A more personal look at the highly-acclaimed HG-20 Vixia Canon HD camcorder in video recording, still capture, and overall functionality.

Skip to the bottom line Click here to view all the sample videos from this camera.

Introduction

With the price of mass storage falling at an exponential rate and the advent of perpendicular recording on magnetic hard disk platters, it is becoming more and more reasonable to store videos on a hard drive as opposed to tape devices. In an intelligent move, Canon has extended their Vixia product line of cameras to include hard drives built right in to the camcorder as the primary recording media (refer to the HG-prefixed products).

This is a very smart move by Canon for three reasons:

1. Hard drives are cheaper and large enough to hold more than 20 DV tapes at a good quality resolution.
2. Built in protection and shock sensors keep the media safe from a fall. Also, there is no tape to get stuck in the camera drive. The less moving parts translate in to less likelihood of using that manufacturer's warranty.
3. Last, but certainly not least, have you ever noticed how your camcorder's built-in microphone picked up the loud whirring of the tape drive? Well, that doesn't happen with a hard disk camera!

Video Recording

Now, to get to the meat of the review. A camcorder's main functionality is to record video. The HG-20 only records in the increasingly popular AVCHD format, which translates into H.264 video encoding and Dolby Digital Stereo AC3 audio encoding.

This short sample video (you have to go to Vimeo to view in HD) gives a basic idea of what the picture looks like in every-day recording conditions. The camera's settings were all set to their defaults, I recorded with one hand like many home videos are captured, and the lighting was not adjusted in any way (in fact, I'd say it was a very low-light environment). Thanks to my nephew Bruce for giving me an short but entertaining clip!

Pros

Given the sample video taken above was in less than ideal conditions, the advantages of this camera are easy to spot. First, the Optical Image Stabilization feature performs extremely well, despite low-light conditions and one-handed use--not to mention my steadiness is lacking in this clip. When comparison shopping, JVC and Sony's comparable stabilization feature was not up to par. I will try to upload more sample videos soon, but I can tell you the Image Stabilization feature works very well when fully zoomed in, as well. The color quality is superb in normal lighting conditions, and it can hold it's own when lights are dim. Obviously, graininess is increased, but the picture is very good overall. 12x Optical Zoom is more than most camcorders in its class, and the Instant Auto-Focus component is quick on the draw. The Full HD 3.3-megapixel CMOS sensor is ample to capture good resolution shots (translation: no up-conversion here!). After that, a built-in DIGIC DV II processor does an excellent job with the color balancing and image processing.

Audio recording is very high-quality with 48kHz sampling and Dolby Digital Stereo encoding. The microphone's wind filter also works very well under manual control, but of course there are ports for better microphones for the "prosumer"

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Cons

No matter how you slice and dice it, AVCHD is compressed video. It's compression done well, mind you, but compression is what it is. Video-philes may find that fact too much for them, but this camera isn't really geared towards them. A 37mm lens is very capable device for your every day recording needs, but the laws of optical physics still show the advantages of having even just a slightly larger lens. This becomes a con in low-light situations, where the picture becomes very grainy despite the high-resolution sensor. Another cause behind this is the CMOS sensor technology (click here to see a comparison between CMOS and CCD imaging technology). While CMOS is great for capturing a true digital signal at very fast rates, the circuitry on the sensor chip does tend to decrease its overall light sensitivity. While recent advances in CMOS technology makes it comparable to the CCD's higher color and light quality, the disadvantages are there to be seen.

Verdict

The 3.3-megapixel CMOS coupled with the DIGIC DV II image processor results in an excellent image overall. The various recording qualities allow for a wide range of resolutions, and the built-in video management features compliment the picture quite nicely.

Still Capture

The high resolution CMOS sensor delivers 3.1-megapixal shots, which is considerably higher than most video cameras' "built-in" photo camera feature. Automatic and manual controls are bountiful. I was able to easily adjust the f-stop and shutter speed for controlled shots. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the still capture mode on this camera is the continuous-shooting mode. It can capture up to five full resolution images per second for up to sixty images. This includes a flash, as well! The secret lies in the super fast processing the CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV II chip can provide. Because of this blazing speed, this camera has the ability to take still images while recording video! Sure, the range in shutter speeds and f-stop capabilities is mediocre at best, but it is excellent for a simple point-and-shoot camera.

The verdict? It's no DSLR, but it'll do just fine if you want to print standard 4x6's.

The Bottom Line (Overall Functionality)

Pros

• Comparable image and color quality
• Battery life is excellent
• Ample space for hours of recording (up to 22 hours max on the hard drive)
• Very intuitive controls--I love the 5-way joystick

Cons

• No viewfinder!
• Difficult shots for low-light conditions
• No choice in video or image formats
• The power adapter must be used to have full access when connecting to the computer

Final Thoughts

Considering the relatively low cost for this camera ($493 at broadwayphoto.com--great deal, but avoid the sleasy sales pitches from the agents), this camera arguably has the most bang for its buck when it comes down to it. It is a great starter camera and has all the necessary functionality for making home videos or perhaps something semi-professional. Some of the Cons of this camera are mitigated by the HG-21. The HG-21 offers a 120GB hard drive as opposed to the HG-20's 60GB offering in addition to a viewfinder, but the cost differences is a few hundred dollars, so you have to decide if it is worth it or not.