I want to get a Canon Camcorder

Should I get a Vixia HF10 or should I wait and get a Vixia HF11 or the HG20?

I am not certain which one to buy. Does anyone have any insight?

There'll all great cams. It all comes down to how much u want to spend, Hard drive or flash memory, & patience to wait for the HF11. I would search for the lowest priced cam, purchase it now from a trusted source of course & go from there.

The HF11 has the highest bitrate to date, 24mpbs..the limit of AVCHD. It remains to be seen how much this really impacts PQ, but I downloaded a few clips and it does seem to help with some scenes.

I've been put off by what I feel are color issues in the HF10/100, so I'm hoping that Canon gets that straightened out in the new HF11. So if it were me, I'd hold off for the new units.

wobbling shutter

Strongbadia, do u have a avchd camcorder?

No, I do not at the moment. Why do you ask?

No, I do not at the moment. Why do you ask?
If I were u I would find the lowest priced avchd camcorder purchase it. Doing that just to get familiar with the avchd codec, with your PC or Mac, HDTV etc. That way u can wait to see want comes out & have a avchd camcorder to work with. Just a thought.

If I were u I would find the lowest priced avchd camcorder purchase it. Doing that just to get familiar with the avchd codec, with your PC or Mac, HDTV etc. That way u can wait to see want comes out & have a avchd camcorder to work with. Just a thought.


Well I dont know what my current HDD cameras codec is. I can learn about avchd. What do you know about it in terms of PCs?

I'm no expert, but do have a critical eye and found a camera shop willing to loan out cameras. I've shot with a Pan SD9, Sony SR12, HC9, and Canon HF100, HV30 in various side by side tests. That's the order I'd rank them as far as PQ. All had incredible images and I'd recommend any. I prefer the HF100 for its HV30 PQ and solid state design.

I've found each brand to have its issues... at least with the cameras I've used, Canon HF/HV bumps up magentas, Panasonic SD9 over saturates green (and over exposes in general), Sony SR/HC just likes under saturation (less so with the SR series). What I do like about Canon over Sony is skin tones seem healthier (warmer hues + greater contrast) where as Sony can look pasty (almost clay like) in bright light. Sony probably has the most accurate color, but bumping up the color/contrast as Canon makes for a more dynamic 3 dimensional image. Canon also has a sharper image and does FAR better than either in low light. For some reason I also noticed less rolling shutter effects (wobble) with Canon than Sony (the SD9 didn't have any since it has a CCD, but it had a similarly annoying digital stutter when panning).

Aside from picture quality (which IS really what matters), the Sony has a much better ergonomic team. The HF100 feels good and solid, but the SRs still have an edge. The HV30, with its textured plastic tape door and bad strap, really needs to mimic Sony closer! The SD9 has the worse strap of all, but it weighs almost nothing!

Menu/interface is close between Canon and Sony IMO. I actually prefer Sony's touch screen and don't have an issue with finger prints. Canon's joystick takes some getting use to but works very well, unlike the SD9 which is oddly placed.

As far as HF100 vs HF11, as Ken said, it is yet to be seen. Canon is winning the Mbsp race which is great for marketing, but from all the initial reports, the HF11 has little if any difference in real world shooting. The HF100 can also be easily found for $600 currently, which is a great deal right now (search for MS Live Cash Back and you can drop another $75!).

If you get the HF100 you'll want to get an extra battery or two. The battery life is pretty bad. I shot with a HF100 and SD9 side by side for only a couple hours (not continuous, but normal shooting) and the HF100's battery died. The SD9 still showed 40 minutes! So figure $60 x 1 or 2.

I was looking at the Sony HDR SR11 or the Canon HG20.

Those were the higher end ones that I wanted. It is really important to me for the camera I get to have a mic jack.

Other things, I can manipulate with editing programs. A pain in the ass, yes, but doable.

Any reports on the HG20? I have been recommenced to get it.

What are your PC specs Strongbadia?

Well personally I like the Sony HDR SR11 better than the Canon HG20. To be frank I don't have either of them, but my friend got a Sony HDRTG1 works great with nice picture. But if you want to compare more I suggest you to check out some reviews for them on line.

I have several computers.

The one that is the best is a Vista 32 with 2GB Ram and 3 Ghz processor.

Not screaming fast, but it gets the job done.

I have read the reviews . . .they stink for the most part. I dont like the way people review products. They never tell me anything.

For example, the idiots at Cnet complain about **** I would never complain about. So, they are obviously not geared towards me.

I have read the reviews . . .they stink for the most part. I dont like the way people review products. They never tell me anything.

For example, the idiots at Cnet complain about **** I would never complain about. So, they are obviously not geared towards me.Reviews can be good guides, but they can not meet your experience level, your abilities and your expectations....



Rich

I have read the reviews . . .they stink for the most part. I dont like the way people review products. They never tell me anything.So why are you posting here?

You seem to know what you want and have the answers.

The only thing you will get here are more reviews.

I do not have all the answers.

I want users' opinions. People who actually have the cameras or know more about them.

I don't think there is much bad about that.

Here's a couple of things for you then:

1. Get the HF100 and a 4Gb SDHC card. It's cheaper than the HF10 and you'll get to play with AVCHD. You will need a bigger card for more than 30mins of shooting time.
2. Get better PC hw. I upped mine ready for Vista (and don't use it) then upped it again when I saw what doing AVC -> SD DVD did to my fairly well tuned XP Pro SP2 system. AVCHD to AVCHD (or BD) is a wash if you have sw that will not re-render.

However, if your sw re-renders, then this is an overnight job.

Seggers

Seggers,

Thanks! I am still debating on Cannon's HF 10, HF 100, HG 10, HG 20 or Sony's HDR Sr 11. They all look good to me! I cannot tell which one is the best. They all use AVCHD I believe. I will have to play with the format yes, but I have no idea if my computer or SW takes that format well or not. I am thinking that for what I am doing that the cameras might not matter and the differences are slight. The recording i.e. flash HDD or something else is probably the biggest consideration.

So any input is appreciated!

I had/have a PAL based Sony tape camcorder (PC-100E). When enough was enough, I wanted to bypass tape (for its size), HDD (for the risk) and went straight to card.

No moving parts, smaller medium size, better resolution and smaller files. For that, the SDHC route was a no brainer for me.

Seggers