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Canon HF20 / HF200 Official Owner's Thread

177K views 820 replies 197 participants last post by  Jan J 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I saw many other models had their own "official" thread...so, why not one for ours? I don't really care which direction this takes, as long as it's on the topic of this camcorder. I just bought the HF20 yesterday (and am also a quasi-newb), and will be reporting in the days to come. Some possible topics of discussion:


Discuss your experiences shooting different scenes (outside, indoor with low light, outside under street lights, etc.) and the settings which have proven most successful under those conditions. If it's a custom or manual setting that has best served you, please provide those settings, as well!


What are you experiences with the supplied Pixela software? What software have you had most success in editing, etc. with? What do you think is the minimum specs for a computer to smoothly edit/render these buggery AVCHD files? This seems to be a common problem.


Any comments on accessories. Off brand extra batteries/chargers, additional lenses (wide-angle, etc.), microphones, even tripods, camera bags, whatever!


Anyway, I hope you guys find some interest in this. I look forward to sharing/learning from you all! Alright, enough of the Kumbaya...Have fun!
 
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#52 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jerome8283 /forum/post/17089088


Thanks for responding Francois. What PC config do you have, MAC, PC, Memory, CPU and Processor?

My main editing machine is a 2.66 GHz Intel Dual Core Asus rackmount server with 2 GB of memory, a PCIE sound card, Windows 7, and Sony Vegas Platinum.


The computer can't play the raw files perfectly, but that's not important. Once the files are edited and the final video is rendered however, everything plays properly.


I actually prefer to render my videos in 720p instead of 1080p. I can play them flawlessly on most netbooks, upload them on YouTube, give them to friends and family on cheap memory cards...
 
#53 ·
I email'd Canon asking for greater detail on the wide angle lens, and location where I could see it in person, or link to clips with it used with test charts....

I got this bacik: (I removed information they sent that was not about the Wide Angle lens)...



2. WD-H37 II Wide-converter. This lens decreases focal length by a

factor of 0.7, giving you a wide perspective for indoor shots or

panoramic views.


a. When the Wide-converter is attached, a shadow may appear in the

picture when you record with flash or mini video light.


b. When taking photos with a 4:3 aspect ratio with the

Wide-converter attached, depending on the position of the zoom, the

Wide-converter's frame may appear in the picture.


3. FS-H37U Filter Set, the Neutral density and MC protector filters

help you to control difficult lighting conditions.


The FILTER DIAMETER is 37mm.


Regrettably, we do no have any sample clips available to view from this

camera.
 
#54 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois Caron /forum/post/17089808


My main editing machine is a 2.66 GHz Intel Dual Core Asus rackmount server with 2 GB of memory, a PCIE sound card, Windows 7, and Sony Vegas Platinum.


The computer can't play the raw files perfectly, but that's not important. Once the files are edited and the final video is rendered however, everything plays properly.


I actually prefer to render my videos in 720p instead of 1080p. I can play them flawlessly on most netbooks, upload them on YouTube, give them to friends and family on cheap memory cards...


ok I should be fine with my wife's PC, 3GHZ, Intel Dual Core with 3 GB of memory. Thanks
 
#58 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by sd72667 /forum/post/17092725


I have the HG-21. Just received it a couple days ago.

No I don't think it is the same. The HF 21 is similiar to the HF S11 that is up for preorder right now. I found it while looking up information on older camera's from Canon and can be found here.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...delFeaturesAct


It doesn't show up on there regualar listing and does not have an overview. It also lists a Sept 2009 date but retailers seam to have it posted yet. I'm guessing Canon is keeping it quiet to help boast sales of the HF S11 which is the new king of their hill in the consumer world.


Either way my overall question is if the newer stabalization is worth extra money.
 
#60 ·
First, the size of the camcorder is comparable to the size of a soda can. But I've never felt like stuffing either of them in my pants pocket!


Second, the info on the HF21 is now available. The only significant difference I could find aside from the built-in memory is the OIS, which is called SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization on the HF200, and Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization on the HF21.


No indication on what are the performance differences aside from a demo clip, which could easily be a fake.


EDIT: just noticed in the fine print that the Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization only applies to video. All you get with still images is the SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization i.e. non-dynamic.


Now I'm confused.
 
#61 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois Caron /forum/post/17099142


Second, the info on the HF21 is now available. The only significant difference I could find aside from the built-in memory is the OIS, which is called SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization on the HF200, and Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization on the HF21.

