Canon VIXIA HF S20 Full HD Camcorder w/32GB Flash Memory & Pro Manual Control
by Canon
List Price:
Our Price: $639.50
You Save: $359.50 (36%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CanonModel: HF S20
Color: Black
Product features:
- Records up to 12 hours of crisp high definition video to a 32GB internal flash drive or directly to two removable SD memory cards
- Genuine Canon 10x HD Video Lens
- Canon 1/2.6" 8.59-Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor captures video at 1920 x 1080 resolution
- Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor
- Dynamic SuperRange OIS corrects a full range of motion
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon VIXIA HF S20 Full HD Camcorder w/32GB Flash Memory & Pro Manual Control
Customer Review: Very nice camcorder
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this to replace my Canon HV20 (HDV) camcorder. I was getting tired of tape-based technology & finally decided to make the plunge into tapeless.
I am very pleased with my new HF S20. Image quality is spectacular - noticably better in HD on my widescreen TV than the HV20. The image does get noisy/grainy in low-light shots, but this is characteristic of most cams at this level. There are several image stabilization modes to choose from. These seem to work very well.
I really like the touch screen menu-based interface. I find this a LOT more intuitive and easy to use over a button/scroll menu type interface. The best touch screen feature is the track focus/auto face detect mode. The screen shows a square around the face/object it is currently holding focus on. If you want something else to be focused, just touch the screen on the object - focus & tracking will shift to that. Very intuitive/easy to use!
I find the cam a lot easier to hold than my old one, since there is no "tape bulge" in the housing.
The USB and HDMI out ports are in an awkward place (under the hand strap), and the flip-up port cover seems rather flimsy (it would've been better if it was a slide-open door like the ones for the other interfaces). I fear I will break it one of these days.
Battery life seems rather short with the supplied battery (maybe only an hour or less at best). Make sure you pick up a high-capacity battery if you tend to do long shoots. And if you do, I recommend you also get the separate charger so you can charge one battery while using the other. (you can charge the battery using the AC cable in the camcorder, but the battery will NOT charge if the camcorder is in use while plugged in - big design flaw IMO)
While tapeless technology is very convenient, there is one big drawback -- storing and archiving your videos. You will eventually have to delete the videos stored on the camcorder in order to make room for new videos. This means storing it on a hard drive or other media as your master copy. This procedure is not as convenient as just taking out a tape and popping in a new one.
Overall I am very pleased with the HF S20. Definitely a keeper!
PROS:
- great image/video quality
- built-in video light/flash (automatically pops up when needed)
- easy to use touch screen interface
- good image stabilization modes
- tapeless. The camcorder is ready to use almost immediately - no tape spool-up or mechanism delay
CONS:
- awkward USB and HDMI port locations (I use these most often)
- rather short battery life with the supplied pack
- camera does not charge the battery while plugged in AND you are using it. Gotta turn it off to charge
More Canon VIXIA HF S20 Full HD Camcorder w/32GB Flash Memory & Pro Manual Control reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5
Description of Canon VIXIA HF S20 Full HD Camcorder w/32GB Flash Memory & Pro Manual Control
%3Cp%3E Canon%27s VIXIA HF S20 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder%2C with a 32GB internal flash drive and two SD memory card slots%2C offers Canon%27s most sophisticated feature set to date blurring the line between consumer and professional%2E Canon%27s superlative proprietary imaging technologies help deliver video and 8%2E0 megapixel photos with incredible detail and lifelike color%2E Touch %26amp%3B Track allows you to achieve sharp focus and precise exposure for any subject%2C simply by touching the generous 3%2E5%22 High Resolution Touch Panel LCD%2E Native 24p Mode perfectly matches the frame rate of film%2E And 5%2E1%2DChannel Surround Sound ensures your audio complements the stunning realism of your video%2E %3C%2Fp%3ECamcorders
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