Canon Vixia HF200 at DVinfo.net

Chuck Fadely · May 2nd, 2009, 09:25 AM

I just got a Canon Vixia HF200 and wanted to post something about it since I haven't seen anything. (This is the same camera as the HF20, minus built-in memory. It is a tiny AVCHD camera the size of a Red Bull can and it replaces the model HF100, similar to the HF10 and HF11.)

A couple of big changes: it now has a three-second pre-record, which is great, but even on a big tripod, you can see the camera move at the point you pressed the record button. They also fixed the still photo recording so you can shoot a still while running video and there won't be a glitch on the video. You can shoot video or photos whenever you want without having to change any settings. It has a setting to shoot little 4-second clips, which I guess is the new attention span of the ADHD generation. And of course, it has a higher bit rate, which I guess is the big selling point of this camera, but is really pointless for a pocket run-n-gun family handycam - you're not going to be making movies with any camera like this!

They also made a lot of subtle changes to the camera over the HF100, almost all for the good. They've tweaked the placement of the record button, the way the joystick feels, the menus, and the screen push buttons, all of which improve the ergonomics. They changed the control dial so it doesn't move so easily, and put the playback button on the lcd so you don't have to change the dial.

They've added a hole for the tripod plate locator pin so you can use regular video plates now.

On the minus side, they moved the headphone jack inside the lcd, so you can't close the screen with your phones plugged in.

They moved the microphone up front under the lens, so you hear your subject and not your own breathing. Still really sensitive to wind noise, though - you'll need an external mic.

I don't have any comments on image quality - I've only shot in xp+ setting and haven't changed off factory default image settings. It looks the same as the HF100 - oversharpened and punchy, which is great for the web. It does have menu settings to reduce sharpening and has a bunch of different "looks" you can choose.

Oh, here's a piece I shot right after taking it out of the box:
Video | MiamiHerald.com
Most of it was shot with a Raynox .5x wide on, which vignettes badly. Highly compressed, so don't try to judge the image from it.

Larry Horwitz · May 2nd, 2009, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the update Chuck. Any chance you could post another video clip without the Raynox installed so as to allow for seeing how the image quality compares?

Larry

May 2nd, 2009, 09:25 AM	#1
Chuck Fadely Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: United States Posts: 237	Canon Vixia HF200 I just got a Canon Vixia HF200 and wanted to post something about it since I haven't seen anything. (This is the same camera as the HF20, minus built-in memory. It is a tiny AVCHD camera the size of a Red Bull can and it replaces the model HF100, similar to the HF10 and HF11.) A couple of big changes: it now has a three-second pre-record, which is great, but even on a big tripod, you can see the camera move at the point you pressed the record button. They also fixed the still photo recording so you can shoot a still while running video and there won't be a glitch on the video. You can shoot video or photos whenever you want without having to change any settings. It has a setting to shoot little 4-second clips, which I guess is the new attention span of the ADHD generation. And of course, it has a higher bit rate, which I guess is the big selling point of this camera, but is really pointless for a pocket run-n-gun family handycam - you're not going to be making movies with any camera like this! They also made a lot of subtle changes to the camera over the HF100, almost all for the good. They've tweaked the placement of the record button, the way the joystick feels, the menus, and the screen push buttons, all of which improve the ergonomics. They changed the control dial so it doesn't move so easily, and put the playback button on the lcd so you don't have to change the dial. They've added a hole for the tripod plate locator pin so you can use regular video plates now. On the minus side, they moved the headphone jack inside the lcd, so you can't close the screen with your phones plugged in. They moved the microphone up front under the lens, so you hear your subject and not your own breathing. Still really sensitive to wind noise, though - you'll need an external mic. I don't have any comments on image quality - I've only shot in xp+ setting and haven't changed off factory default image settings. It looks the same as the HF100 - oversharpened and punchy, which is great for the web. It does have menu settings to reduce sharpening and has a bunch of different "looks" you can choose. Oh, here's a piece I shot right after taking it out of the box: Video \| MiamiHerald.com Most of it was shot with a Raynox .5x wide on, which vignettes badly. Highly compressed, so don't try to judge the image from it. Last edited by Chuck Fadely; May 2nd, 2009 at 11:06 AM.

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May 2nd, 2009, 11:36 AM	#2
Larry Horwitz Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Eggertsville, NY Posts: 497	Thanks for the update Chuck. Any chance you could post another video clip without the Raynox installed so as to allow for seeing how the image quality compares? Larry