I see that the built-in memory is now doubled as compared to the HF20, 64gb as opposed to 32gb. If it sells for the same street price as the HF20, it might be a worthwhile upgrade to the HF200 because now the price difference narrows considerably with card purchases in mind. Four cheap 16gb cards are half the $300 price difference between the HF20 and the HF200....


Not to mention the cooler paint job.



Then again, does this mean that we can look forward to an HF210? The super-duper image stabilizer probably isn't going to be enough of an upgrade for them to release a new model. I'm guessing that Canon figured out what the consumers already figured out, that the giant price difference between the 20 and the 200 was hard to justify when you realize how many memory cards you can buy for those hundreds of dollars.
 
#63 ·
Hi again all. Sorry about the break in the action here, but I wanted to give my Canon DM-100 Microphone Review as I've had it hooked up to my HF200 for the past week.




First off: Right out of the box I loved the look and feel of this quality little microphone. It looks great on the camcorder, not big and goofey like some of the other mic pictures I've seen on these cameras. The Mic is pretty light too, adds a little weight but not bad. And as most of you know, it fits right into the accessory shoe on top of the camera and pulls it's power from the camcorder battery, so you have no wires or extra battery to worry about. Everything looks and fits nice and clean.




Now for the performance. Outside on a moderate to windy day this mic performs awesome. I slip on the wind muff and it elliminates almost all the wind distortion. You can still hear people and other sounds, and you can hear the wind gusting but it sounds natural, not the krinkling crackling noise of the wind pushing against the mic. That's the good part.


Now the not so good, the indoor performance. I've tested this mic's 3 settings; Shotgun, 90 degree, and 120 degree stereo against the built-in internal mic. I've recorded people talking, music playing, video games, and TV. As much as I would love to say it makes a huge improvement, I can't say that. You can tell a difference when using the dm-100, but I can't say it sounds much "better". A tad more bass and depth to the sound. But that's it. But to be fair, I have not done enough real life situational testing to really say for sure about it's benefits. Also I need to do more research on the mic settings to know where the ideal mic level would be. It's just so hard to find anything.


In conclusion, I like this microphone and am going to keep it. It's exceeded my expectations for outside shooting and under-whelmed me for inside recording. However, I still believe I will be able to extract better performance out of this Mic once I learn all the ins and outs. The bottom line is I think it should be cheaper, more like 100 dollars. At a little over $150 it seems like a bit much. I'm not recomending this mic but I'm not saying it's a bad purchase either. Hope my rambling has helped someone.


Would appreciate any advice on how to get the most out of this mic and I will share more as I learn.
 
#64 ·
Actually its 4 custom settings..

Go into Settings prior to Menu/Image Effect, and move over to last selection, CUSTOM EFFECT


And in that there are 4 trim settings, each with +0- settings:

Color Depth

Sharpness

Contrast

Brightness
 
#65 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Audio_Newbies /forum/post/17093056


Can you fit the HF200 in a pants pocket without it sticking out? From what I gather it's about the size of a soda can? Is that a fair assessment?

Careful, saying "about the size of a soda can" got Clarence Thomas into trouble...



I put my HF200 in my shorts pocket during most of our last vacation -it fit just fine -and not too heavy either.
 
#66 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ingeborgdot /forum/post/17100097


For you guys that own the HF200 I have a question. How do you think the AVCHD is compared to HDV format? What does it require to make it work well on your computer? Thanks for any info you are willing to give. I was told I should avoid AVCHD.

AVCHD is capable of higher bitrate recording with more color depth (4:2:0 vs HDV's 4:1:1 [4:4:4 is the best]), but at the cost of much more computer horsepower needed when ingesting and editing footage. I do mine on a new iMac with 2gigs of RAM and Final Cut Pro with no problem


The other big advantage is the files can be imported as fast as your computer can handle them, vs HDV (or any DV's) real-time import.
 
#67 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by lurewars /forum/post/17101406


Hi again all. Sorry about the break in the action here, but I wanted to give my Canon DM-100 Microphone Review as I've had it hooked up to my HF200 for the past week.

Thanks for the review -good info.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan J /forum/post/17104756


Actually its 4 custom settings..

Go into Settings prior to Menu/Image Effect, and move over to last selection, CUSTOM EFFECT


And in that there are 4 trim settings, each with +0- settings:

Color Depth

Sharpness

Contrast

Brightness

Nice! Thank you.
 
