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Customer Reviews for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
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Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Model: HF-S20 Black
SKU: 9751826
UPC: 013803121254
Capture high-definition video with this camcorder that features a DIGIC DV III image processor for rich color and vivid clarity and 32GB internal flash memory. The 3.5" touch-screen monitor allows for easy image capture and review.
Average Customer Rating:
4.4
out of 5
(22 Reviews) 22
Rating Snapshot 22 reviews
5 stars
11
4 stars
9
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
91% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
20 out of
22)
Customer Reviews for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Review 1 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great camera for it's price!
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
Image stabilizer is great! 1.26 chip, you can attach any accessories, great for low light, fast focus, image is excellent, 8 MP still images without stopping video recording, good 5.1 mic.
Cons: can't use SDXC, mini hot shoe (but it's very minor inconveniences).
Great camera for it's price!!!
Cons: can't use SDXC, mini hot shoe (but it's very minor inconveniences).
Great camera for it's price!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Amazing Picture
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
I have been very happy with the picture this video camera generates. It is compatible with Imovie for minor editing. It is easily held for filming and the buttons are in the right place.
Drawbacks are no viewfinder and the controls on the screen are not super user friendly. Overall very please with the end product
Drawbacks are no viewfinder and the controls on the screen are not super user friendly. Overall very please with the end product
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great camera!
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Pretty much everything.
What's not so great: That more people do not know about this product.
I really do not have anything negative to say about this camera. The picture quality is insane and the fact that the settings allow you to change frame rate is incredible. Great product for personal or business use.
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
0out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great video quality.
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: SoccerDadWei
from Gresham, OR
on 07/13/2011
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: Video quality
What's not so great: Battery life too short, and the touch screen under menu tricky.
I took this camcorder to a soccer tournament of my daughter. I make highlights of the play for the footage, have done that for a few seasons, but not satisfied with the quality of the old camcorder. Compared to the old camcorder, which recorded at 720 x 480, the recording quality was so much better. Unbelievable.
Problem is battery life too short. Not able to record two full games on the same day without time for recharge.
The touch screen selection for menu choices is not intuitive, because you have to slide the scroll bar opposite of what you think should be.
If price is original listed $899, I would say it is a good to OK buy, but at $650 when I bought it, it was a great buy
Problem is battery life too short. Not able to record two full games on the same day without time for recharge.
The touch screen selection for menu choices is not intuitive, because you have to slide the scroll bar opposite of what you think should be.
If price is original listed $899, I would say it is a good to OK buy, but at $650 when I bought it, it was a great buy
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
4out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Amazing Picture Quality
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
3.0
Wish that the flash worked better but overall great camrea
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
3out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great Video Camera
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: Picture Quality
What's not so great: Menu System
This video camera has a great picture and good features, but the menu system is not very intuitive in my opinion.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
7out of 9found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great Camera
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Easy to use
What's not so great: Short battery life
I'm new to flash memory camcorders, so this camera is off the charts. Picture quality is outstanding.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
7out of 11found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
This is a Great Camera / Camcorder, Mac Compatible
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
What's great about it: Shoots very well in low light, with or without the built in light
What's not so great: The battery life, I would get an extra battery, or even better get the extended life battery, Very expensive.
Before I got this camera I did my home work, read other peoples reviews, checked websites, and compared features.
Then I picked this camera, and my wife bought it for my birthday.
I found the quality of the videos to be great as you see in most of the reviews, and I think anyone could pick it up and shoot a good video fairly quickly. The manual is about 200 pages, helps allot when you start to use the different features of this camera.
What I really like about the camera is that it shoots very well in low light, and if you need light, it has a light and flash built into the camera. At the front of the camera, on top where it says HD CMOS, the light pops up from there. and just behind that there's an accessory shoe, just push back the cover.
The battery it alright, but if you shoot allot of video, or use the light. expect to buy another battery. It just doesn't last long enough. The good is it only takes a little over 2 hours to charge.
