV or if you have a blu-ray player that takes an SD card, the picture looks amazing. However if you buy a new memory card for every hour and a half of video, it will get a bit expensive. After wasting probably 35 DVDs, I am just learning how to burn the video to a dvd and retain acceptable picture quality. I originally bought Roxio Creator 2010, but I am disappointed because when it reencodes the video, it loses so much quality. I am still using Roxio to burn the video to a standard def dvd, but my best result of burning to standard def DVD was with Adobe Premier Elements trial version. The encoding was much slower than Roxio’s, but gave a much better output. The problem is that it leaves a big watermark across the screen, and I’m not sure if I want to pay the $80 for the licensed version.

For burning to hi-def, MultiAVCHD is the best I’ve found so far (free + donation) because it doesn’t reencode the video. It worked flawlessly the first time I tried it, but after the first try, I would get a DVD that would start flickering and studdering after it played for about 10 seconds. When I paused and pushed play again, it would be fine for another 10 or 20 seconds, then start flickering again. I discovered (by asking for help on the MultiAVCHD forum) that the video data rate was too high. DVDs can only read data so fast. Since I had switched the camera to capture at 24 mbps instead of the previous 17mbps, there was too much data per second for a dvd laser to read, therefor it was causing the picture to skip and studder. If I had a blu-ray burner, this wouldn’t be a problem because blu-ray can handle much higher data rates, but I don’t have a blu-ray burner. From now on I am just recording at 17 mbps and burning straight to AVCHD without reencoding using MultiAVCHD. I am not, however doing any editing at this point. You’re not going to be able do editing without reencoding the video. If you plan to do a lot of editing, I would look into which programs have the best conversion results.

**(Update)** After spending more time with Roxio Creator, I have found that it isn’t as bad as I had stated before. Using the “Copy and Convert” video module, I have found that I can convert AVCHD video to MPEG2 or other formats with high quality by using the custom settings. If you convert to MPEG2 at 1080×1920, and set the data rate to 17000kbps the output is pretty nice video that you can use for burning standard definition DVDs. This works much better than letting the application encode the video with default settings. You can also convert to high quality WMV, MPEG4, or H.264. If you convert to high def H.264 you should change the frame rate from 29.97 to 30 or else the audio will be off.

Compact camcorder with lots of features
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve just used it couple times, so I’ve yet to figure out all of its features. The video picture quality and color is very good. The camcorder is very light though, and it takes practice to maneuver it to avoid a bouncy, jumpy video. A tripod would help. The zoom is pretty good, and didn’t seem much less than the 20X from my previous camcorder.

For still pictures, the camcorder automatically brightens the image when clicking, which sometimes distorts the colors. There’s probably some tweaking of the settings I need to do to fix that.

The camcorder design is very compact and put together very nicely. The little doors that hide the I/O sockets are well camouflaged. The camcorder is easy and light to handle. Just be steady…

The best HD camcorder under $600
Rating:5 out of 5 stars

I need a HD camcorder for my new born baby, but with a limited budget. So I compared canon HF200, Sony CX100 and Panasonic TM20R since they are all in sub 600 range. I tried all of them in local stores and finally settled with canon HF200, although it’s a little bit more expensive than cx100 and TM20R.

The sensor of HF200 is the biggest one among these three, 1 /4″ (1/5″ for CX100, 1/6″ for TM20R). It guaranteed best resolution, 2.99 Megapixels ( 2.3 M for cx100, 1.14M for TM20R) and in my experience larger sensor also helps lower the noise in dark environment. Indeed, minimal illumination condition for HF200 is 0.4 lux, much better than thre other two. I took a couple of sample shots in local stores and the picture from HF200 for dark environment is acceptable. Sony cx100 is barely acceptable and Panasonic TM20R is total crap, not even as good as my webcam.

After I finally bought HF200, I never regretted! The video quality is just superb. For the 1920×1080 quality videos, it has two modes: MXP(24Mbps) and FXP(17Mbps). To be honest I can’t tell the quality difference between these two. I guess unless you are gonna do massive editing, FXP is good enough for daily usage. So on a 16GB sd memory card, I can record 135 minutes 1080p HD video.

The still image shot quality is quite good too, and it’s powered by the 15x optical lens(35mm equivalent: 39.5 – 592.5mm). It gives you a very handy telephoto camera and the image stabilization works very well on the long focus end too. Last weekend with this camera, I easily took some nice pictures of two bears far far away from me. Most of other HD camcorders only have 10x lens.

All the button and menu are well designed. It’s very easy to use and I don’t even need to read the manual. LCD panel is in good size too.

Canon Face Detection is also a very nice feature. The same high quality Face Detection technology used in Canon digital cameras is now available in Canon High Definition camcorders. Up to 35 faces can be detected automatically, and 9 detection frames can be displayed at one time. Face Detection ensures razor-sharp focus and natural, accurate exposure of the chosen subjects.

Okay, let me also mention some cons. First, like one of the other reviewer said, the software coming with it sucks! It can only edit the original format from the camcorder and output to same format instead of other more popular formats. Thanks god the newest windows media player support the video files directly from the camcorder. You can just use the usb cable or pop the sd memory card into a card reader and copy all the .mts file into your computer and rename them into .m2ts, then by double clicking it windows media player opens it right away. However, windows movie maker can’t handle them, and you can upload .m2ts file to youtube.com but the sound of the video will be cut off after a couple of seconds. So if you want to edit your videos and share your videos, probably you need buy a converting software like total video converter

One thing I forgot to mention, Its twin brother canon HF20 has exactly all the same configuration as HF200 except with 32GB interal memory. However HF20 is almost 200 bucks more expensive than HF200. Now the SD memory card is so cheap. I suggest you to buy HF200 with a 16GB or 32GB SD card. Just don’t forget to use class 4 or up SD card.

To summarize, overall it’s the best entry level HD camcorder. With the price drop alert subscription from http://www.pricetrace.com, I got it from amazon.com for only $560.5. It is worth every penny.

Better than it’s competitors
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For the price, this is a really great camcorder. Canon makes the Canon VIXIA HFS100 and Canon VIXIA HFS10 which are higher end than this camera, but cost a lot more. I thought about getting those higher end cameras, but I ultimately decided on the HF200 because it’s smaller and easier to carry. The camcorder is very comfortable to hold, fits easily in a coat pocket and the controls are easy to use. The HFS100 and HFS10 are both a lot bigger than the HF200. The Canon VIXIA HF20 HD Dual Flash Memory with 32 GB Internal Memory and 15x Optical Zoom is almost the same camcorder that just has 32GB of internal memory, which seems like a waste of money because 32GB of SDHC is much cheaper than the price difference between the HF20 and HF200. I also looked at the Sony HDR-CX12 High Definition Memory Stick PRO Duo Handycam Camcorder With 12x Optical Zoom but didn’t like that it only used Sony’s proprietary memory cards, and it was a lot more expensive.

I think the quality from the HF200 is nearly as good as the higher end models, just make sure that you set the video quality on the HF200 to MXP (24 mbps) because the default setting is not that impressive. That setting does use up a lot more memory, but I bought this camcorder because of the quality and don’t want to use the lower levels. I bought a second SDHC card, but quickly found out that I needed more storage. I bought a MoFoto 500GB Portable Photo & Video Storage to download all my video, and think it’s awesome. It works well with this camcorder and gives me nearly unlimited recording capacity.

The other accessory which is a must have, is at least one additional battery Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders. If you’re adventurous then you could go for an off brand battery like the Canon BP-827 3000mAh Li-Ion Battery by Pexell to save some cash.

Wow, this is a fun camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a compact flash memory camcorder to replace my bulky 11 year old Sony 8mm handycam. I wanted something small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or on my belt. The camcorder is for family videos only, nothing professional. I am really impressed with the Canon HF200. It is small, easy to use, and the video quality is a huge step up from my old handycam. The video quality is not as good as a real blu-ray movie, but darn close. The comparable Sony product may be OK too, but I prefer SD cards to memory sticks, and the Amazon price on the Canon was too low to pass up. I burn standard-def DVDs for the grandparents, and burn high-def DVDs for playback using my Pioneer blu-ray.

LIKES: 1) Excellent zoom, autofocus, image stabilization. 2) Preset modes for night, snow, portraits, sports, etc. all work great. 3) The LCD display has a large-font option, without this I would need reading glasses to navigate the menus. 4) The ability to use an external mic is a nice feature although I haven’t used it yet. 5) Compared to cheaper camcorders, the Canon HF200 feels solid, like a precision instrument instead of a toy.

DISLIKES: 1) The included ImageMixer software is junk. There is no documentation, written or on-line. The software would not burn a DVD. 2) The quality of indoor video is not great, but I suppose this should be expected. Ever take a digital photo without a flash? When I turn all the lights in my house the video is acceptable, but in a church or museum the video is quite grainy. 3) Playback of HD video on my computer is quite poor, not the fault of the Canon HF200 of course, but I had no idea that a 2.5Ghz Pentium 4 was inadequate for HD playback. Be warned, you will need a very high end computer to decode the AVCHD files in real time. 4) Did not come with an HDMI cable, that’s cheesy.

HINTS: 1) a single-layer DVD holds ~4GB of video, so save money and buy several 4GB SD cards if you plan to back up your videos on DVD. Format the cards in advance so they’re ready when you need them. 2) Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum can read the Canon AVCHD files just fine, and burn AVCHD video to DVDs for playback in a blu-ray player. It does take ~12 hours to burn a 20 minute 4GB video to disk using my 2.5 GHz Pentium 4 machine, yikes! 3) For backing up ACVHD files I use Roxio Easy DVD Creator to create a *data* disk, this only takes 5 minutes. I cannot play this disk in my blu-ray player, but I can copy the data back to the Canon HF200.

Not ready for prime time…
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Bought the HF200 because of Canon’s reputation and highly spec’d features. I wanted to capture several upcoming one time events, events that aren’t repeatable. Did test recordings to get acquainted with operation and quality of recordings.

Started recording the event. About halfway through, Buffer Overflow message flashed on the display and the camera locked up with the Access light flashing. The HF200 wouldn’t respond to any of the buttons including the power off. Access light just kept flashing. The Access light finally stopped flashing when the battery was depleted. (I didn’t remove the battery just in case the camera was really writing to the SDHC flash memory.) Everything on the SDHC card was trashed. No recovery possible. With the old tape storage technology, if the camera electronics died, at least you’d have the recordings up to the point of failure. So much for advancing technology.

1 star because I can’t give it a 0 star. Without RELIABILITY, sll the functions/features are worthless. My advice… Always carry a backup.

Nice Camera!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am happy with it so far. I love the size and the feel of the camera. Great quality and picture.

Compatible SDHC cards
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So far we have really enjoyed this camera. With that said one thing that I learned the hard was is that you can only record in the higher video modes using a class 4 or 6 card. I purchased a Class 10 card which will only record in the lower settings. After research I found buried on the Canon page that the Class 10 cards came out after the camera was released and will only record in the lower settings. Hope to keep someone else from making the same mistake I did.

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Despite the relatively small sensor compared to other canon model, the picture quality is great. Colors are sharp and so real. The features are really very nice and diverse. The camera size is relatively small but I did not have any problem holding it steady. In contrary to some other opinions I find the optical image stabilization effective compared to other Sony models. The low light performance is good. I had the canon HG10 with the larger sensor and I shot indoor low light footage with both cameras to see if the small sensor of the HF200 will affect its low light performance but I was really impressed. I could not tell a difference. Of course the very low light scenes are grainy but that’s what you expect from cameras in this price category and even from higher price cameras.

Great with iMovie 09
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Video imports fine into iMovie 09. I copy the files from SDHC Card to

hard disk and them import from there. Requires lots of disk space when

imported but 1TB hard drives cost ~$75 now and 1.5TB drives will be under $100 by the end of the year. I can make AVCHD structured DVD disks

that keep the High Def content and play on BluRay players using free

software – TSMuxerGUI. Latest VLC player can play *.MTS files nicely

on Macs too.

Great Product
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am a real estate broker in MD and DC and wanted something that I could use for listing presentations and for creating virtual tools. This camera fits the bill and is pretty easy to use. I am still learning how to use the various features but all in all it is a great product and delivers pretty much what it promises.

Battery issuse again
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
After just few days’ use, I got the same error message as mentioned in other reviews: “Cannot communicate with battery”. I I have to return it and buy a different model.

Don’t waste your money!!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Garbage, garbage, garbage!!!!! Don’t buy it, I own it and I regrit buying it. First off, it’s a ripp off, the visual quality sucks, audio is terrible, it’s too tiny, and the uploading to your computer is just a hasle. Product sucks, don’t buy it. Oh, and when you upload everything on your computer, it’s a MTS file, no editing program can read that, except a couple.

Died on my European vacation!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This was an excellent camera – for about one week. I bought it brand new from Amazon prior to leaving the States for a 16 day European vacation. I performed the inital battery charge here in the U.S. Everything was a “go”.

