Customer Reviews: Read 61 more reviews...
  Highest Quality, Best Value HD Video Camera November 19, 2008
After doing a lot of comparative research between the HF10, the HF11, and the comparable Sony camcorders, I purchased the HF10 for the following reasons:
Video quality. Canon has always had stunning image quality. I viewed a few sample videos on the web. It was a close call, but I concluded that Canon's video quality is better than Sony's. As an added bonus, the camera has a mini HDMI out for the best viewing experience. (note: a mini HDMI cable is not included)
Best value. It costs hundreds less than the other cameras, with no compromise on video quality.
Flash Memory. The integrated 16 Gb isn't all that impressive, sure. But you can purchase a 16 Gb card for less than $40. The flash memory makes for silent recording - no whirr of the recording motor in the background.
Simple Operation. I recently had the chance to fiddle with an older Vixia camcorder. Canon has made many improvements in buttons, switches and menus in the past few years. Still no touch-screen operation, but I don't find the menus over complicated or cumbersome.
Non-Linear editing. My Mac still has to "capture" the video, but there is absolutely no loss in image quality. iMovie gives you the option of importing it at full resolution with an "observed" loss in video quality, or at a lower resolution with no "observed" loss in quality. I have a feeling that Mac is working on a fix to allow you to edit full-resolution 1080i/p video in iMovie. Of course, if you have a different application to edit your film, you may not have this issue.
I would definitely recommend purchasing this camera to everyone. It is easy to use, has great image quality, is compatible with computer software... the list goes on. You can't go wrong with this camera!
Canon VIXIA HF10 November 14, 2008
This is an excellent piece of tech. A must for the digital photo enthusiast. It is loaded with innovative options and fantastic ideas. It is worth its price and more.
Top Quality From Canon, As Usual November 13, 2008
I've been a Canon pro-sumer user for years. First with the XL-1, then the XL-2 and now Canon has done it again with the VIXIA HF10. Though the HF10 isn't really marketed as a pro-sumer camera, (for that distinction, at the least, I feel you need to have interchangeable lenses) this camera is far and away the best in its class.
I needed a solid performing video camera for everyday use and for when using the XL-2 just isn't feasible. Imagine lugging an XL-2 with you for documentary footage that's meant to be unobtrusive. NOT! Point being, my substitute camera had to be able to hold its own against the superior quality and craftsmanship I've become accustomed to with the XL-2. And that's a pretty tall order, so I really scrutinized my options. My second requirement was that the camera be Flash Memory based. No tapes. I really wanted the ease and convenience of skipping the tedious capture process. Given my requirements and high expectations, the only other camera in the running was a Sony. But I've had issues with Sony before, and since I've been using Canon for years now, I've come to trust the name and reputation.
Well, the HF10 doesn't disappoint. The lens is top notch, video clarity is superb and form follows function in the design. Button placement is intuitive and the feature set is abundant. Actually, you'll probably forget half of what this camera does. But the key features most home users would want are seamless and work well. Night mode, full auto shooting, 3.1mp photos are also a bonus. And with this camera, digital still cameras and video cameras are finally at the tipping point of being merged into one. I never use Stabilized Zoom on any camera for fear of lost quality, so that's one feature that means little to me. But for a commercial camera, there's some nice pro-sumer type features too, like histogram display, 24p and 30p shooting modes, built in audio meter, and an accessory shoe for better mics, just to name a few. Incidentally, the built in lens cover is a nice touch.
Hi-def recording has arrived for the home user with this powerful little camera. But just be aware that you need a hi-def TV to actually watch your hi-def recordings. Meaning, the camera needs to be connected directly to your hi-def TV or burned to a hi-def DVD and played on a hi-def player. A lot op people I speak to about this camera seem lost on that fact, so just thought I'd mention it.
Overall, I really have no complaints. This camera lives up to my expectations and Canon's superb reputation. And I'm pretty picky when it comes to video cameras, so that's saying a lot. So whether you're a casual user, professional videograper or indie filmmaker, this is a great camera. Way to go Canon, you've done it again!!!
GREAT editing with Adobe Premier Elements 7 on a PC! November 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I just edited and burned my first DVD with 1080 footage off of this camera using Adobe Premier Elements 7 and it was flawless! I have a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop with a 1.60Ghz processor running Vista Basic with 4Mb of ram. I will also test with Pinnacle Studio Plus 12 and report back.This is an area I think too many people neglect to look into, so trust me when I say that if you experience system and software problems when trying to edit and burn your videos you will go crazy and pull your hair out! It stinks. I was very pleased today, so much so I wanted to write the review.
Great size, great features, great camera. November 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3UQQGMIT8YFFA I recently purchased this camera when it went on sale. I initially struggled between the HF100 and the HF10. The only real difference is the HF10 includes 16GB of storage built in. Based on the price between the two and the cost of good (class 6, 17MB/s, etc.) SDHC it was a no brainer. Plus, I like the black better than the silver. :-)
The features are great. If you just want to point and shoot, go for it. It even has an 'easy button' (no joke). But if you want more control over the image, it's all there - quality, frame rate, effects, aperture, etc. I've only begun to scrape the surface of all of that. The video shows some shots taken at Amicalola Falls, GA. I did a long zoom to show the great 12x optical zoom.
This thing is small and light. I went on a hike and slipped it into my jacket pocket no problem.
Having a Mac, I had no problem whatsoever getting it into iMovie and importing the movies, editing and sharing. It was a snap. With iMovie I can distribute any way I want - HD, SD, YouTube, iPod, iPhone, iTunes, AppleTV, Quicktime, etc. iMovie recognized the camera and imported the movies quickly and easily. Even easier than I thought it would.
I haven't used it yet for still photos. It has nice features around this. I have a Canon Digital Rebel SLR so I do not anticipate using the camera much for this purpose.
So far the only con is the lack of an included mini HDMI cable. An adapter is only $12, but I haven't been able to enjoy the HD on my plasma yet. The menus and prompts could be a little easier to use, but I was able to pick up things fairly quickly.
All-in-all, this is by far the best camcorder I've owned. BTW - The video has been compressed quite a bit to fit Amazon's guidelines - the video quality of the camera is so much better than what can be shown here.
|