Finally, this camera does work with Mac computers, I have a Mac Book Pro, about a year old, and a Mac Mini I just got for my wife for Christmas. They both came with Imovie, the Mac Book Pro has a previous version, but it imports from the camera easily, you can save video to your hard drive in just a few min. or just import and edit the video right there, very easy. The camera also comes with software to edit on your PC, Pixela, but have not tried it yet.
In all a very good camera, comes with everything you need, less the computer, to get started.
Then I picked this camera, and my wife bought it for my birthday.
I found the quality of the videos to be great as you see in most of the reviews, and I think anyone could pick it up and shoot a good video fairly quickly. The manual is about 200 pages, helps allot when you start to use the different features of this camera.
What I really like about the camera is that it shoots very well in low light, and if you need light, it has a light and flash built into the camera. At the front of the camera, on top where it says HD CMOS, the light pops up from there. and just behind that there's an accessory shoe, just push back the cover.
The battery it alright, but if you shoot allot of video, or use the light. expect to buy another battery. It just doesn't last long enough. The good is it only takes a little over 2 hours to charge.
Finally, this camera does work with Mac computers, I have a Mac Book Pro, about a year old, and a Mac Mini I just got for my wife for Christmas. They both came with Imovie, the Mac Book Pro has a previous version, but it imports from the camera easily, you can save video to your hard drive in just a few min. or just import and edit the video right there, very easy. The camera also comes with software to edit on your PC, Pixela, but have not tried it yet.
In all a very good camera, comes with everything you need, less the computer, to get started.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+20points
28out of 36found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Amazing resolution! Impossible Mac integration.
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
4.0
What's great about it: unintrusive compact design
What's not so great: short life with included battery, so you will need another
This is a great little camera for the price, even though it is impossible to use with a Mac computer. Unfortunately, Mac is once again behind the rest of the world with its refusal to integrate what has become the most popular video codec being used by every consumer and some prosumer HD camcorders on the market today, namely AVCHD. So if you are a Mac user, don't waste your time getting this camera for you will spend an eternity waiting for the even the smallest clips to import into your Mac, assuming you can even get your computer to see any of the MTS files. You will probably have to use a third party application to convert everything to a format that your Mac can see. Final Cut is the only Mac software that can even recognize AVCHD clips enough to import them, but unfortunately FC will take hours and hours to convert them to a codec it can use. Converting a full 32 GB SD card from this Canon camera will eat up nearly half of your Mac's hard drive, for the conversion ratio is nearly 10:1 and take nearly a day. So, unless you are a Win 7 PC user, which has had this format resident since its inception and hence can view and edit the files without conversion, I would stear clear of this camera until Apple finally realizes that the whole world is never going to become exclusive Quicktime users.
I would recommend this to a friend!
-11points
6out of 23found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
LARGE MANUEL AND NESSASSARY
Customer Rating
2.0
Value for Price
3.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Features
3.0
What's great about it: TAKES A CLEAR MOVIE
What's not so great: LIKES TO CHANGE FOCAS AND REST OF MOVIE NOT SO GOOD
VERY DIFFICALT TO USE EASY TO TAKE A MOVIE HARD TO WATCH OR GET FROM THE CAMERA
NOT FOR A BIGGINER LIKE ME
NOT FOR A BIGGINER LIKE ME
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-35points
3out of 41found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Camcorder Crash Course
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
3.0
What's great about it: Picture Quaity
Picture quality is great, automatic features work good for someone who bought a camcorder for the first time and put it in use 5 hrs. after purchace without reading the instructions, have not investigated other features yet.
Couldn't get the included software to split a 2hr.15min. scene on to two 4.7GB DVD discs without the 2nd disc becomming unsynchronized halfway through disc (while still in edit mold recording was synchronized, during burn of 2nd disc there was a problem, tried 4 times) but was able to do it with NERO 10 on the first time, also get the larger battery, should last about 2hrs. shooting in HD.