The camera then performed perfectly for one week. I was able to take hundreds of photos each day, then recharge at night using the 220V/50Hz standard in Belgium. It was really great for a short time, then it died. And by “died”, I mean that the battery would no longer take a charge. This is a serious issue for a camera that is brand new, in my humble opinion. I would charge the camera all night, then in the morning, I would check the battery’s progress only to find it didn’t charge at all during the night. I of course removed and reinserted the battery several times to make sure it wasn’t just my error, then tried recharging, to no avail.

I ran around Paris to every electrics store I could (easily) find, finally purchasing a new compatible battery, a genuine Canon, at an FNAC store right on the Champs-Elysees. I took it back to the hotel and charged the battery (in the camera) for 24 hours. After such time, the battery read 0% charged, and I was *still* stuck in Europe with an expensive camera that even a new battery could not fix.

I gave it a two rating since the first few days I did get some good pics out of it.

I have owned several nice cameras over the years (all Sony), and have taken them on overseas trips that involved charging in 220V. I don’t know if the 220V system had anything to do with this camera’s failure, but this product is, afterall, rated for use with 110V and 220V systems, so it should be irrelevant. I will not purchase another Canon camera after this one.

too complicated for just point and shoot
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Well my wife picked it at Costco to shoot home video of our daughter…

1. It’s started that I spent a few minutes to find out where should I put charger connector.. Well it’s not that obvious… There is mic’s connector and power connector covered and next to each other.

2. Anyway it was charged and I wanted to shoot… Took me again a few minutes with the help of two other guys to figure out where I can format SD card via menu. I should say that SD card was previously formatted on my comp… No that camera wanted it in it’s own format…

3. So I shoot a quick movie… And then I wanted to get it back to my computer… Well I was expecting it would be as easy as connecting USB cable and copy file…

No I think this is too hard from the Canon’s prospectives… I needed to install software from two different CDs. (BTW there is no download on Canon’s website). So I thought it would be easy then… No you have “edit” movies and only then you can save it in m2ts format.

I personally liked Canon’s cameras but this one is real downer for me…

Would not recommend it to anybody.

My first camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got it couple of days back. Haven’t checked out all the features yet, so giving it four stars to begin with. Will add or deduct based on my experience. This is my first camcorder, but have been using Canon still cameras for years. They have brilliant good light performance but act poorly as light goes down, amount of exposure not withstanding. I think same is true for this, but I have just watched small test videos on the LCD screen itself till now. Will shoot a formal video in 2-3 days and then will be in a better shape to comment on image quality.

I have seen other camcorders, and when I received it, I was amazed by its small size. It is just slightly bigger then my P&S camera. Has a very nice grip to hold it, and being left-handed I love the control placement. For right-handers may need some getting used to. Can’t comment on battery and software yet, will add that to my review once I shoot something of significance. One thing I don’t like is that the construction feels a bit cheap. Its all plastic and things don’t fit snugly. My canon P&S cameras on the other hand always looked expensive.

I got some time to play with it and watch the results on my PC. I have a 4 GB, Class 4 card. If I tried to create an HD video on this card, the result was very jerky on my PC. I was able to create only SD videos, which are still MTS files, but I was able to play them using a free player I found on the internet. I didn’t install Canon software yet on my PC. The microphone quality is good, the sounds were captured decently.

Is anyone else facing difficulty writing HD videos to a class 4 card? (I’m assuming it is the card’s write speed which is the problem here, nothing is wrong with my new camcorder )

Nice camera but not for everybody
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’m still not sure if I should have bought this camera or something more like a Flip. It’s a bit big, the video is good quality (in good lighting, otherwise kind of grainy) but takes up a LOT of disk space (roughly 1GB per minute!), and last but not least the video format is a pain. It uses AVCHD format which only certain codecs can read. Example: we have a Macbook with iMovie HD and it cannot import this video format. The newer iMovie 08 can. There is software for about $30 that will allow you to import it to a Windows or Mac computer but what a pain. Anyway, it’s a well build (made in Japan) camcorder with a nice big display and awkward features. But if you don’t need the higher resolution I’d go with something smaller and easier to use like a Flip.

no blurry pics – nice camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great camera. I am not sure what the other reviewers are talking about when they get blurry pictures. There are plenty of modes to choose from for specific needs. So if you are taking moving target shots then maybe that is a different mode. I took video and pics and not one came out badly. If you are taking dark room pics there are some adjustments that need to be made i admit. If you have it on easy mode then the don’t expect perfect. Make the adjustments yourself. Don’t be lazy.

Cons: This model uses only SD Cards. Can be costly if u need more then one.

I knew it would be handy, but didn’t expect it to be so handy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I read reviews of this video camera and was attracted to it by its handiness and light weight among other things, before placing the order. Only when it got to me did I realise how handy and light it really was. In the cold weather, I could put it in my coat pocket while still holding it! As a minor plus: the videos taken are of great quality

Great all-around camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had my camera for about 3 weeks now and have had plenty of time to get a feel for it. I’m pleased to say that it has every feature a novice user could ever want plus some additional advanced features that I’ve really had fun using. I was happy to see that white balance tools were easy to use. The image quality was vivid with great contrast. It’s very simple and quick to switch between camera modes on the fly and there are many manual features that allow an advanced user to set the camera up to do most anything fairly well. That being said, the automatic features do a very good job on their own without having to tweak much. The 24fps cinema mode is very cool too. I do some hobby 3d and green screen stuff and this feature is very nice for taking my footage from looking ameture and obviously handheld, to closer to professional looking. I love this camera!

Camcorder dead on arrival, Canon refused to fix it
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camcorder for my vacation overseas. When I first charged the battery, I received the “Cannot communicate with battery” message. Eventually, the camcorder failed completely. Now being 5000 miles from home, I am left with a busted $600 camcorder. I contacted Canon both in the US and overseas, they both refused to fix it as it is related to battery They also don’t want to fix it due to jurisdiction issue. Anyway they both refused to fix it, so I have no choice but to return it. Thank you Amazon for your return policy!!! I know I won’t be buying any Canon SLR in the future.

Takes great video but hard to work with it
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have owned several Canon camcorders through the years and have been consistently happy with them. The HF 200 follows this trend. The camera is really compact and easy to take basic video with. I have played with a couple of the quality settings and I find even with a relatively small 8MB card, I get an hour or two of video with really good quality. The still camera is a nice feature as well but I would compare it to a decent phone camera in quality (not for those really important shots you might want to enlarge). The menus are manageable but not nearly as easy to use as Sony’s touch screen models. You can get low light video with the mini spot built into the camera or you can take the grain and shoot without. Neither is really that great and like every other video camera I have had this one gets the really good results out in the sun or in very bright rooms. Under the right conditions the video is stunning. When you connect to a decent HDTV with a high def cable the picture really blows you away (everyone I have shown video this way is amazed and ready to buy one).

The downside for me is working with the video files. First off, the instructions for getting the video from the camera to your computer are non-existent. It implies that you have to use the bundled software (which is very poor). I am pretty sure if you figure out the folder structure the camera uses you can just drag the appropriate files to your computer but for me (fairly computer savvy but not very HD video savvy) I spent a lot of time struggling with this. By comparison, a non-HD Sony I had for a while was as easy to use as a digital camera taking Jpeg files (but the video was so disappointing I returned it).

Once you do capture the video, it seems there are still not many applications with which to edit it. I have been avoiding the bundled software as much as possible so the best option I found so far was the new Windows Live version of the windows video editor (free download for Vista and Win 7 I believe). It is enough to get you by but I have not had enough time to really get it figured out. On top of that my 1.5 year old “multimedia” powerhouse HP laptop just barely can work with the HD video. Apparently you need more than a 200 GHz Pentium Duo Core with 2 GB Ram and a decent Nvidia graphics card. I have read reviews from folks who just plan to save all their files on hard drives or SDHC cards but that fills up pretty darn fast, even with the lower storage costs now. My last issue is it is really hard to find 16 MB SDHC cards around (for a decent price at least) and even harder to find 32 MB cards.

Regardless, I like the camera and need to get out and use it more (the file management/editing definitely slows me down). I also need to get the larger battery but then it will not be as pocket sized as it is with the 1 hour battery. I guess the bottom line is that there are a lot of trade offs to be made with HD camcorders and this one is no exception.

Very good camcoreder!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I planned to get an HF100, but it was back ordered. I got this HF200 with the same price.

I love it! I can slice the clips with it (HF100 can’t) after shoot. I get x15 zoom(HF100 X12). I get 1920×1080 picture MXP at 24 mbps (HF100 can only do FXP at 17 mbps ). I have used these features, maybe there are more stuff that the older modle can’t do.

Mac users beware.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camcorder for a couple of days now and have spent much of that time trying to download my movies onto my very up to date MacPro. Apparently my Mac is not up to date as I thought. Having no luck opening anything but a couple of jpeg still photos I didn’t even know I had taken, I contacted Canon and they tell me I need to update my IMovie software [I have the '08 version, need the '09] which is bundled in ILife at a cost to upgrade of $79.00 plus shipping and I will need to wait 3-4 days with 2 day shipping. So much for playing with my new camcorder over Christmas vacation.

The software Canon included with this camera is a CD titled “Digital Video Solution Disk”. What this actually is, is an image browser for still photos. I thought I bought a camcorder, I have Photoshop CS 4, what use is this for me.

They also include 2 discs from a company called Pixela which are only for Windows. I was able to install the first disc on the Windows side of my Mac but could not finish the installation on the second disc since I have to enter the serial # of the camcorder which is on the box, not the camcorder [good luck to me if it's stolen and recovered by the police and we want to identify it.] I enter the serial # and it says it is wrong, it was right when I did the first disc called “Digital Video Solution Disk” on the Mac side. Since I only use the Windows side of this computer for one application I need for my business, I don’t keep my virus software up to date and don’t want to connect to the internet to resolve this on Windows. I really don’t care for Windows and don’t want to have to mess around with it and deal with a learning curve on my new little hobby. So I’m giving up on this till I update ILife

I sort of went over budget on this family Christmas present and now have to spend almost another $100.00 on a program [hope it works!]. For the nearly $600.00 I spent on this I feel I should have gotten a relatively complete, basic product. I had the fore-thought to buy the bundle with a memory card to go with this since it contains no built in memory, and thought I was going to have a functioning set-up.

With the growing popularity of Macs and the fact that they are preferred by creative types and have been around as long as PCs. I know many photographers and graphic designers and not one of them owns a PC. It seems Canon should get over any prejudice they have for operating systems. I would think especially on their high end products like this.

The video looks real nice when played back on the camcorder though.

Sad
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I loved it out of the Christmas box. But atlas, too hard to transfer files for emailing short films, iPhone use, and etc. Indeed,the USB port wire didn’t even work. Sad to send it back after over 15 hours of trying to figure out the software, as I loved the size and other features. Perhaps I’m too iPhone trained, i.e., need easy tranferability/minipulation of film files. This failed seriously on that note.

EXCEPTIONALLY EXCELLENT TRANSACTION – SO FAR (INITIAL REVIEW TO BE UPDATED)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The seller of this Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Camcorder was AMAZON, LLC. I placed my order on Amazon.com on November 18, 2009, selecting the ‘free Super Saver Shipping’. I received the camcorder on November 20th (two days!!) and am very pleased with this – considering come reviewers alleging long wait times for delivery.

The professionally packaged shipment I received contained: the camcorder (a given), wireless controller, compact power adapter (TO CHARGE THE BATTERY), AC cable, battery pack, component cable, stereo video cable, USB cable, software (CD-ROM), wrist strap (attached), and a fairly large and thorough instruction manual. I received the Kingston 8 GB SDHC Flash Memory Card SD4/8GBET FREE with this camcorder. I also purchased the 3 Year Service Plan for Electronics for an additional $59.99.

I was concerned the camera would be too small, but I feel it is a perfect size (in a woman’s hands) – even for a larger cowboy’s hand. The size will make it easier to take video around the ranch – and on horseback.

The quality appears excellent – not at all like the ‘cheap, flimsy’ appearance of the JVC Everio camcorders. I’m now charging the battery and once I’ve tried the camcorder, I’ll update this review. Thus far, this transaction has been exceptionally excellent.

To quote `The Terminator’…. “I’ll be back.”

Great and easy to use!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m a filmmaker and I like to have a small camera to take anywhere with me. I used to own Canon ZR80 and loved it so I decided to buy Canon again. This camera is perfect. It shoots quality HD video, you don’t need tapes. If you’re looking for a camera that’s easy to carry this is the one. It’s so small, there are not a lot of bulky accessories, and it can fit into a carry on bag on a plane. It’s a great camera with a lot of great features. As a filmmaker and just for fun I’m going to get a lot of use of out this camera.

Horrible video quality, I returned this camcorder
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I researched various camcorders for months weighing features I wanted and ended up choosing this camcorder. It was very easy to use, but the video quality was so horrible, especially when you look at areas of the picture that transition between light and dark, it is heavily pixelated and almost distorted parts of the scene. I was planning on using this primarily indoors under standard lighting conditions, but no way. I ended up returning this and was left with very few options since this camcorder was so highly rated. I ended up going with the Panasonic HDC-HS250k because it has 3 CMOS sensors vs the 1 the Canon has. Sure that camcorder has it’s issues, but the video quality is leaps and bounds over the Canon.

Pros: Mic in, remote, easy menus, lots of manual features. mini hot shoe.