#68 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by rgdigital /forum/post/17111839


Careful, saying "about the size of a soda can" got Clarence Thomas into trouble...



I put my HF200 in my shorts pocket during most of our last vacation -it fit just fine -and not too heavy either.

Is that a camcorder in your pocket or are you just glad to see me. Sorry but I couldn't resist, lol.
 
#69 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by rgdigital /forum/post/17111839


Careful, saying "about the size of a soda can" got Clarence Thomas into trouble...



I put my HF200 in my shorts pocket during most of our last vacation -it fit just fine -and not too heavy either.

Were your wearing long baggy shorts, or short shorts? I'm just trying to really gauge the size. Did it noticibly stick out? Maybe someone has some reference pics they could post? Sorry for the questions, but for me portability is an extremely big issue.
 
#71 ·
I actually used a 8-9" Lowepro telephoto foam lenz case to take the camera, hdmi cable, and mini tripod to work... It fit fine.
 
#72 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drdiaboloco /forum/post/17099728


I see that the built-in memory is now doubled as compared to the HF20, 64gb as opposed to 32gb. If it sells for the same street price as the HF20, it might be a worthwhile upgrade to the HF200 because now the price difference narrows considerably with card purchases in mind. Four cheap 16gb cards are half the $300 price difference between the HF20 and the HF200....


Not to mention the cooler paint job.



Then again, does this mean that we can look forward to an HF210?

I had hoped the same for a 210 but history in the same line shows that the upgrades don't come to this level to the next full model cycle. I did find out from Canon why we couldn't find much on this camera. Its a Best Buy exclusive and is scheduled to release on 9/14. I checked and you can find it there. Its 100 over the HF20 on there site which is above online prices.


I would have prefered if it had come out as a general release. There will be no way to price match (if BB even will anymore). Unless they start with a sale which I don't expect you will be paying full MSRP. I'm not sure what to do. I found some .mpeg download of the image stabalization on the HF21 out of Japan. These appear to be real since they don't have the exact same footage in them like other demos I have found. The dynamic image stabalization looks really good if you going to walk at all but I don't know if its worth the extra price.


If online vendors would price the HF S11 down for competition it would be tough not to move up to that but I am guessing Canon will hold prices for a few weeks or months to get the initial high profit.
 
#73 ·
Hello,


A new proud owner of HF200. I need suggestions for a Sandisk card. I can get a 8GB Extreme III Class 6 for the same price as a 16GB Ultra II Class 4. Since the manual suggests anything Class 4 or above, what are my drawbacks of using the Class 4 instead of Class 6?

Thank you
 
#74 ·
I posted a separate thread after not finding my answer here but no one answered that thread so maybe know one knows the answer. I really want a double duty camera (video and stills). Is technology better than it was a bunch of years ago when I bought a 5 megapixel camera. The HF200 appears to do about 3.9 megapixels for stills. I bought the 5 mp about 5 years ago (give or take) because I could tell the difference on a 4X6 print out between a 4mp and 5mp. Is the 3.9 mp listed for stills the same as a 4mp camera? Not sure if they are talking about apples to apples or apples to oranges. Also, has anyone printed a still? If it is still not great for still images like the older digital cameras used to be, I may just go with the hf100 and save a few bucks since I can't get both or wait another year or as I would assume by then the camcorders would be shooting at least 5 mp stills.


Another thing, can someone explain how these camera's can shoot HD video but can't produce a still can't shoot better than 4 mp stills when a cheap camera can easily do this?
 
#75 ·
A single HD frame is the equivalent of a 2 megapixel image. Many camcorders use higher resolution imaging sensors, but they usually stop at about 4 megapixels.


A sub-$100 photo camera can have an image sensor of at least 7 megapixels, but the sensor is totally unsuitable for recording video.


A camcorder is for recording video. A digital camera is for taking pictures. Don't mix the two.
 
#76 ·
I recently purchased the HF200 and am taking a 8 day trip to WDW next saturday. I dont have alot of time to experiment with it and would like to know if there are any particular settings I should change for recording certain events like fireworks, night parades, indoor shows etc.


Should I set recording to 17 mbps FXP to get the most efficient/quality use of my 16GB SDHC cards? Is 24mbps overkill?


Should I use Cine mode?


What frames per second should I use 24p or 30p or 60i?


I am just short on time and i think i am tech savy so any help would be greatly appreciated.


thanks
 
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