Couldn't get the included software to split a 2hr.15min. scene on to two 4.7GB DVD discs without the 2nd disc becomming unsynchronized halfway through disc (while still in edit mold recording was synchronized, during burn of 2nd disc there was a problem, tried 4 times) but was able to do it with NERO 10 on the first time, also get the larger battery, should last about 2hrs. shooting in HD.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
-7points
1out of 9found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
EXCELLENT!!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: i got what i paid for..didnt feel ripped off!
What's not so great: built in light doesnt really illuminate much
this is exactly what you expect to get when you buy Canon! This thing does everything and then some... and held up to 2 weeks of beach, mountain climbing, helicopter ride, zip line, catamaran, and kayak tours in Hawaii... great memories of my Honeymoon that are great in picture format, but are AMAZING in HD video
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
8out of 10found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great camera for the money
Customer Rating
4.0
The biggest issue I had with this camera is finding the power input. It has a cover that isn't easy to spot, so I had to open the manual to figure it out.
The camera setup is easy, and I was shooting video within 15mins of setting up.
Great picture, and if you have used other AVCHD cameras, you will have no problem with this one.
-Bill
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
6out of 13found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Very happy with this camera...
Customer Rating
4.0
What's great about it: Quality of the video
What's not so great: Battery life and it's not an intuitive camera to use
Shooting video is my hobby, and I have a big-screen tv, so I wanted something that would shoot the best amateur video. I am very happy with this camera. The quality of the video is excellent. I did not give it five stars for two reasons - one is that the battery life is very short and a second battery is a must. The second reason is that it is not intuitive. I have been using Sony and JVC camcorders for years, and I found both to be very easy to use. It will take some time to get used to the controls on the Canon, and many of the controls have to be memorized as I don't find them intuitive at all.
Another thing I like about the camera is the 32MB of internal memory. I added a 32MB memory card, but so far I haven't needed it. It is easy to download video to my laptop. I haven't done any editing yet, but the files are easy to view.
The quality of the still photos is quite good (I've never had a camcorder that took high-quality stills, so that is a plus for me). However I missed a few shots when I first got the camera because, again, it is not intuitive on how to take stills when the camera is in video mode.
All-in-all I highly recommend this camera...just plan on buying another battery pack and reading the manual.
Another thing I like about the camera is the 32MB of internal memory. I added a 32MB memory card, but so far I haven't needed it. It is easy to download video to my laptop. I haven't done any editing yet, but the files are easy to view.
The quality of the still photos is quite good (I've never had a camcorder that took high-quality stills, so that is a plus for me). However I missed a few shots when I first got the camera because, again, it is not intuitive on how to take stills when the camera is in video mode.
All-in-all I highly recommend this camera...just plan on buying another battery pack and reading the manual.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+13points
16out of 19found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Great Camera! Recommended.
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Picture quality.
What's not so great: Accessories too expensive.
Great camera. Excellent picture quality. Low light levels not as good, but common for consumer cameras. Lots of features, means lots of time to learn. But definitely worth it. Like all manufacturers, they skimp on the battery. Only 1 hour at best. Need to get extra battery.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
8out of 9found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
From a filmmaker - It's not worth the price jump.
Customer Rating
3.0
Value for Price
1.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Features
2.0
What's great about it: Vixia picture quality and sound
What's not so great: No significant improvement over earlier and cheaper models
In daylight, the picture quality was no better than the Vixia that is half the price. In low light, only slightly better.
In low light, only nominally better.
Native 24p didn't look any different than 24p (after pulldown)
Sound, etc, was about the same for any camcorder over $500.00
Touch screen was hard to navigate (I have big fingers)
Repeatedly had problems with Windows 7 recognizing the camcorder. Finally, my system crashed from attempting to recognize the camcorder.
In low light, only nominally better.
Native 24p didn't look any different than 24p (after pulldown)
Sound, etc, was about the same for any camcorder over $500.00
Touch screen was hard to navigate (I have big fingers)
Repeatedly had problems with Windows 7 recognizing the camcorder. Finally, my system crashed from attempting to recognize the camcorder.