Cons: Video quality is unacceptable, even point and shoot cameras take better video. You have to have the camcorder charging before connecting it to the computer or else you cannot get your files off the SD card (it’s easier if you have an SD card reader).

I cannot believe Canon woould make such a poor product, I have had Canon still and video cameras for years and never have I had such a miserable experience with one as I did with this. Thanks to Amazon’s awesome return policy I was able to get something that I needed.

Excellent Camera in Good light
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have used this camera now for about 2 months, and have been taken on a couple of trips and used by myself and the kids. Its well constructed and easy to operate with one hand. Its light but not too light. I have mainly used it in FX+ mode, and get excellent picture quality, over one hour on a 16GB SDHC card. However, I have had problem with latest C10 SD cards, and have reverted back to using C6 and C4 SDHC cards, and these work fine over max bitrate (24Mbps). Not much used the capability to simultaneously take still picture whilst capturing video – the few picture I have captured are OK, but I have a Nikon DLSR for that purpose. It has a light for videoing under low light, but this is not much use. It would have been more useful if Canon had provided a shoe for fitting a better external light source. Whilst the video picture quality is excellent under good light, it is rather disappointing under low light condition. With battery life on the supplied battery being about 1hr, I would also recommend to purchase either Canon BP-819 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for HF10 and HF100 Camcorders or Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders; they are bigger and stick quite a bit out of the back, but makes the camera much more usable.

great camcorder! nice quality for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i love this camcorder.. it’s so easy to use and the price is great for what you’re getting.

For the one person who made a 1 star bad review about this camcorder comparing to his Canon digital SLR in terms of quality and expecting the same result, that person is plain old stupid who doesn’t know what to expect. This camcorder is a “consumer camcorder” which you compare the quality to a consumer camera. You want to compare the quality of your professional Canon DSLR camera? Get a “professional camcorder”! It should cost you $4k-8k depending on the output you want to produce. So don’t take it on this camcorder and post nonsense pics with a “Don’t buy HF200″ comment on it coz clearly, you’re comparing a Lexus to a Ferrari! No wonder you’re disappointed. And the Vixia HFS10/100 aint a professional camcorder as well even if it’s better on low lighting..

Bottomline, the camcorder is way good for its price and it’s worth the money.

Great little camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera on the recommendation of two guys in my office. It was the right choice. The camera is so small, it is easier to carry than my digital still camera. We took it on a ski vacation and I had no trouble getting great shots of us skiing on the slopes! The picture quality is great and the camera is intuitive and easy to use. I have not used the software that comes with it, so I cannot address that. I have purchased the Sony Vegas program instead. I would highly recommend this video camera. You do need to buy a larger memory card however to be able to use the HD quality recording.

Good buy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera works great – excellent video quality when used in most situations.

The color is surprisingly accurate.

One big annoyance is that after you activate the fader and start recording, you have to re-activate it while recording in order to fade out.

I would recommend this camcorder to a friend.

Since the AVCHD/.mts format is not very well supported, I use Mediacoder (free) to transcode from .mts to AVI(huffyuv/mp3). This takes up lots of space but preserves quality and you can edit in pretty much any software–I use Windows Movie Maker for now.

Great camera, easy-to-use with MacBook Pro and iMovie HD or 8/9
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After reading many of the earlier reviews I took the plunge and purchased the Canon VIXIA HF200 flash memory camcorder. I upgraded from a Canon mini-DV camcorder because I had purchased my first HDTV from Amazon last Christmas. Of course, I needed an HD camcorder with my new HD television!

I use a Sonnet 21-in-1 multimedia reader&writer Express Card/34 and pop the SD card in to transfer the video clips to my MacBook Pro. Using iMovie ’09, this works great. iMovie ’09 recognizes it without flaw, and with this software I can choose the clips I want to download from the SD card to my laptop. I use iMovie ’09 to organize my videos, and I make the initial selections of clips that I want in each project using iMovie ’09. Then, I export to Apple’s Intermediate Codec and open this export file in iMovie HD. I prefer the timeline in Apple’s older version of iMovie. I also purchased Final Cut Express 4, but haven’t cracked that product yet, as it’s much more complicated than what I’m used to in iMovie. So, for now, I’m bringing video clips in with the latest version of iMovie, then downconverting and editing in iMovie HD; this works great. I’ll eventually learn Final Cut Express and move forward in my video editing hobby. I share all of this because I didn’t realize until I read in David Pogue’s Missing Manual book (iMovie ’09 and iDVD) that I could still use iMovie HD with a flash memory video camera and the AVCHD codec. I’m glad to have discovered this.

As others have said, getting AVCHD encoded video clips into a computer takes LONGER than real-time because of the converting that must take place. My mode of operation with a Canon mini-DV camcorder was to fill a 60-minute tape, then transfer it to the laptop when convenient. I would get it started and come back 60 minutes later to 60-minutes of video ready to edit. Now, I come back 90 minutes later instead. Transfer seems to take about 1.5 times the length of the clips, give or take. For me, this is not a problem when I use my usual transfer and edit process.

If you’re looking for instantaneous transfer of files in useable form, though, flash memory won’t give it to you — at least with this camera. Others have stated, and I found directions in David Pogue’s book stating that it’s possible to transfer the files to the computer’s hard drive for LATER conversion to useable form for editing. I haven’t done this yet, and I would be nervous about deleting the clips from my flash memory card until I had them converted, could see them, and had them backed up on another hard drive. That’s when I clear the flash card and re-use it for new video clips. I’ve had too many lost data situations in the past and I guess I’m a bit overly cautious when I have once-in-a-lifetime video that I don’t want to lose. I believe in multiple copies of precious data, video data included. I get around this limitation by having two 16 Gb flash memory cards which, in best mode on this camera, gives me about 1.5 hours of video per card. I have yet to fill one before transferring video.

I also have multiple firewire and/or USB hard drives which I use for backing up video. If I take a long trip I’ll just buy a handful of SD chips, along with the two batteries I already own, and shoot away. Each evening it’s my practice to download to hard drive anyway, back that up to an external drive, and this seems to work for most situations. It’s less expensive to do this with mini-DV tapes (which provide one backup source), but when precious video is involved I don’t mind paying for a few extra 16 Gb chips. They’re pretty inexpensive on Amazon.com.

I recommend this camera if your habits fit mine, or if you’re looking for great-looking video on an HDTV. I have a lot to learn about this camera to get the most out of it, including the editing process. It will serve me for many years to come, as did my Canon mini-DV standard-definition camera.

Excels in all areas for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We just received our HF200 and we are thrilled with the results.

I taped my step-daughter’s gymnastics meet with the setting on “fluorescent” and the video looks great! I have also taped my infant daughter in standard lighting and the picture looks clear and natuaral. Just for fun I went along with my wife on an errand the other night and taped the drive from the front seat of the car. The resulting film was pretty grainy, but it was still very easy to see the traffic and the roadside even though it was only being lit by streetlights or the headlights of my truck. This clearly took the camera to the limits of its low-light performance, but for the price of this camer the results are amazing. I used F 1.8 for all of the above shots.

I haven’t done much outside during the day shots yet, but based on what I’ve seen in the more challenging situations I’m sure it will do great.

I haven’t loaded the included software yet, but I did download demo copies of Sony Movie Maker 9 and Vegas Pro 9. Either one of these programs will work fine with this camera’s “footage”. The programs loaded the files with no hassle and I was immediately able to view and edit my clips. I built my computer myself and it’s fairly powerful, but it’s a couple years old so it isn’t the most powerful thing out there. Unless you have a pretty light-weight computer I can’t imagine having a problem handling these files with these programs.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack

Sony Vegas Pro 9

I didn’t read the manual but was quickly able to make sense of the how to program the camer using the buttons and baby “joy stick” right next to the screen. I’m sure I have a lot to learn as to how to use it but I’m already having lots of fun.

We are very pleased with this camera.

Canan VIXIA HF200 HD
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The product is all that it is advertised to be. I have not had full opportunity to learn to use all of the options but the features that I really wanted are there. I can ACTUALLY see the screen in bright sunlight. The feature that the camcorder I had purchased and returned previously did not have!

My first camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Nice and compact, shoots great video with adequate light. Has a mini built in light to shoot closeups in the dark. I wish it has some sort of a night-vision mode to shoot in complete darkness. I guess that would cost too much. To edit the hd video, you need a faster computer. Read the system requirements for whatever software you are using. I think the Imagewriter program they provided requires a 2.6 ghz processor or better.

If you get a camcorder case, I would go with a bigger case than the lowepro edit 110, if you want to fit all the wires in there. It’s a nice case but have to cram to get all the wires in there.

Good Menu
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom

I use the Canon VIXIA and the Kodak Z16. They compliment each other. The new version of IMOVIE 09 has Digital Stabilization and this works astoundingly well for me. I wouldn’t waste any money trading up in this bracket of camcorder, if this wets your appetite I would save and spend on a PRO camera from Canon. The HF200 has all the features of a more expensive version that the average person would use and the menu and joystick are good performers. Both the Kodak and the Canon have good picture quality in good light conditions but the Canon has 15X optical zoom and a much better still camera. The Kodak is great for quick pictures and edits well with the Canon. IF YOU HAVE A MAC AND ILIFE 09 these are two good choices.

Interesting Little Beast
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Without a doubt, this camera is well put together for its price tag.

Pros:

Amongst the things that I like are: design, good stability for it’s size, easy to find controls and features, convenient mini joy stick for fast scrolling and navigation, clean and sharp LCD screen .

When it comes to performance, I was pretty impressed with this little monster as well, since it offers many different recording options and frame rates, pretty much you can mix and match features and still come out with a high quality picture.

Cons:

Talking about features, the CINEMAMODE option grabbed my attention when I first saw this camera, however, my idea of CINEMAMODE differs quite a bit from Canon’s interpretation of such. For some odd reason I allowed my self to believe that this option would provide a true LIKE-FILM LOOK, as you would get when you change the lens in your camera, sadly I was wrong. Instead, I this option creates pale video, almost as pale as the one my 10 year old sony mini-dv cam creates, and this regardless of light conditions.

Software and added features? Expect none. I was very surprised with the trashy software that Canon provided for this camera. Seriously, it would’ve been less insulting to the customer if Canon didn’t provide software at all… Bad Canon, Very Bad!!!

Since all videos are produced in MTS format, your best bet is getting a hefty memory card where you can store all your work and/or inserted directly to your computer (making the assumption that your computer has a memory card entrance). Also if you want to edit, not many editing products out there edit avchd/mts, so make sure your software does support this format.

Although the build in microphone is pretty decent, I wanted to attach my Rode shotgun mic for better sound capture, but wait, I had nothing to mount it on! Canon once again skimped out on us and did not include a MINI ADVANCED SHOE so you can attaché your mic, or lights… why? And to make matters worst, they don’t sell the adapter, you either need to get a mic sold by canon that can attach to the camera or a light, not both. Eventually I was able to find a place that actually sells this adapter for $50 dollars a piece, overpriced if you ask me but at lest now I can attach anything I want on the camera.

Finally, no built in memory.

In a nutshell

This camera is pretty decent, don’t regret getting it, if you have minimal creativity, you can make wonderful projects with this bad boy. A few negatives as mentioned, but overall is a good cam and certainly priced low for what it offers.

Nice! Nice!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Yes, this is a terrific camcorder, like most of the other reviewers have said. I’ve had it now for a few weeks and here’s what I have noticed:

1. I have never had a Canon before, so the menu took a little getting used to, but it all makes sense once you start using it.

2. The stills taken as photos and taken from video are outstanding, even though the camera is only rated at 3 megs. I’ve enlarged several of them and they are as good if not better than my 10 megapixal still camera. Very happy with that, because you can get some amazing shots from the video.

3. Wind noise is a problem even using the wind filter. I’m thinking of buying a seperate microphone, it’s that bad.

4. The included software is not as bad as everyone has said. I think a lot of them are too lazy to sit down and figure it out. It seems to do everything that it says it should do. I’ve heard that with Windows Media Player 12 it will recognize the avchd file system. I hope so.

5. I bought a 16 gig flash drive and so far I’m not anywhere close to filling it. Batteries are a problem though. The suppled battery only last little more than an hour, if you’re lucky. I bought an aftermarket battery and a little question mark remains in the upper right hand corner, which drives me crazy. Canon should have supplied a better battery. I also don’t like the way the larger battery sticks out.

6. All in all I’m very happy with the camera and can’t wait to use it on vacation.

HD? More like JD. (Junk Def).
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I’m not a pro-videographer, however, i know my way around a video camera. I own a Canon 40D digital SLR camera, so i expected to buy similiar video quality from this “HD” video camera.

Talk about MAJOR disappointment.

We have a 3 month old that we wanted to capture, and started taking videos inside with all the lights on and windows open. We played them back on my 1080p plasma TV. I had better results with my MiniDV HD JVC camera that was like a couple years old. I Love the memory stick idea, but the camera stinks!

The images were grainy, and blotchy on the 50″ TV. This alone should be the reason why you don’t buy this camera.

Doesn’t shoot in 1080P.

The lens doesn’t have a low enough aperture! So the images are dark indoors.

