Canon Vixia HF10 Review - Digital Camcorders - VIXIA HF10

The Canon Vixia HF10 records in high definition to 16GB of internal flash memory. You can also use your own external memory cards. The Canon Vixia HF10 is simply a great camcorder for taking great looking video wherever you find yourself. It's very small and easily be slipped into a large pocket. It has a great lens and lots of manual controls, if you're into that. I does not have an adjustment wheel or roller for the manual controls, joystick only, but the interface is intuitive and friendly. For Intel based Macintoshes (Apple does not support AVCHD on PPC Macs), you probably already have what you need to edit the footage from this camera. iMovie '08 will import the footage and convert it to Apple Intermediate Codec so you can edit the footage on the timeline and make Quicktime movies to share on the .mac web gallery, Youtube, AppleTV (720p24 even) etc. The newest versions of Final Cut Express and Final Cut pro (Pro Res 422) also supports AVCHD. PC options are more limited and not as elegant, but they are out there, by all means avoid the bundled software. The HF10 does not record in SD resolutions, so if you're just looking for a cool Youtube camcorder or you're going to be burning your projects to a DVD, you should consider a DV (tape) camcorder or an SD HDD / Flash model that records in Mpeg-2, you'll be much happier. The 16GB built-in storage is nice, but limited. If you're the type of person that likes to shoot video and hook it up to your TV to share and just likes to keep the video on the camcorder, you'll run out of space fast, definitely consider the spacious Sony HDR-SR11. The unit is expandable via SD HC cards, I would recommend getting the fastest ones you can, the bitrate for the best HD video on this camcorder is 17Mbs and you'll need one that can keep up.



The HF10 ups the ante still further. In fact, Canon is using the model to launch a new concept in camcorder usage. With the portability afforded by flash memory recording, Canon reckons there will be a shift to ‘Freecording', where you capture all the fun and more extreme events in your life - not just family occasions. But is the Canon Vixia HF10 really the start of a video revolution?

The Vixia HF10 is built around Canon's new 1/3.2in CMOS sensor, with 3.3-megapixels. This is slightly smaller than the 1/2.7in unit used in the HV20, HV30 and HG10, which theoretically will put it at a slight disadvantage in low light. The full resolution of the CMOS is only used when taking digital stills, which can be captured at up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. Even HD video only requires a maximum of 2.07-megapixels.


General Packaged Quantity 1 Product TypeCamcorder - 1080p Camcorder Sensor Resolution 3.3 megapixels Effective Video Resolution 2.07 megapixels Digital Zoom 200 x Effective Photo Resolution 2.76 megapixels Camcorder Media Type Flash card Optical Sensor Size 1/3.2" Optical Sensor Type CMOS Digital Video Format AVCHD Image StabilizerOptical (SuperRange) Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec Shooting modes Digital photo mode Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Sports mode, Night mode, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks, Portrait mode Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty 9 White Balance Automatic, Presets, Custom White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent light (warm white), Fluorescent light (cool white), Tungsten light, Shade Exposure Modes Program, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority Image Recording Format JPEG AV Interfaces HDMI, Composite video/audio Lens System Type 12 x x Zoom lens - 4.8 mm - 57 mm - F/1.8-3.0 Lens aperture F/1.8-3.0 Features Built-in lens shield Optical Zoom12 x Lens system type Zoom lens Min focal length 4.8 mm Max focal length 57 mm Auto Focus TTL contrast detection Filter Size 37 mm Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic Min Focus Range 0.4 in Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive Additional Features Additional Features 24p Cinema Mode, RGB primary color filter, Dolby Digital AC-3 (2 channel) recording, Histogram display, Takes photos while movie recording, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility Remote control Camcorder remote control - Infrared Software Drivers & Utilities, PIXELA Image Mixer Included Accessories Component video cable, IR remote control, USB cable, Power adapter, Audio / video cable Display Type 2.7 in LCD display Connections Connector Type 1 x Microphone, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x Headphones, 1 x USB, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Component video output Memory / Storage Media typeFlash card Memory Card Slot SD card Supported Memory Cards MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card Internal Storage 16 GB Flash Included Memory Card 16 GB Image Storage JPEG 1920 x 1440 Video Recording Modes LP, SP, XP+, XP Battery Supported Battery Canon BP-809 Supported Battery 1 x Canon BP-809 Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included ) Audio Input Audio input type Microphone Microphone type Built-in Microphone Operation Mode Stereo Manufacturer Warranty Service & Support 1 year warranty Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year Viewfinder / Display Display Features Rotating Physical Characteristics Width 2.9 in Depth 5.1 in Height 2.5 in Weight