I make films and this camcorder presents me with no more quality than the HF-R10.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+22points
34out of 46found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Fantastic camcorder and camera
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Great HD video and photos
What's not so great: Location of shutter release for photos
I purchased this Canon Camcorder in late May 2010. It surpasses my expectations. Previously, I used a Sony Camcorder using tapes. This HD camcorder has many functions and extras, but can also be used easily. The touch screen is so big and easy--just a swipe of a finger shows the photos or videos, then just tap and view!
It has a 32 GB flash drive and TWO extra SD card slots!
I am a photographer and budding videographer. So, I am very happy with the camera function.
Yes, this Canon HD camcorder is expensive, but worth the price!
I also purchased an extra battery and HD cards. As of today, I used the extra battery, but not the cards.
I am just now exploring the other functions of the camcorder and haven't even read the instructions (it's that easy to operate!).
It has a 32 GB flash drive and TWO extra SD card slots!
I am a photographer and budding videographer. So, I am very happy with the camera function.
Yes, this Canon HD camcorder is expensive, but worth the price!
I also purchased an extra battery and HD cards. As of today, I used the extra battery, but not the cards.
I am just now exploring the other functions of the camcorder and haven't even read the instructions (it's that easy to operate!).
I would recommend this to a friend!
+12points
13out of 14found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
An excellent camera for the price
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Hank4162
from Las Vegas, NV
on 06/05/2010
Value for Price
5.0
Picture Quality
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Excellent camera for most situations
What's not so great: The image is a little noisy in dark settings.
I've had my HF S20 for several weeks and love it. Under most lighting situations it produces a sharp vivid image with rich color, no distortion on sharp contrast lines, no color bleed on contrasting colors, excellent contrast (in proper lighting), no noticeable artifacting on gradients and no pixilization on pans. Under proper lighting the overall quality of the image is impressive.
In very low light or low key shots the image will become noticeably grainy (noisy) but that's to be expected with a single chip CMOS image sensor. The on-board camera light doesn't provide sufficient light output to shoot at much more than 10 feet in the dark so a good camera light will likely be your first accessory purchase. Also consider purchasing a 58mm UV filter and lens cap to protect the camera's lens and to keep dust out of the camera's lens housing.
I own several professional grade 3-Chip digital video cameras but wanted something small that my wife and I could use for simple point and shoot without all the setup and fuss of my other cameras. After viewing the video from this camera on a professional monitor, all I can say is wow! For a consumer grade camera, its features and overall image quality surpassed my expectations. To get a better quality image you would have to spend three to five times as much.
As other reviewers have noted, the on-screen touch display takes getting used to but once mastered, it places a comprehensive range of manual and automatic settings at your fingertip. I also own a Cannon EOS digital SLR and much to my delight, I discovered that all my 58mm filters from the SLR work with the HF S20 (even my Close-Up +3 filter which the HF S20 had no problems focusing). This discovery has saved me several hundred dollars in purchasing filters for my HF S20.
I rated the picture quality good rather than excellent because the image noises up noticeably in very low light shots but under proper lighting, the image is excellent.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+22points
23out of 24found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Excellent Video Quality
Customer Rating
5.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
What's great about it: Video quality is superb.
What's not so great: Rattle sound coming form the lens cover when it is closed.
Excellent camcorder for every type of user. There is enough tweakable setting for the semi-pro user. There is a full auto mode for the beginner. The still pictures are decent, but definitely not a replacement for a digital camera. Since it is a flash memory camcorder, transferring the videos to your PC is as easy as drag and drop. Overall it's easy to use and offers great HD quality.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
7out of 7found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for Canon VIXIA High-Definition Digital Camcorder with 3.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Starting to like it!
Customer Rating
4.0
Value for Price
4.0
Picture Quality
5.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
5.0
Video Review:
(click to see the video)
What's great about it: The quality is worth every penny.
What's not so great: The battery life and getting use to the touch screen. No viewfinder makes it tough for backlit shots.
I have been shooting with it for a few weeks now and starting to get the hand of the touch screen. It does drain the battery having a touch screen I wish Canon would ante up and give a bigger battery. But the quality is great I have a link below if you want to check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/autopsy1970
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
8out of 11found this review helpful.
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