The white balance on the camera just isn’t up to Canon expected quality (makes images look dull), unless you define/set it in custom mode.

Canon didn’t include a HDMI cable.

Canon didn’t include a battery charger. You have to charge with the Camera or buy a seperate charger.

If you shoot in the highest video quality mode, you can’t use Canon’s burner to create DVD’s.

So i have this $600 camera, that i’m using as a camcorder, a video player, and charging station. That was a great idea! (going to the S100 doesn’t fix any of these problems either, but you get better image quality).

To be honest, i don’t even feel like listing all my complaints because i’m so disappointed with Canon. This is the worst camera I have ever bought. My uncle just recently bought a $300 Sony and the images were far superior.

Nobody cares for a video camera that can play MP3′s, and add stupid effects. Thats why we have computers for. However, the videos from this camera are so bad you won’t even want to edit on your computer.

This is a straight step forward to 1985 video quality.

In short, stick to Canon’s for digital cameras and Sony’s for Digital Video Cameras.

I returned this camera and bought the HFS100, which is approx $300-$400 more and although much better than this camera, it’s still not “awesome”. I didn’t go with the Sony myself ONLY cause i don’t want to deal with their proprietary memory system

I just posted pictures, so you can see the difference between the HFS100 and this garbage camera.

Good Buy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
SUMMARY: Good video camera, decent photo camera, software annoying but functional,

FULL REVIEW: We bought this camera a few weeks ago since it had the best CNET reviews in it’s class. The HF20 is basically the same camera with a 32GB flash card built in, but the difference in cost between the two cameras is more than a 32GB flash card. We ordered a 32GB flash card, a large battery, and an external battery charger. We may buy a HMDI cable for it, but I can’t see the reason at this point. I found the camera pretty easy to use and to adjust. You probably want to adjust the video setting out of the box since it’s set to one of the middle settings instead of the two HD ones. We made two videos and put them both online; one indoors and one outdoors on a mostly sunny day in January 2010. The indoor video was taken in a well lit room, but we didn’t use the built in light. The outdoor video is actually 2 videos that I made in the camera and used the included software to edit them together. I then had to use Handbrake (free video editing software) to convert that joined video into something I could upload to Youtube in full HD format. I don’t like the included software’s requirement to down-convert the video before it converts it to a mp4/m4v format. Handbrake allows you to do that, but it does take a bit to setup. (I use a Intel core 2 Duo pc with Windows 7 -64-bit.

[...]

ABOUT ME: I have never owned a video camera in the past, and my fiance and I decided to buy one for our honeymoon to Hawaii in a few months. Our trips to Utah’s national parks and to Brazil in 2009 showed us how much fun it would be to have one. I rate my computer skills as high, as I am an engineer and mess with computers in my spare time.

Just bought Canon HF200
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little HD camcorder is great so far. Have had it about 2 months and I am very pleased. Only issue was the low light recording, which was expected from other reviews I have read but it is not that bad and better than my old DVC tape camcorder. Easy to setup and figure out, at least things I needed to use. Takes better than expected photos and video looks great on my HDTV. I have not tried to edit the video yet as it seems my PC is too slow. I can play the first few minutes of a clip and then it freezes. Or if it is a few second clip it will play the whole thing but I see lines on video during camera motion. This problem is only on my PC after I have copied the data on memory card to the hard drive. But I must admit I love using the SDHC memory cards for the storage, so much easier than tape. Super easy to backup onto a PC and then to format and record again. I even found a Blu-Ray player (Panasonic) that supports AVCHD and has a SDHC card slot. I can just insert my SDHC card and it plays the video and pictures without issues. Overall this is a great little camcorder, lots of features that I have not even begun to discover. I bought this camcorder to save memories while my baby is growing up and so far it is doing just that. I just need to find a good video editing software and get a faster PC (Intel Quad Core) and I think that I will be set.

Canon camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am very please with this camcorder. I have owned and used several and this is the best.

Get one you will love it!

Canon camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Small device, easy to carry. Since it is small the screen is also small although the screen is quite clear and bright. I liked everything about the camcorder except the instructions. The instruction book tells one what the camcorder does but not how to do it unless the information is located somewhere else in the very large book.

Excellent Camcorder, Better than expected Low Light Performance
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camcorder purchase is my second one in about a month. The first try was a Sony HDR-UX20, which is also a HD camcorder, priced at $599.

I tried the Sony for a couple days, but was very unhappy with the performance in regular day-time living room light, i.e. noise levels. I sent it back and researched a ton on camcorderinfo and cnet to find a decent mid-grade camcorder for around that price range.

I hesistated on this camera at first because of the reviews…but I really have to say I was totally impressed with the quality of low-light performance, and it’s of course great in better lit areas as well.

The “cinema” mode makes the video look great, and it adjusts shutter speed automatically to enhance low light performance. The 60i fps is good enough, but if you have a slow moving (or still) subject, you can adjust that to the 24-fps mode. In very low light, which is how I would described the living room last night, the lower shutter speed on 24-fps caused too much trailing.

Last night, I got the package, it was after 9 before I began shooting, so the living room was dark, turned on one fluorescent light, and the video light, played around with the settings and I was shooting decent video in no time. It even had a compensatory mode for shooting under fluorescent lighting. The amount of noise on the footage was about the same or better than the Sony during the middle of the day! So if you’re at all hesitating because of low-light, I think this camera does a better job than others in the mid-grade price range. I also like the joystick controls, and user interface/menu system, better than Sony’s. It’s easier to move around the screen with the LCD size being so small, and it’s intuitive.

The video quality, image stabilization, added features and amount of manual controls are wonderful for this price range. I would have a hard time justifying spending another $400 for the the HFS100, I just don’t know if could be that much better.

great camera fair price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
the HF200 HD have great picture and sound

very comfortable and easy to use – canon have great menu system.

the only thing it doesn’t have built in memory like the HF20

but it $200 cheaper and i never used the built in memory in my other devices

i highly recommend it !

Amazing Quality!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Files are hard to deal with – But the Quality is AMAZING.

Buy an extra battery… You’ll need it.

A great camera!!

Super Small and Lightweight
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Surprised by how compact this was. I already owned a 16gb SDHC memory card so I bought the HF200, not the HF20. I think it is still cheaper to buy the HF200 and then buy your own memory.

Had a bug on the product but got it exchanged
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hey all,

i bought this cam after a long time wiht so much Anlysis and thinking on different HD cams available in market. This one is good. The first item that i got had a manufacturers defect, if you play back any video files, it doest, it always said ‘reading from memory card’ which is not goin to work our for me.

I had to exchange it and got my replacement just a day after, i m telling you AMAZON is just amazing, just see the time they took to replace it at no extra effort from my end. I returned the earlier cam which was defective to them again at no extra cost. No

i have the new one, its works just great.

Top Quality Camcorder under $700.00
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Wow! I mean this camcorder is spectacular! When I was shopping for a new camcorder, I’ve researched for months at many resellers and finally came to agreement with one of Amazon’s resellers.

The price was great, the shipping was great and the item was everything it said it was.

I’ve purchased another Canon photo product before and it has been wonderful.

We just wanted to upgrade our old vhs-c type camcorder and digital camera to this new type of SD memory-type device. Although skeptical, we are very impressed with the quality of photos it takes along with the movie-making abilities, all in High Definition!

The fact that their are less moving parts, the longer this camcorder will last.

Typically, traditional camcorders, the ones that use DVD media and traditional cassette tape media tend create more wear and tear on the recording devices (motors, record heads, etc.),due to long-time use, over and above the zoom and focus motors. Another thing that’s great, although SD media can be pricey at first, the long-term value is great since it holds more data (more pictures and longer footage of movies) than traditional tapes and DVD media.

I highly recommend this camcorder for its photo capturing quality, movie making quality and for long-lasting quality and durability due to less moving parts.

Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m not a pro and just needed this for home use, it turned out to be great! Quite small, easy to use, great quality and lights for images and videos as well!

I have older camcorders, including a Sony DV and most recently a Flip camera. This Canon is just amazing!

Excellent results!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m a hobby video maker and this camera makes professional results easily within reach. easy to operate and a sensible approach to the menu features makes this a joy to use. the resoultion is amazing and all the features work as advertised. great color and LOTS of options for those who want to adjust shutter speeds, etc. I can easily log and transfer the avchd files into final cut studio for editing…I just plugged it into my macbook pro and the files popped up after about 1-2 minutes. no hassle at all, but the files are big so you will need an external hd if you do much video. Small and easily fits in your hand. the zoom speed feels just right too.

Great Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camera. It is small, which makes it convenient in so many ways. It fits in a first class airline toiletry bag, easily. It take great pictures and video. On a 52” LCD Sony 1080p w/ HDMI connection it looks just better than Direct TV HD. I will say, this is the first HD camcorder I have owned but regardless of that fact this camera couldn’t get much better, IMO.

Awesome camera with good software
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased the camera couple of days ago…and boy, it blew me off !! What a clarity, and portability !! Mix it with right video converter like say “Any Video Converter” and you got video for any device you want with really manageable size(though the native ones are too big).

I did my research before ending up on this one…and i have no regrets

Windows 7 support?
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
On Canon’s Drivers & Downloads page for the Vixia HF200, the drop down for selecting your operating system does not (as of the date of this posting) include an option for Windows 7. Canon’s failure to offer downloads for Windows 7 by now suggests an increased likelihood that this product or its related software might not work properly with Windows 7. As a Windows 7 user, I have opted to buy from another manufacturer rather than risk incompatibility.

Beware of short warranty and no repair
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
My Mino HD died after a year and Flip says outside the warranty so they won’t fix. I have been vaery very careful with it sovery disapointed that f it breaks they can’t fix it

Looks great so far
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had my HF200 for about 3 weeks now. So far the video looks great. The menu’s are very easy to navigate. I’ve been able to discover most of the features without the manual. The manual is a little hard to read. I bought if for kids events like hockey games, soccer games, plays, etc and it has produced great video. I have taken just a few photos. So far the photos have been OK in lower light. I need to take some more to get a better feel for how it does with photos. I expect to buy another battery and memory card. I’m a little disappointed that the battery does not last much more than an hour. I expect I will buy a non-Canon battery as this camcorder was expensive to start with. This is compounded by the fact that I cannot get the software to work. I was able to export files to the PC but the software just locked up every time I tried to do anything with them. I called Pixela and ended up removing some other software. This allowed me to get a little farther into the program but it still locked up before I could do much. I am trialing the Cyberlink Power Director software and so far it works well and is fairly easy to use.

A sight to behold
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Here’s my update/edit to my original post:

Put it to good use on my holiday trip to the East Coast (NY, Boston, DC) and the video is fantastic, everything it’s claimed to be. Having stepped up from an old Hi8 tape camcorder, the video is phenomenal. You need to take the time initially to go through the manual and the full menu functions on the camcorder. The default video and photo modes may not be what you want (not at the highest settings) so it may need to be adjusted. Also, you may need to know how to initialize a memory card if you stick in your old one. My 4GB SDHC memory was not recognized initially, a new one had no problems. Also, buy a class 4 or higher SD card to take full advantage of the camcorder. I put it a 8 GB class 6 card and it works fine and seems to be good for little over 1 hour of video at FXP mode. I’ve had no problem with the battery holding it’s charge and you can easily last the day without worrying about draining the battery. I’ll see how the battery holds up before purchasing a second one.

The software that comes with the unit(Image Mixer 3)is a very basic video transfer and editing program and WILL NOT work very well with Windows 7 (tried it on Vista and works ok). Somewhat disappointing that Canon don’t have a upgrade to Win 7 compatible yet. The software works pretty good in transferring video to the computer hard drive. Please note that you cannot directly transfer video files using the simple Windows method although it works fine with the photo files. The transferred files are stored in folders based on the date the video is shot – 20091227 for Dec. 27,2009 for example. Regardless, the software is NOT good enough if you want to do a lot of editing and slick video work. I purchased Corel Video Studio Pro 12 to do the editing but encountering some bugs with it (like inability to burn to disk). Note that this is a software problem and NOT camera problem although one could argue that it’s all inter related. Please be forewarned that these software are computer resource hogs, temperamental, and can be agonizing slow to complete a video project.

Please don’t complain about the camcorder if your real problem is inadequate computer hardware and software. You definitely will not get the full power of HD if you are not somewhat computer savvy. I’ve rendered a 3 1/2 minute video clip shot in FXP mode (step below the highest setting), into a 1440 HD clip and it took 20 minutes in Corel Videostudio to accomplish this. So take note, it’ll take hours to render a 1/2 hour video (if the computer don’t choke first). I will say though that the outcome is awesome.

The camcorder is small, easily handled but the small size increases the shakes when shooting, especially when zoomed in (the included optical image stabilizer is a necessity). Mounting on a tripod is a must if you must have steady scenes. The complaints about the power on-off light is correct – don’t know why the light is red when on and green when off. The built in mini video light may help on indoor closeup but seems pretty useless for longer shots. At least the camcorder has a attachment for external flash or mike (most other vendors don’t have this in this price range). There’s definite noticeable jagginess if you pan or zoom too fast. Well, I guess you could take it as a good reminder on shooting good video. The graininess does increase in indoor low light conditions but I still found the video to be better than all my previous camcorders under similar circumstances.

