• Canon VIXIA HG20

    Canon VIXIA HG20

    Jayesh Limaye, Jan 19, 2009 1357 hrs IST

    As high definition content is fast gaining popularity, we review this new HD camcorder from Canon.

    Compact, Stylish, Excellent build, Ergonomic, Swivel LCD, 60 GB hard drive + SD HC, Crisp image quality, Smooth and silent optical zoom, Good battery life, Remote control, Optical image stabilization.

    Awkwardly placed USB port, Not very light, No carry pouch, No optical viewfinder.

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A digital camera does not even come close to what a camcorder is capable, when it comes to capturing the special moments of special occasions such as your vacation abroad, a wedding or a birthday. Though the holiday season has just passed, we bring you a review of one of the hottest new camcorders launched in India because we think that any time is a good time for this. While analog camcorders are obsolete, there are quite a few varieties in digital camcorders these days. This is also the first HD camcorder that we are reviewing at the Tech Labs.


 


 


High Definition content or HD is fast gaining popularity these days and it will not be long before we find it become a part of our everyday lives. We have all marveled at the awesomeness of HD movies when compared to standard DVD quality movies and the sheer prospect of us bringing that awesomeness to the videos we capture ourselves seems exhilarating. A few weeks ago, we reviewed a standard definition camcorder, and this time round, we've got with us, the Canon VIXIA HG20, which is an HD camcorder from Canon.


 


 


Canon, one of the companies at the forefront of manufacturing digital cameras, also manufacturers a large range of camcorders, both non-HD and HD. The hard drive-based HG20 camcorder bears the standard stylish looks that have been a hallmark of camcorders from Canon.


 


 


This particular model uses a 60 GB internal hard drive as well as a SD-HC card slot for more capacity. It features 12x optical zoom and also 40x digital zoom, which can extend to 2000x. In this review, we'll find out how well this camcorder performs and whether what is shown on paper, does indeed hold true.


 


 


 


 



 


 


 


 


Bundle


 


 


 



 


 


Canon HG20


 


 


Wrist strap (attached)


 


 


Warranty card


 


 


ImageMixer manual


 


 


ImageMixer 3 SE disk




 


Canon Digital Solution disk (containing Windows software ZoomBrowser EX 6.1 and DV TWAIN Driver 6.6, and


 


 


ImageBrowser 6.1 for Macintosh)


 


 


Two instruction manuals


 


 


Power cable and adapter


 


 


Li-Ion Battery


 


 


USB cable


 


 


Component cable


 


 


AV cable


 


 


Wireless controller (with battery)


 


 


 


The Canon HG20 comes with all the bundle that is necessary and you will not have to purchase anything extra. The HG20 has better compatibility with most PCs, as it has a USB 2.0 interface rather than FireWire, which, though faster, is a lot less common. We wished Canon would have provided some kind of a carry case to take this camcorder around. The AV cable and Composite cable let you connect the camcorder to a TV to view videos directly on TV from the camcorder. Though an HDMI port is present, a cable was not provided.


 



 


The small lithium button-cell powered wireless controller that comes with the HG20 is a good addition and is actually useful. You can attach the cam to a tripod or just place it anywhere and start shooting - a good application for those who like spying! Except for changing the mode of the camcorder, you can use the wireless controller to do just about everything; start/stop recording, zoom in and out, etc.



The wireless controller supplied with this cam can only be used when you enable wireless control in the camera. This is an IR wireless, so the IR sensor beside the LCD on the cam needs to be in the line of sight. We tried to use the wireless controller from over 20 feet and it worked without a problem, we didn't try any farther since it is not practical and the LCD is hardly visible from such a distance.


 


 

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Canon VIXIA HG20 Review Camcorder Ergonomic Swivel LCD 60 GB hard drive SD HC silent optical zoom Optical image stabilization.



Discussion Board
(4) Comments
ashok
,bhilai nagar, on Mar 26, 2010 09:58 PM
good camra
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ashker
,caliaut, on Jan 25, 2009 07:20 PM
Very nice and wonderful
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Wolfy
,Mumbai, on Jan 20, 2009 02:02 PM
Jayesh you do not seem to be reading the specifications at all the HG-20/21 both support 30p mode which is not available in any of the models within the Sony stable.As for the high amountof artifacting in 24Mbps you need a stable pair of hands, the aut-stabalisation will not correct all mistakes that you do. Also both these models are lighter then their Sony counterparts. So please get your facts correct before writing an utterly useless review.
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Foxy
,Mumbai, on Jan 20, 2009 08:11 PM
it is known as PF25 and not 30p. but that has been mentioned by the reviewer
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