Canon HF20/HF200 really that bad? - Page 2

I originally bought the Sanyo HF1 camcorder and was never happy with it - plain controls, blurry video(thanks to a faulty MPEG-4 encoder?), terrible focusing, unsatisfactory stabilization, terrible color abberation especially in zoom mode... the list goes on and on. After a week of exercising all the possible shooting options, and eventually I sent it back to the shipper and am still waiting for my refund (would not happen if I had not bought it in the first place).

Then I bought the Canon HF200 locally at a Compusa store. It was like day and night difference!!! The quality of the video rivals the best HD channels on my FIOS cable, very sharp, colorful and in 60i mode the motion looks very nice and non-skippy. Did I mention that HF200 shoots in MPEG-2 AVCHD, the industry standard video format? It has excellent HD video lens, very sweet DIGICIII chip that converts video to the best size possible while preserving the quality...etc.

I chose Canon after downloading a few sample MTS files from the internet, that was the best practical review of the product one can make for himself/herself.

It was, however, an issue to play the native AVCHD on my amd 2ghz workstation. My solution was to install the TVersity media server and stream the folder containing the video to my Playstation 3 through the LAN. Works like a charm!!

My verdict - buy Canon HF20 or HF200 and you will be very happy with it.

Out of interest how well does it render red colors? I tried out an HF100 and I have to say I was very unhappy with how it rendered the red color. Quite often they would come out pink and red cars would often look like they had a lipstick tone to them! None of the other cameras I owned had such off reds. No amount of fiddling with white balance etc would fix it and after an email conversation with Canon I returned it to amazon where I purchased it for an exchange just in case faulty but they didn't have any in stock and so had to get a refund.

I have now been looking at the HF200 since the HF100 has been priced higher, but what is troubling me is that I have noticed in some videos that the reds do seem to be suffering the same problem which is putting me off this camera.

The reason I would like the HF200 is the OIS and generally excellent video. I don't really care for the odd AVCHD format that Canon uses but I could put up with it for good video although I have been considering the FH1 as well. I generally like the video output of the FH1 but of course it has no OIS.

Odd? Pretty much the defacto industry standard these days for consumer HD cams.

Odd as in I don't like the way it records progressive frames in interlaced format which means that later you cannot tell what format it was recorded in. I even asked Canon for confirmation of this. Other media files I can drag onto a media info program and it will tell me that information.

Is this unique to Canon or do all AVCHD camcorders record video in this way? How does an AVCHD editor know the difference between a movie recorded in 60i or 30p/24p? Or do you have to tell it? The reason I ask, is that if a media info program can't tell what format it was recorded in then I have to assume a video editor can't either. I am just trying to understand how AVCHD works compared to other formats.

I asked this in The HG20 thread. which would be the better of the two? the Hg20 for $599 or the HF20 for $750?

I appreciate your response, so indoor may suffer a little, but outdoor should be about the same?

All good points, but to clarify, the HG20 does shoot to SDHC as well as the internal hard drive.

Does the HF200 have a light built in to shoot for night scenes?

Just wondering

yes.. "mini video light"

check out the Canon site for features, specs, download video samples and .pdf user manual.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=17994

I am probably going to purchase this camcorder. Besides a bigger battery and extra memory, what else will I need? What are these U.V. lens protectors and what kind would I need, getting ready to do 2 weeks at disney orlando.

You might want to pick up the Canon CG-800 charger (assuming you are buying Canon batteries), so that you charge one battery while using another and/or it frees up the camcorder from battery charging time.

Maybe you want to use a tripod, monopod or stabilizer for steadier video.

The filter diameter on the Hf20/200 is 37mm. You can get a filter, like a 37mm Tiffen UV filter, (or something better if you want to spend more money).
It not only helps with UV light from the sun, but if you leave it on all the time, it will protect the actual lens (the filter is clear, you can't really tell the difference in the video).
I should note that some people disagree with leaving a UV filter on all the time, because of the (remote) possibility of it shattering and then the glass scratching the lens.
The thing is..is that these Canon Vixia flash camcorders have a built-in lens cover..so if that were to actually happen, the only way it would really affect the lens would be if it shattered while the camcorder was on...otherwise, when it's off the glass probably wouldn't get to the lens.. Still, even when off, if you think the camcorder might be bouncing around somewhere in a car, etc.. you can temporarily take it off, just to be safe.
I put a UV filter on as soon as I got my camcorder. You can also put a lens cap on top of the filter if you want to also keep the UV filter protected, clean, when not in use.

I think it's also important to have a lens cloth (a microfiber cloth made specifically for camera lenses) on hand...not expensive. You can clean the UV filter with it, too.
The reason being, you might be out on a trip and the lens gets some dirt on it ..you might think to just grab a clean (regular) cloth or tissue...but you can't do that, it will ruin the lens.
So, having a lens cleaning cloth on hand..just in case. There are also kits with cleaning fluids, also..but, if anything, always the lens cloth and not a regular towel, tissue, etc. the coarseness will ruin the lens.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=17995

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=17994

XFWS,
Thanks for all the tips, Best buy has this for $749 and I have a 10% off I am going to try to use.

Check zipzoomfly... $539 last time I looked.

Im currently waiting for my HF200 to ship in the next few days and had a few questions about accessories for this cam.

1st Q: I recently bought a hood from ebay and am not totally confident in its necessity (obviously haven't used it yet). Do any of you use one? and if so, where have you found its value?

This is the hood I bought. Hope it does the job:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=120422139324

2nd: To those who have Wide Angle lens, how often do you use them and under what conditions? Im going on a trip soon and wanted to really capture the beautiful landscapes of this vacation area. One of the things that has really made the purchase of a wide angle lens hard for me is that they are priced all over the board.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Nope, it shows $899.00

Even in professionally lit films and videos there's need for hoods, matte boxes, french flags and other gear used to prevent direct light from hitting the front of the lens. Certainly in the randomness shooting home video there will be a number of times, even indoors, where your lens hood will prevent glare. That glare will reduce contrast, create distracting lens flares and potentially affect auto focus and auto exposures.

So do you think the one I ordered will do the job?

It looks like your average hood so it'll work. The only issue would be if the hood is too deep and the width and/or height too narrow and it creates vignetting on your wide shots. You won't know until you put it on.

I guess another issue is that you lose the compactness of the camera unless you unscrew it everytime to stow it in your case, which is what I do with the external mic I use.

Let us know how it works out for you.

Exactly my dilemma, in my case it's between the HF100 or the HF200. Newer with more features, but smaller chip OR older with les features but bigger chip??


That review at camcorderinfo was what made me hesitant on deciding the HF200. But after RE-READING it again, I noticed it says that it uses AUTO mode for the low-light tests as a standard for ALL the camcorders they reviews. AND the HF200 does have 24p as well as NIGHT MODE, right? So, if we use either of those or a combination, the picture may come out much better. Can any anyone verify?

PS: u guys in the US are lucky... The prices in SE Asia are double!

im confuesed whether to get the canon hf20 or hf200? i know the differance is just teh internal 32gb on the hf20. but what would be a better value. is there any problems with internal memory. how long does sdhc last, do you just re-record over footage as many times as you want without loss of quality.? anybody could help, much appreciated

got the HF200 today

Hi everyone. I see you guys know some things about the HF200 camcorder from Canon. So, I would be thankfull if you could help me with an advice about an offer I found at bit(.)ly/3CTREq for this camcorder, featured at only $75. Do you think it's possible to get such camera at such incredible price? I'm really into buying it...so i would very much appreciate some advice. thanks.

As someone replied on HighDef forum, that is a ripoff!
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is