Also took some pictures at the highest setting. Very good but not as good as what I get from my Sony 7.2 megapixel camera. The colors seem a little muted and is not as sharp. The ability to shoot both great video and very good still pictures means that for most purposes, I don’t need to carry a separate camera anymore, especially when the size of this camcorder is smaller than my camera.

I got this camcorder for $520 from Amazon, a good 8 GB class 4 SD memory costs about $20, a good video editing program cost $60, and if you must burn to blue ray disk, I have no idea what that would cost. Finally, if your computer is old then you need to upgrade your computer system. So consider all this before you plunk down your hard earned money for this camcorder, even though it’s a great unit.

Canon HF200 and Sony HDR-XR100 dilemmas …..
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Although I am a fan of SONY camcorders is I choose Canon.

I had the pleasure to play for a while of SONY HDR XR100 However, after many internal dilemmas and guided myself by the voice of rationality I chose the Canon.

Why?

Firstly.

Despite the high capacity HDD in SONY Cannon’s memory card, are almost equally effective and contain no mechanical parts exposed to shock and possible damage during normal use. (It will turn up, tap, etc. during normal usage of camcorder)

HF200 does not have built-in memory as such so you need to consider spent additional amount of money for SD Card, which is not quite expensive but anyway is necessary.

I have tested 32GB SDHC memory card and it is sufficient for almost 2h 55min recording material with the highest quality which fit my needs just perfectly.

Battery life is comparable in both camcorders, but at once from my own experience, I strongly recommend to buy spare battery whether use Sony or Canon.

Secondly – Optics!

Sony is usually equipped with Carl Zeiss lens but … Exactly! Compared with the Canon image quality SONY is much worst! Optical zoom is higher in Canon 15x to Sony’s 10x and on the digital result Cannon 300x beat SONY 120x.

Canon rose to the occasion and has provided a very nice webcam lenses, designed for HD recording, which combined with excellent matrix gives a sensational effect.

Thirdly – is matrix

And here again a nod to Canon. Much better cope with dim lighting, although there is no revelation. Still after play with manual settings (in both camcorders), the video picture looks better in Cannon without “noise”

To illuminate Canon has been equipped with a little LED however, in this case I prefer Night Shot from Sony even if this is battery consuming.

In addition, HF200 can record at much higher resolution of 2304 x 1296 compared to 1920 x 1080 offered by SONY.

Fourth – recording format and software attached

Sony has the ability to record in MPEG2 format, where apart from AVCHD in Canon that does not exist. I confess that have not tested the software included in SONY package. The only think that I can say is Cannon’s software called Pixela is …hmmm… sort of misunderstanding!

I cannot reach an agreement with Pixela and besides it is in conflict with previously installed codec pack, and it is hard to edit and prepare video material.

Nevertheless, using the popular software for video processing can be done much easier than with the proposed set.

Fifthly – the sound

Well… here peremptorily SONY leads with its built-in Dolby 5.1. Canon recorded in Dolby Stereo only but the sound recorded is in very good quality. In SONY the 5,1 effect is amazing, and if someone is more geared to listening to the sounds of it will definitely recommend SONY!

The conclusion

I will say that since the price of SONY HDR XR100 is similar to the Canon HF200 and quite often higher than that, considering all technical parameters Canon is much better toy for a lower price.

CANON VIXIA HF-200 CAMCORDER REVIEW
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had the Sony HDR-FX1 HD camcorder (1440×1080) a few years back and that was impressive then but this camcorder is even better at 1980 x 1080. I was trying to

decide if it was a good idea to go tapeless this time and make the transition to

SDHC cards so I ordered the HF-200 to see what I was getting into. Well after 2 weeks monkeying around with this thing I’m glad I bought it. I know some of you are complaining about the static electric charge that can remove all your photos

from the card. Well there is an easy solution to this. Make sure you back up all your videos to your hard drive. It’s easy to drag and drop from the drive or using the imagemaker software. This is nice cause imagemake gives you the option of writing the mts files back onto the card. So save your stuff before you decided to

touch the card and remove it to a card reader. I have not had to take the card out yet anyway. And play it safe when you have the card in your hand. make sure you touch something first to discharge before pull the card out and don’t walk around the room with that card in your hand. Remain stationary when inserting it and removing it.

The other problem I hear so much about is the editing part. Well I’m a guy who likes quick fixes and someone in an earlier post said that COREL VIDEO STUDIO PRO X2 DOES a great job. I downloaded the trial version (30 days) and it works flawless!!!! If you want an easy solution thats it. Here is how I did it. I hooked the USB connector to the computer (with play function on the camcorder) and imagemixer 3 software(provided with the camcorder) will automatically download all the m2t files. I prefer to just click on the drive and drop and drag all the files onto a file in my hardrive. Thats easy enough. Then bring up Corel VideoStudio program up, look for the file with the m2t files and it will make thumbnails of all the files you drag into the program. It also has a little viewer/player at the bottom so you can check out each file and play it before you drag in into the mainframe/timeline.

After you do drag the files into the program for editing and you cut, enhance, process, add titles or whatever. When finished just click on the the ‘CREATE VIDEO FILE” and use either of these 2 settings. I tried them all and these gave me perfect picture quality.

HDV 720-30p (HDV)

HDV 720-30p (for PC)

Note files rendered in HDV are half the size of those in (for PC) mode. I could not get WMV to work right at all. It looked like a 25th generation VHS copy. I’ll have to do more tests. My favorite video editing program is Magix Video Edit pro (11& 15) so I just load the HDV conversions into it and save it as

WMV-HD or other settings. This will save you a lot of head splitting aggravations!!! I spent almost a week trying to find a program that could just read the m2t (mts) files from the HF-200 and kept getting blocked one way or another, Corel Video Studio pro takes care of the whole problem. In fact it has a feature called “SMART PROXY” that makes handling any size m2t files like regular

old analog video. If you had a 2 hour video in HD you could go from one end of the

mainframe layout to the end in a second!!So there is your quick fix for the average guy and I am a guy who always looks for the quickfix when I have a problem.

PS: One thing I have not read on any of these posts is something also that needs to be addressed. Ever wonder why some people rate software 5 stars and other people rate it 1? When you are editing video on a computer–that computer needs to not only have all the engine power, ram, etc. It also needs to be a dedicated computer. A dedicated computer is one that is only used for editing and you must keep it off the internet. No computer can be protected from the digital filth floating (spyware, malware, viruses) etc. in cyberspace.

That should be stated on every editing software package sold on the market and every professional review made available to the public (videomaker magazine etc)

does use an unpolluted PC for proper function. Furthermore! Though I have a dedicated computer for video editing you must keep it defragged monthly and use a registry fixer (windows has one free on the internet)to keep internal bugs from bugging your good working program. Kenn

Here is a link to some test footage I uploaded on YOUTUBE:

[...]

Camera Great! Software sucks!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great camera with an absolutely horrible Pixella software. With a fresh Windows Vista 32-bit install and installing the Pixela software that comes with Canon, the software refuses to work. Searching the Internet for IMXBROWSER CRASH reveals that plenty of other persons are having the same problem.

Canon should dump this looser to a company as it tarnishes an otherwise wonderful product.

I would recommend this camera if you are willing to purchase another $100 worth of a software, or if you have an Apple computer.

Canon: Dump Pixela like a hot potatoe!

Good High Def Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had this camcorder for about two weeks. The unit is very light and portable. The only problem I see with it so far is that you have to move very slowly or have it on a tripod, otherwise the picture looks very choppy. I am still learning how to use it, so I might be doing something wrong. This is my first digital camcorder, so I don’t know if this behavior is normal or not. The picture quality when the camcorder is held still is phenominal. The unit is very easy to use and the menu is fairly simple. It also focuses well and has a good zoom.

The best balance of features and price.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This camera had the balance of quality, price, and features I was looking for in a HD camcorder.

Pros:

-Built in light for dark shooting. I found it effective to about 4 feet.

-Small form factor. The battery is smaller than the lens.

-SDHC flash memory instead of built-in hard drives. So no auto-shut off feature or risk of damage when dropped.

-Two-button, very intuitive menu system. Requires no learning curve. Menu feels almost exactly like a regular digital camera.

-Built in top slot for expansion to an external camera flash, microphone, or video light.

-To view videos on the computer, can use Windows Media Player or VLC.

-Default saved videos in .mts format. Can burn it to blu-ray if shot in full quality and have a blu-ray burner.

-15x optical zoom. Comes with digital zoom disabled in the menu. I’ve never needed to turn it on. The optical zoom is amazing.

-Comes with built-in HDMI output port. Included cables are for component video and regular composite. Component output can be set to 1080i or 480i.

-Still photos come out to about 3 megapixel quality. Not bad.

-Does take regular SD cards.

Cons:

-Audio quality cuts in half if shooting more than 5 ft. away from subject.

-Covers for ports are of different qualities. Some are hard plastic, while others are rubber.

-Input for external MIC in back of camera.

-Included software is absolutely terrible! Don’t bother to install.

-Included battery lasts about 82 mins on a full charge (Canon batt. BP-809). Less, if addtl. features are on or used, such as zoom in/out.

-If connected to computer using USB, have to use the power cord. Will not work off battery alone. Not good for laptop editing.

-Not easy to transfer video directly off the camcorder using included USB cable. Had to buy a SDHC card reader to quickly copy onto hard drive.

-Can really only record in full-HD with Class 4 or better card. Will not shoot in HD on Class 2 or on regular SD cards.

-Doesn’t come with a HDMI cable.

Recommendations:

-Get additional BP-809 battery or a longer battery like BP-819 or BP-827.

-DON’T buy the optional external battery charger unless you really need one. It’s NOT the same as charging through the camcorder itself. The external charger reduces any battery operational time.

-Will need to buy a 3rd-party video editing software, if going to do any editing.

-Will need to buy a HDMI to HDMI-mini cable if going to connect through HDMI.

-A 32GB SDHC card holds about 3 hours worth of full-quality video. Get additional memory if only want to shoot in full-hd.

-Make some room on the hard drive if going to be doing video editing on the computer. Each .mts file is 1 GB or more usually.

-If shooting primarily indoors, get the WD-H37II wide lens converter. It widens the field of vision for the lens.

canon vixia hf200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Excellent camcorder for the price. The only thing I could fault are:

No stand alone battery charger included and the record button is very touchy and doesn’t click; so easy to record when you don’t mean to or visa versa. (Always check your recording display). Those 2 things aside it takes brilliant film and pictures and I’m very happy with it

good but yes, fuzzy in low light
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I got this because I did a lot of online research trying to determine which camera was the best, and I made a decision that it would be this one. I like it, but for the money, and being “HD” It is more fuzzy in lower-light conditions than I would have expected.

progressive NOT
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
manual states “Recordings made with the [PF24], [PF30] frame rate are converted and recorded on the memory as 60i.”

Great HD camera, excellent video quality and features, battery life could be better
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my 7th Canon digital video camcorder, having owned a ZR30MC, ZR50MC, ZR90, Optura 20, Elura 100, and FS100 before this one. My main objective for purchasing this HD flash-memory based camcorder was to upgrade from my standard definition FS100. Even though I really liked the size and design of the FS100, I couldn’t push myself to accept the grainy images and picture ghosting/artifact in low light (i.e. indoors). Outdoor footage on the FS100 was much better however picture ghosting was still present at times. I still wanted the convenience of flash-memory, but I wanted a Canon camera with a larger image sensor (for better low-light performance) and overall higher picture resolution. The HF200 fit the bill, and I purchased it from a major electronics retailer with free financing.

I am not “high-definition ready” at the moment, meaning I still watch TV and DVD’s in standard definition, however, I’ll be ready to upgrade to at least a HDTV in the upcoming months. So after reading the reviews for the HF200/HF20, I decided on the HF200 since I had already a few SDHC memory cards I had used with the former FS100. I also like the fact (after reading the reviews) that my spare BP-808 battery from the FS100 would work with this model. I also have the CG-800 external battery charger.

Right out of the box after charging the BP-809 battery, the unit starts up very quickly, just as fast as the FS100 model. My first impression of image quality was “wow”, as compared to the FS100. In the same room with both cameras side-by-side, the HF200 image was so much sharper with much improved light sensitivity. The instant focus is just that, even over the full optical zoom range. The optical image stabilizer is perfect even at 15X zoom, as compared to the FS100 electronic stabilization. The menu hierarchy of the HF200 is different than the FS100 menu system, but I like the HF200 system much better. Still, I am disappointed that you have to activate the fader again after you start recording, as has been the case of all Canon models I have owned. The unit’s mic will pick up that pressing of the button to activate the fader!

Now for the video quality, it is true the video is somewhat grainy and noisy in low-light settings, but it still is such an improvement over the FS100 image in the same environment. I also do feel the single LED video light works very well to help out in low-light situations. I am very satisfied with this unit’s image quality, even when played back on my 55″ TV through the composite video output (remember I don’t have component or HDMI inputs yet). Because I don’t have true HD equipment, I choose to film at XP+ (12 Mbps) data rate to allow longer recording times. Once I get an HDTV, I will try out the MXP and FXP modes. Oh I forgot to mention, I use both Transcend Class 6 and Kingston Class 4 16GB SDHC memory cards, and both work flawlessly. I also purchased a 6-ft mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to use when I do get an HDTV (I am going to try this out on the in-laws’ HDTV this weekend).

Battery life of the supplied BP-809 battery is about 70 minutes with normal camera usage, and I agree that is very poor battery life. Like I mentioned above, I already had a spare BP-808 battery to use, but I chose to shell out the $85 for the BP-819 model. I haven’t used it yet, but about 3 hours, 10 minutes is available at full charge. The BP-819 does stick out of the camera, and it is a little more difficult to hit the record button, but it does serve as a nice thumb rest, and most importantly, it gives you the time you need to capture that special footage!

Still photo quality is much, much, much improved on this model (as compared to experience on previous models), and this is the first camcorder I have owned that has its own independent flash. It does work well even though resolution is 3.3 MP. Finally, with Dual Shot, I am also able to take pictures while filming, something I hadn’t been able to do since my mini-DV years!

I use iMovie ’09 on a 1st generation black Macbook and the software has no problem recognizing the files. I don’t like the fact you have to use AC power to transfer your files/photos to your computer, but I bought the USB card reader to get around this. I also have the latest version of VLC video player for Mac (which recognizes the native .mts files), but my computer is not powerful enough to handle the playback without difficulty.

If I have to describe any problematic function of this camcorder, I would have to cautiously complain about the file size and import times required for transfer into iMovie. Now I know that AVCHD is a different animal altogether, and I like the fact iMovie gives the option to import at 960×540 resolution (half of true HD) to reduce file size (good for me now since I am not HD-ready), but import times are long and file size is even larger than importing older mini-DV footage (about 1GB for 4 minutes of footage imported at 960×540, God knows how much space full size would take). This is in no way leading me to give this camera a lousy review, I just have to realize multiple 1-2TB external HD’s will be required to store future footage, and I have to learn patience that will be required for import times of some of the larger clips. This is the only characteristic from my FS100 that I miss, the ability to edit and import footage without much difficulty or wait.

In summary, the unit is very light and easy to hold, very responsive to start recording in about a second, and the electronic lens cap is a nice little feature. Here are my PROs and CONs:

PROs:

- Sleek, lightweight unit that is easy to hold and the major user features to operate it are well placed

- Focus and image stabilization is excellent and very responsive even in low light settings

- Very bright LED video light that helps in low-light recordings

- EXCELLENT video quality in very well-lit surroundings, and audio is great with no motor noise!

- Excellent menu hierarchy with quick, easy playback of your scenes

- Flash memory is great and very reliable, but pick up extra cards (16GB Class 4 or higher) especially with the good prices here at Amazon.com. I recommend Transcend and Kingston from experience with this unit, but I also hear Sandisk is great too (and recommended by Canon).

- Many manual controls I have not yet explored

- Quick start standby mode is great and really helps to conserve battery power.

- Intelligent battery meter a great addition to help you gauge remaining battery life

CONS (none are a showstopper):

- Optical zoom is only 15X as compared to the 48X of my former FS100 model.

- You have to use the joystick to activate faders and digital effects during your recordings, so expect to hear the button-pushing on your video footage.

- File size is large after importing into computer, and import times are long in iMovie as the software converts AVCHD into something that usable in the program (WAH, WAH).

- Have to plug in the unit to AC power to transfer video/photos to your computer.

So as you can see the PROs outweigh the CONs and I am extremely happy with this unit in overall performance and value for its price. This camera is a definite keeper for me, even though Canon has just announced a plethora of new HD models, including ones that will convert HD footage to SD on the fly, for easier editing and sharing of movies.

A super job by the Canon engineers on this HF200 model!

Hands-on after a month using the HF200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall I like this camera and would recommend its purchase if you are only shooting in well-lit areas. Shooting indoors without either a high quality video light or good ambient lighting will result in grainy results.

Outdoors, even on overcast days, it compares well with the Sony HDR-XR500V I have used. Although half the price of the Sony model, the HF200 gives great visual captures, even better when used in with a tripod. The Sony XR500 seemed to produce a steadier image when hand-held, though the video is still passable for home use with the Canon. I have not experimented with editing the video using a quality video package yet (in an attempt to reduce video shake), but likely this would help.

The HF200 has a small size video light shoe on the top, it’s not a standard size.

The size and weight of the HF200 is very good, though the hand strap would be a bit tight to a larger male hand. Adjusting this strap correctly really reduced video shake.

The HF200 comes with no storage. You have to use an SD-HC card. Anything “Class 4″ or better speed rating works well. My 16Gb Class 4 Sandisk cards work great, with no data loss as it records at the highest quality and resolution.

I did not buy this camcorder via here, rather I used a local warehouse “club” as the price was comparable and I could use it without return hassles locally.

At half the price of the Sony I will be keeping this. I would recommend checking both out, and making a call based on the amount of times you will be recording inside.

Hope this helps

Solid choice!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hands down, very happy with the purchase. I came from an older canon mini-DV unit that performed great over a 10 year period. I didn’t read the directions…charged the battery, stuck in the memory card and made some great videos. Coming from mini-DV unit, the quality is simply stunning. I now have a wide angle lens attached and I am now able to capture all the action in a normal size room without having to stand in the doorway. Anti-shake simply works wonders. No reason to look elsewhere, unless you are in the business or need the top-of-the-line unit, this is a solid performer.

Prosumer camera, emphasis on the Pro
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The camera is great. Very easy to use. Lots of features. We use it mainly to document our new baby and we love how easy it is.

Until we try to get the video off the camera.

As others have noted, the codec (the avc in the avchd) is more advanced than a lot of software can handle.

Warning to Mac users: you can only import the native .MTS files (the format the camera saves in) if you have an Intel machine AND if you are running Leopard AND if you have the latest version of iMovie or Final Cut or Final Cut Express. My Intel iMac running Tiger with FCE 3 and iMovie 2008 is useless without 3rd party software that I’ve found to be very suspect.

Bottom line is that this camera was designed for one group of people (consumers with high standards and an interest in controlling the elements of their video) but can only be used by another (professionals with the latest hardware and editing suites). If you’re in the sweet spot, go for it. Otherwise, this is a very bad purchase.

Great little thing.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I used the HF200 on a recent trip out of the country and loved the quality, both the build quality as well as the video I recorded. The camcorder feels very sturdy in hand, and is just perfect size to fit in the palm of my hand when in use, and in my pants pocket when idle (large pocket pants though). The battery life wasn’t the greatest, however it charges extremely fast and lasted about 80-90 minutes. The thing to keep in mind is that you will record a short clip, couple of minutes maybe?, and turn it off. Since the camera boots in no time this saved me a lot of battery life.

I did have some trouble holding the camera steady while zooming. While the zoom on this camcorder is amazing and reaches really really far, holding the camera steady while doing so was really difficult and the image stabilization was not exactly helping me either.

I also don’t know how my 20gis of video on the SD card became 100gigs on my computer after importing it to iMovie; this by the way took about 2 hours over a USB cable while I was hoping to just copy the SD card over and be done with. iMovie didn’t recognize just a copied file so importing from the camcorder was the only way to go.

The video looks just awesome on my 40″ Sony Bravia LCD. With the quality, size, and the dropping price of this thing, I really don’t see how you can go wrong with the HF200.

Excellent Choice for a newbie!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the first camcorder I have ever owned. I have a Canon digital camera and that helped me understand some of the functions of the camcorder. The instruction manual is very well written with lots of illustrations. There are many awesome features of this camcorder that are very useful even for a newbie. I love that you can take photos without any interruption in making a video! Many of the camcorder’s features and menus are available on the LCD panel and easy to use. My camcorder came with a built-in lens cap that opens and closes automatically! I wish the camcorder had come with an external battery charger and HDMI cable. I have to charge the battery through the camcorder. I think buying an extra battery and charger would be an excellent investment along with the HDMI cable. The LCD screen is large and easy to view. I have used the camcorder indoors and outdoors with excellent results going from low light conditions to sunlight. I haven’t had the camera long enough to evaluate the battery life but I am still using the original charge! The zooming feature of the camcorder is excellent. There is a smooth transition from normal to up close and the sharpness of the video in these situations is awesome. I bought the Transcend 16GB Class 6 Memory card at the same time as the camcorder and they work very well together! This was my b-day gift to myself (68 yrs.old) and it was an excellent choice! I was able to make a video in about 20 min. after opening the box! It is that easy to use.

Fantastic Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This product is top notch in every way. The video that it takes is crystal clear and despite what some say, it takes great video in low light. Also don’t be fooled by the low mega pixels, this device takes excellent still photos. If you know anything about still photography then you should know that the quality of your photos is not totally dependent on the MP count. One recommendation is to get a 32GB SDHC card and an extended battery. You won’t be sorry you got more memory and a longer battery life.

Things to consider before buying an AVCHD camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This (along with a Panasonic DMC-ZS3 camera) rounded out my holiday purchases. Both take video on AVCHD format. There are a few very important things that one must know before purchasing a camcorder/camera that supports only AVCHD format:

1) Unless you have a Windows 7 operating system, you will have trouble viewing the video files which all have extension .mts. Google’s Picasa will not read .mts files. I had to upgrade my laptop and netbook to Windows 7. After that, Windows Media Player took care of opening these .mts files.

2) To edit these AVCHD files (.mts) you really need to invest in Sony Vegas . This will cost another $70 or so. It has a good bit of learning curve, and I still have to find the time to devote to it. I have not bothered to try it, but I’ve read that the software from Canon isn’t any good. Neither is the latest Adobe Premiere. Beware that many video editors do not process .mts files.

About Canon HF200 in specific:

1) The battery that came with the camcorder takes a LONG time (almost 3 hours) to charge and gives only about 1 hour of real usage. The camcorder displays that it has 130min at full charge, but that simply doesn’t translate to real minutes. You will probably have to fork out $90 or $125 for bigger batteries. I consider the battery the single disappointment with this camcorder. I had thought that with a SD card the camcorder really shouldn’t use up much energy, as there is no moving parts like a hard drive or a DVD or a miniDV tape.

2) The photo mode takes pretty good quality stills, provided that there is enough ambient light. My picture of a teapot shows also all the dust on the shelf that the teapot sits on.

3) It is a nice feature to be able to easily divide and trim a video file while it is still in the camcorder. I love this feature and would always trim my files before transfering them to the computers.

Looks great, does it have nightshot mode???
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Does this camera shoot in the dark? I’m looking for an HD camera with nightshot mode.

Excellent features for the price!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for many purposes, primarily was to record my daughters’ B-ball games. It was rated very highly on [...]. I’m no professional, but I do want a quality picture with enough features to satisfy. I record the games in standard quality, mostly because I don’t think the Full HD would be noticeable to justify the added file size.

Pros

-Lightweight

-Canon quality

-Feature rich, but simple to use

-Great picture (even in standard mode), great audio

-Plenty of add-ons (if you want, you don’t need them for regular shooting)

-Inexpensive for feature set

-Flash memory is cheap (and getting cheaper!)

-Great connectivity options- PC to download, or direct to TV for viewing

Cons

-File type- records everything in .mts format, the standard for HD camcorders. It will need to be converted for playing on a DVD/Blu-Ray player. If you are looking for playback on a PC w/o the included software, the best player would be VideoLan Player (google VLC). The software that comes with it is limited, and does include a player as well.

Bottom Line

If you want a great camcorder for regular recording, this is it. Simple to use, great quality picture. Price is very competitive, especially for HD functionality. I didn’t really need HD quality, but it’s very quickly becoming the standard. Better to avoid obsoletion on the front than pay for it later. Just remember to get some flash memory first, nothing worse than having a toy you can’t play with.

No doubt the HF200 will meet your camcorder needs
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this camera because of the ease of use of a flash drive camcorder. Bought 2 16gb memory cards. I use a Mac so the transfer of the videos from the cards is too easy. As a tip to Mac users if you use iMovie be sure the program is open before you insert your card into your computer. It works beautifully. As for the camera, no complaints here. The video is great and the features are abundant. Canon makes a great product and the HF200 will not dissapoint.

canon vixia HF200 HD
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Love it. Easy to use, light weight, can take pics & record video at same time.

Mini Review of HF200
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
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 you

A tale of 2 camcorders
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m no videographer by any stretch, just looking for a good quality HD cam for family events. I’ve no complaints about the usability, menus, battery, file format, or anything else. It’s all fine. I just want the best possible video quality without going broke.

Outdoors and under optimal lighting, the footage from the HF200 looks spectacular.

Indoors under less than optimal lighting, the quality is just not acceptable. It’s inferior to even many SD cameras costing way less.

I fear that HD video takes CPU resources to encode/compress the footage, and there’s less money left over to put into the optics and sensor. I’m now questioning whether my $500 be better spent on crystal clear SD versus grainy & noisy HD.

I absolutely love the outdoor footage I’ve taken so far. But with so many events indoors (parties, holidays), this camera just won’t cut it.

Nice Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We like the features of this camera. Good quality and fun to play with. There has been a bit of a learning curve but catching on. The only issue is will not wotk with Windows Movie Maker so had to get edius!

Poor quality recording for moving subjects.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera based on expert reviews about the video quality and features for the price range. There were a number of user reviews complaining about poor quality for subjects in motion. I decided to try this camera, for the main puropose of motion recording. After fiddling with all the features and instruction booklet for about a week I decided to record a couple clips of fast moving objects, at the highest setting, and check out the quality. After transferring the clips the my PC, I played them back. The motion parts were awful. Anything moving was blurry. Hooked it up to an HDTV and same result. I should have listened to the complaints!! The camera was in the box to be returned within an hour.

Otherwise the camera seemed easy enough to use. Would have liked a touch-screen for the menus after using once for the past few years. Would also prefer a viewfinder but they seem to be all but gone from any camcorder. The only other complaint I have is you need to connect the power cord to interface with a PC in any way, no matter what the status of the battery is.

Great Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great Camcorder! It’s small, and very responsive. The still picture quality and video’s are both great. I highly recommend this camera. The night shots are on par with other cameras in my opinion. You won’t get professional quality in the dark with a consumer camera. All in all, I’m glad I made this purchase, it’s a great deal for $599!

A great camera for the low price.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Bottom line: Amazing camera, very small, produces high quality video/pictures, and the level of manual control almost makes it seem professional.

Now I would just like to dispel the myth that you need to have a super-fast quad-core computer to view or edit the footage. Follow these 2 steps and you’ll be editing HD footage even with only 2GB of RAM and a 2.0 GHz processor.

1. Download/buy the Xilisoft HD Video Converter.

Believe me I’ve tried all kinds of video converters and this one works the best with the most features. What this converter will do (if you tinker around with the correct settings) is convert your .mts file (the format of your video straight from the camera) to a lower bitrate video file. You will still get that high definition video out – except with a lower bitrate. Although this does decrease the quality of your video just a very tiny bit, you will not even notice it. The outcome: The ability to play HD video at high resolution on a slow computer. Also as an added bonus your converted files will be smaller in size so you’ll be able to fit more video onto your hard drive. You can burn the original raw files to DVD for safekeeping.

2. Download/buy Adobe Premiere Elements (version 7 preferred).

This is hands down the best consumer video editing software that I’ve used. You will be able to import the converted files (or even the raw mts files) into the program and you will be amazed at the amount of editing you can do with it. Almost everything you would want is in here (even the green screen effect), so I wouldn’t bother with the Pro version of this (Adobe Premiere Pro) because unless you’re a professional you will not even notice the difference between the two. You can export in almost any format – even burn to Blu-ray or DVD.

Now for a more in depth review of the camera:

> The Cine mode works in giving movie-like tones, but don’t use it with the suggested 24p setting – your footage will be blurred if you move the camera a lot. Use the 60i setting instead.

> The optical stabilization does not work as well as I had hoped. Unless you use it with 60i you’ll still get blurred motion if you pan the camera. But then again, this camera only costs [...] bucks.

> The battery life is alright, unless you’re planning to record a live even that’s longer than 94 minutes. You could just purchase an after-market battery to give you more time.

> The audio that gets recorded by the camera’s built-in microphone is alright, unless you plan to shoot an interview of some sort. Then you would need a lavalier microphone like this one: [...]

The audio that the camera captures once this microphone is connected is superb and reminiscent of a professional documentary’s audio.

> One gripe that I have is that you have to plug the camera into a power supply and then connect it by USB cord to actually transfer footage to the computer. Why we can’t just connect it by USB alone is anyone’s guess. By the way, do not waste money on a card reader. Transferring by USB is just as easy and the cord is included in the package.

> Also Canon tells you that you should use only their software to transfer and edit your footage: YOU DO NOT. Just browse for the camera in your “Computer” folder. From there you’ll find it soon enough. Another thing: the Pixela software is horrible, do not use it.

> The manual focus and audio features, plus playing around with shutter speed and depth of focus will keep you interested in this camera for a long time. Again, it almost seems like a professional camera with all the features that are included

Overall, if you’re low on budget, but are looking for a great camera for a low price – you can’t go wrong with the Canon HF200.

Nice little beast but poor software
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
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 manually: 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.

The default BP-809 battery provided is good for 1 hour of recording, I suggest you match your battery model to the duration of your memory card. For instance, if you have a 32GB card that can store 3 hours of video (at highest quality), get the BP-827 battery that provides 3 hours of battery life.

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 much, 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 tripod 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, unless you have a Blu-ray writer. 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.

Windows 7 update (01/26/2010): While you still need to install the driver tools in Vista Ultimate for MTS playback, none of this is required for Windows 7 Ultimate, it can play the MTS files natively and the Import Wizard will start automatically as soon as you insert the SD card in your computer’s card reader.

Low light conditions unacceptable
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Most of the video I take are usually indoors. Low light does not mean moonlight setting. I’m taking just normal indoor lighting conditions when there are no outside light coming in.

The camera I got was horrible. Grainy was an understatement. I’m talking big black flakes. I dont know what some of these good reviews are talking about, this product should never been made. I returned for a Sony XR100. That one was not so good in low-lights too. But not horrific like this Canon. The Sony had a lot of digital noise.

On the other side, in out door lighting, the Cannon was excellent. I still feel because of the black flakes (large), this product should never have been made. Extreme unacceptable.

Best indoor video in this price range
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was needing an HD camcorder when our older standard def one broke. I first tried the JVC Everio GZ-HM200 Dual SD High-Def Camcorder (Black) but found the indoor video was horrible. That’s what we use it for 90% of the time so indoor is important. The HF200 indoor quality was about 75% better than the HM200, plus you get the bonus of optical stabilization and its slightly heavier so I think its actually a bit easier to hold.

I DO NOT like the hand strap on this Canon. I have small to medium hands and almost can’t get it tight enough, but my husbands huge hands are almost too big to fit in the strap at all. The JVC HM200 was far superior in that regard, their design is genius for me. The canon menus offer a lot more adjustment options, but they aren’t as intuitive. I had to look through the book several times and the book is just not user friendly. There’s no quick start guide, and it’s like reading the most boring textbook ever.

Aside from that, the most important thing is image quality and ease of use. I have to give it 5 stars for that. once you learn the menus and how it “thinks” then it’s easy. Outdoor video is also excellent, but indoor was really my primary concern. I hope this lasts at least 5 years. The ease of the SDHC cards is really great, especially when you get one of those little Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader TS8GSDHC6-S5Ws for it. [...]

I sent back the JVC and kept the Canon. Return process with Amazon was simple, 7 days from my ship date to refund on my card. If I decide to get an extended warranty on this I’m considering SquareTrade, I’ve read great things about them.

Low quality, non ergonomic, BROKEN
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I will cut short.

* I am a male standard size, the places of the buttons are wrong, very hard to use, you’ll get finger-ache.

* Ergonomy 2/10

* LCD display 6/10

* Record quality 5/10

My unit broke after 5 mins of recording. (I think this is a very important point, it broke NOT immediately.)

If you want to buy this unit, first begin recording and wait at least 10 mins.

Because i am a international customer, Canon and Vanns were upset(!?) And they did NOT help me. Just pointing out their sadness and giving meaningless suggestions.

I thought myself the meaning of the word that U.S. discovered: “Globalization”. Globalization my a.. .

Great camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camera. I got it a couple weeks ago and I’m shooting a documentary with it right now. The size of it is really nice for me, cause I have enough equipment to carry around without having a bigger camera and case. Plus I can shoot anywhere easily and even though it’s really light, it’s not hard to hold the camera pretty steady.

The image looks great in most situations. It’s not too bad for low light, there’s a little fuzz, but it’s not as bad as other cameras I have worked with. Trust me, I am getting footage in dark music venues.

I have only used some of the features so far, but everything I have used works good. One thing that I am having a problem with is the fact that the accessory shoe is “mini” so I have to buy an adapter in order to mount a mic on it, and the adapter I’m trying to order is out of stock :-/

I wasn’t planning on using any of the software that came with it, so I didn’t think it would be a problem at all, but now I have videos that I originally imported through iMovie that are compressed, I saved the .mts files to my hard drive, so I want to transfer them back to the camera and re-import them through Final Cut now that I’ve figured out how to do that, but I can’t get the Pixela software to let me do it, even though that’s supposedly what it is for… By the way, some of the software it comes with is only for Windows. There’s only 1 thing that works on Mac, but I guess you shouldn’t really need too much of it anyway on a Mac…

For those of you working with Final Cut, you can import the .mts files directly into FC without having to use a convertor. You just go to file>log and transfer, with your camera plugged into to the USB and turned on and it brings up the files in a window. All you have to do is click on one, edit the log info, and click “add to que” (or something like that). That’s it.

Sweet!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Had this a few weeks. Previously only had old vhs C. Love the lightweight and general layout of buttons. Seem fairly intuitive and easy to find. My hands are large and the record and zoom button are a little hard to use. No big deal though. Have not used it in HD mode yet but VERY satisfied with videos on lower resolution currently. Nice to have the ability to go HD when I get the equipment. I do not save videos to computer currently or do any editing. Save them directly to DVD with a set top recorder so I have not tried the software that came with it. Battery life seems like it should be longer. Will probably get extra battery soon. Got a 8Gb class 6 sandisk extreme III and works great! Optical image stabilization is great! Without it I would have terrible stomach wrenching videos. Zoom seems sufficient for our use(home videos, amateur photo). Have not used it in snapshot mode yet.

Excellent video quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have just used this for few days now. I love the video quality. The zoom control is also very good. I really like continuous shooting mode (a plus for a video camera) and ability to take a picture from a playback scene.

I think its the best value out there in high class HD camcorders. Its very compact too.

HD Cam
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This HD camcorder is sweettttt, when i first saw the video quality i was speechless, then i was couldn’t stop talking, i mean the quality is amazing. transfering files to the PC is quick and easy especially if you have a card reader. the video format used is MTS, didn’t give me any problem when inporting it into after effects, but you may still need a video convertor, i found a freeware known as SUPER to convert my files as needed.

the camcorder is small and at first, it may feel a little strange, but in less than 5 minutes you’ll get used to it. compared to my last camcorder, which wasn’t hd, the HF200 sound playback quality is great, even without the use of a mic, but i haven’t tested it in any extreme situation, such as a windy day or so.

battery life is about 1 hour 30 minutes, on highest quality setting, the video is alright at nights… well compared to my previous camcorder which was the JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30 GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom (Blue).

all in all i’m very satisfied with this camcorder and i would buy it again if i was given the choice.

So close…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera has a lot going for it. It’s really small and easily fits in a jacket pocket. It has an incredible number of controls and adjustments if you’re the type that wants to tinker with the settings. While it has shutter priority and aperture priority modes, unfortunately there’s no full manual mode. This isn’t so bad for an inexpensive consumer camcorder. I was worried for a minute that this camera didn’t have any form of manual focus. It is there in the menus, but it would be much better if it had a dedicated dial.

For the folks looking for info on the different frame rate modes and not finding much information, I have good news. I was able to get true 24 frame footage from this camera. It’s confusing as the specs say 24 frames recorded at 60i. The footage I recorded in 24p mode imported into iMovie at 29.97. But I was able to take that footage into After Effects and when I told it to guess the 3:2 pulldown pattern, it successfully interpreted the footage at 23.976 fps (essentially 24) and there were no interlace issues, just 24 whole frames a second. I’m assuming other software can handle this conversion too, maybe even iMovie?

The image quality is really fantastic, especially for footage shot outdoors. I would be thrilled with this camera if it weren’t for one issue. Areas with fine detail (like trees and greenery) tend to strobe or pulse, especially in a wide shot. It usually looks fine when I zoom in closer. It can be very distracting. It shows up on all 3 frame rate modes. It seems a little less pronounced with the low sharpening mode turned on, but of course this makes the image clarity softer. In some shots it’s not apparent at all, but in others it practically ruins the shot for my taste. (I’m very picky!) It’s not too bad when the camcorder is on a tripod, but handheld shots tend to have this strobing problem. Is anyone else noticing this issue and have you found a solution? I might just be expecting too much.

Also, people like to complain about the low light ability of this camera, but I find it perfectly acceptable. Yeah, it’s not amazing, but for the price of this camera, I think it’s pretty good.

Canon HF200
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera as a replacement for my 8 year old Sony 8mm recorder. I used it on a trip to Alaska. It was easy to use and the HD pictures are astonishing! Although smaller than my previous camcorder, I was able to hold it and use the zoom and on/off buttons quite easily. The battery will last for a day’s worth of recording (about 60 minutes).

Picky Picky
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I just received the camera, extended battery, bag, card, etc. I always appreciate the reviews left on Amazons site. I go there first because I believe most of its customers are knowledgeable about the products bought there. However I must admit I was, and still am a bit surprised at the thumbnail photos that are in the ad. One shows the two Cannon cameras. If you scroll over them they say HF 200 terrible camera? Huh. So far it is a great camera and takes great video. I don’t understand how Amazon allows that picture to stay up on their site?

I think the regular Joe Schmoe that buys this camera is going to think the video quality is awesome for the price, but as mentioned a million times the software should not be downloaded to your computer. I have the Adobe and use that to edit all my videos. Of course that is a costly program for some so Cannon should definitely set you up with better software right out of the box than that Pixela crap. Anyway I think the camera, so far, is quite good. Not a $2000 camera, but still takes very good vid. I bought this for a bang around camcorder instead of taking my Cannon S10 on Bike rides. It is Autumn up here in NH so hopefully I get some leafy shots on Youtube soon.

Really nice camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
We bought this so we could start taking home movies. We wanted something that would do a good quality HD picture and had decent image stabilization.

We’ve used it around the house and on trips and the picture is great, even when it’s not using the highest settings. We’ve watched the output on a 52″ 1080p HDTV and it’s really brilliant.

There are a ton of options on this – a TON – and that makes operation a little overwhelming at first. You can definitely just point-and-shoot with it, but if you want to use the light on the front for a night shot or if you want to change the settings so you can do low lighting or faster action or whatever… it’s not the most straightforward thing. You’ll definitely want to take the manual with you if you travel so if you decide to run around with the camera you can quickly look to see how to change relevant settings you think you’ll need before you leave the hotel.

The software that comes with the camera is garbage. Cumbersome, not easy to use, not too straightforward. It also doesn’t do a whole lot beyond getting the film off the camera and onto your computer. I ended up getting a copy of Sony Vegas to do editing.

The expandability of the memory using SD/SDHC cards is great and one of the reasons I picked this model over one that didn’t have expandable memory. Run out of space on a trip? No problem, put a new card in and keep running.

Do be warned that HD video eats space for breakfast. I was unaware of how big HD video files really were until I got this. You’ll want to do some test shoots to see how big the files are vs. where you’re planning on storing them long-term. You could easily make some videos that might be too big to burn onto a DVD for archiving.

You’ll also find that, at least for PC folks, Windows computers before Windows 7 don’t play AVCHD files (the kind of files this records) out of the box. You have to install either the garbage software they provide or something else to view these on your computer. You can, of course, play the videos directly off the camera to your TV, but that would mean you’ve kept all your home movies on your camera. You’re going to have to pull them off sometime.

Battery life is decent, but not extravagant. You’ll get between two and four hours of shooting between charges, pending on how much you zoom and whether you turn the camera off between shots to conserve power.

All in all, though, I’m pleased with the camera. It gives me somewhere to start, and when I get more pro about things I have the additional options to use. The quality is great regardless of whether you’re just running around town doing some video or trying for something more “artistic.” Given the choice, I’d totally buy this again.

Best consumer HD camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just came back from family vacation from sunny Mexico, connected camcorder via HDMI cable to my HDTV, and I was stunned. Picture quality from this camcorder was amassing and comparable to if not better then blu ray DVD. Outdoors shoots were comparable to professionally done movies, color were vibrant and rich, but not over saturated. They were natural, and accurate. Sharpness was excellent, and thanks to superfast auto focus you do not vast firs few very important seconds of your video on un usful video footage. Indoor footage was a little bit granny, but considering low light conditions I did not expect better results. You can use built in video light to improve video image for close shoots (which did help), but I plan on purchasing external video light that you can connect via hot shoe connector. You can do a ton of adjustments on this camcorder, and that was important to me since I used to work as a cameraman for TV station. Sound was great, and you can control level of sound recorder during recording (this is one of many professional tools in consumer camcorder in this price range offered only by CANON). Still photos were great quality. Do not let relatively low number of pixels on this camcorder to confuse you. This camcorder is equipped with 3.3 MP chip, good enough to reproduce stunning still pictures as big as 8×10. If you want to make poster size pics, than you would need more mega pixels. This camcorder is so small and lightweight that I fit in in camcorder/camera bag that I carry on my belt. I owned this camcorder for only 7 days and I am vary satisfied with my purchase.

Prior to this one I owned several Sony camcorders (analog and digital), and I was big fan of them, but I have to say: GOODBY SONY, HELLO CANON.

A great videocamera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve owned this for about 4 months now, and I use it to shoot the videos for my wife’s website ([...]). I use it with an external lavalier microphone, and edit the films using iMovie (to which the camera transfers videos quite easily).

The HD looks beautiful at full screen, and people always comment on how great they look and sound.

I’ve read that the low light performance can be less than stellar so if that’s important to you I’d do some research on that angle, but I dont have much experience there as all my videos have been shot with studio lights on.

Good camera, poor software
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a nice, feature-rich, future-resistant camera for the price. There are a vast array of features on the camera, some of which I will likely never use, and many of which I will not use for months or years – until my familiarity and understanding of the camera catches up or I have an explicit need.

I have one minor whine and one substantial complaint. My whine is that the camera must be placed into playback mode when attached to a computer in order to be recognized. My complaint is with the software bundled with the camera. For such an excellent camera, the bundled software is among the poorest video management applications I’ve ever encountered. A note on burning DVDs that may save you considerable time if you’re attempting to do so from the included software: it does not even recognize a DVD+R, and you -MUST- use DVD-R discs (which I’m not sure about the functionality of, I ended up using a different program). I ended up using “Free AVCHD Converter” from http://www.koyotesoft.com to convert from high definition to burn to DVD. PLEASE NOTE: this would probably not have been mandatory had I recorded using one of the settings that matches DVD requirements. However, I wanted the high definition recording available when I move to a Blue Ray or hi-def TV. For the time being, I’m resampling to a lower bitrate.

I will try to provide updates to this information as I become more familiar with the camera.

Canon Vixia HF200 HD
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great camcorder so far. You will want to turn off the image stabilizer feature if you ever pan with the camera. If image stabilizer is on you get a lot of image pause and jerk when you move. With it turned off you have great HD video! Pay close attention to the fact the camcorder ships with NO flash memory installed so you will need to order SDHC card(s) that are at least a “class 4″ card,the higher the better.

Just Beware
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I Believe this camera is great. It’s just above your average models. I’ve used for a week now filming basic family stuff, kids sports and it works great. It shows great video through a the HDMI cable on my HD TV as well (cable does not come with camera).

The problem I have now is trying to get my computer to read the files. My memory is full and need put on DVD now. After doing some research I found out that camera requires new software and for whatever reason Canon does not provide the proper software to do this with the camera. The files that you will be dealing with, will be CPI or MTS files. I’m not very savvy about this stuff, but I understand now that I have to buy a new program that will read these files and because they are fairly new files, there isn’t that many programs out there yet. The programs range from $75 and up, so now you can add this to your cost. After my research every new HD camcorder brand is pretty much having similiar problems.

http://www.internetvideomag.com/Articles_2008/022408_HD_Video_Editing.htm

I just stumbled across this. I hope you have a new, big, powerful computer to operate this camcorder as well, if not, your looking at another $1000 for a computer to handle this thing. This camcorder is ahead of it’s time right now. Pc’s and software are trying to keep up with them.

To look for software, google video editing software, to get a good idea what you’re up against.

Like I said, so far the camcorder itself works great. I see a bunch of people complaining about the low light filming being grainy, but if you have ever owned a camcorder, you will know that they all do that. unless you spend over $2000-$2500 for a one.

I gave this 3 stars only because I’m not happy that Canon didn’t provide the proper software in the box in the first place.

If any of you ever had any problems with this or found a better solution, please let me know or leave comments.

Great Camcorder-note about sd cards
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
So far no complaints about the camera. One thing about the SD cards. The owner manual says to use class 4 or higher SDHC cards. What it doesn’t say is that the camera will only recognize class 4 and 6 of the higher end cards. A camera guru at Bestbuy talked me into a class 10 for best performance, but it won’t record on the two highest quality settings because the class 10 cards came out after the production of the camera and it won’t recognize them for the FXP and MXP quality.

Battery has short life and can only be charged in camera. Canon should send wall charger with camera.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did a lot of research and decided on this Canon Camcorder. We used it during Christmas with grandkids and the only problem was the life of the battery. You can only charge the battery while it is in the Camcorder, not good. Canon should provide a was charger. We are not professional Video geeks but when the shots we made we played on the 55″ Samsung they looked great.

Class 10 Beware!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This camera does not accept anything over a Class 6 card. Don’t buy a Class 10 card – the HF200 thinks it’s only a Class 1.

Better yet.. wait till the next camera comes out!

Very impressive camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am extremely impressed with this camera, both the video and still shot capability. The video is sharp and clear and one can put over two hours on a 16 GB SDHC card in the FXP mode (next to the highest resolution). It indexes each video ‘segment’ as a thumbnail making it easy to review any segment and even delete that segment if one desires. Since there is no motor to spin a hard drive or tape drive, the battery life is excellent.

Excellent picture quality and ease of use
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camcorder to replace the Canon FS200 standard def camera, which I wasn’t happy with because of the poor video quality. I have been very pleased with this unit. I bought a 16GB flash card with it, and it gives me about 1.5 hrs of recording time on the highest resolution setting. Things I like about this camera: (1) The video quality is outstanding. Color/contrast, sharpness, and auto-focus all exceed my expectations for a home camcorder. When playing video from the HF200 on a 52″ 1080i HDTV, everyone always comments about how sharp and clear the video is. (2) Built-in mic captures sound with very good fidelity. (3) Still photo feature is pretty darn good, although still a step below a dedicated still camera. (4) Menus and settings are intuitive and easy to use. (5) Zoom control is very responsive and smooth. No sudden jerkiness, etc. (6) It’s a flash memory camcorder, making it small and compact. No moving parts like a hard drive based camcorder. (7) Compact size of this camcorder makes it easy to carry around. Controls are well placed so that even those with larger hands will be able to operate this small camera without too much difficulty. What I don’t like about this camera: (1) The file sizes are HUGE! But, this is HD, so that is to be expected. Be ready to buy a NAS like the HP EX490 or similar to store these enormous files. (2) Battery life isn’t that great. Maybe 1.5 hrs on a regular battery, but I hear there is an extended battery you can get. Or buy a second regular battery. Caveats: You have to have a pretty recent computer with decent processor speed and memory in order to view or edit the HD files this camcorder produces. My system, which is a Core 2 Duo T7300 2.00GHz, 2.0GB RAM, integrated video, and Windows 7 seems like the bare minimum you should have to process the video from this camcorder. Windows 7 supports the AVCHD format of the HF200 natively. Other reviewers have commented that that older OS’s do not. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase of the HF200. Just make sure your computer and storage capability is up to the task.

Good Buy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This one come with a remote and is pretty sturdy. i just wish that the battery life was a lil more than 90minutes.

Great Little Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s a little on the small side, so it can be hard to hold. Other than that, it’s great. Video quality is good and I just take it straight off of the SD card instead of using the software interface. I find the software unreliable and incomplete at best.

Great Camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really like this camcorder. I wanted to move from tapes to SD Memory cards for ease of file transfer. I have had this camcorder for about a month or so now an really love this camcorder. The quality in well lit situations is great! I haven’t even shot the highest quality setting and still love the picture it creates on a large HD set with good sound as well. Some reviews talk about the quality in low light not being great but I would wager that is going to be similiar in most camcorders in this price range. I think it is amazing is good light and very good in low light. The controls are well thought out and easily accessible and coming from a camera about twice the size I think it is very light. I would like to get an extended life battery at some time to cut down on the # of recharges but not a big deal to me. Other reviews have also mentioned the capture software that came with the camera a being poor. I actually don’t know as I have not used it. I just take the SD Memory card and pop it into the memory card reader on my PC and copy the files over.

To summarize I would highly recommend this camera.

Really Canon? Really?
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
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.

Pretty good for entry level HD Cam
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Disclaimer, coming from tape cams, this is my first HD cam.

Pro:

1. Cheap for what it is

2. Small and light weight – not always a good thing especially when zoomed all the way in, need a pod for that.

3. Amazing white balance! Better than my Canon 5D still camera, shame on Canon! Low light, indoor, artificial lights, no problem for this baby!

4. Amazing battery life, fast charge, slow to drain.

5. Easy to operate, very intuitive to use.

6. Much better than expected still photos for a 3mp camera! Put my wife’s Casio ultra slim to shame!

Neutral:

1. I think the technology today is such that the HD format, compatibility, the level of compression, the speed of USB2, the size of hard disk and its general reliability, the power of the generic home PC most of us mortal uses, all hinders the wide adaptability of these HD cams. They are just not to user friendly once the scene has been recorded by the cam. The post processing, the transport, storage are all serious and time consuming jobs. Not that the old tape cams were any easier. But these digital cams are not as user friendly as the digital still cameras, especially if you want to keep the high quality recordings.

2. 15x zoom is not as impressive as it looks on paper. The wide end is not that wide. The long end needs to have a stable platform to get best results. Also, the minimum focus distance increases as you zoom in, very annoying when shooting near by scenes.

Con:

The noise level in low light indoor condition is awful! This of course is expected, at this price point, at this stage of the tech evolution. But still, it’s kinda disappointing coming from Canon who made so much progress on its DSLR side of things in this particular area – high ISO noise.

Bottom line:

It’s worth the money for what it is. But don’t expect too much from this one if you intend to use mostly indoor in low light. Also, the HD recordings are not as easy to deal with as RAW and JPEGs from DSLRs The difference is more like day and night. This baby is strictly for family fun.