@TheCanadianPublic thanks for the feedback. I had live streaming for formal services in mind, but i didnt want anything too expensive or too cheap. a cheap webcam gives cheap quality, not what i was looking for. luckily my old minidv camera can do it, so no harm done. thanks again and keep up the good work!
@crazyfooInc Almost made a mistake there. The focus assist doesn't work while you're recording otherwise the digital zooming-in feature would also be recorded. The manual focus however still works while you're recording.
@UimMinsoo There's no shoe mount at all on this thing. To physically mount a mic on this thing, you'd have to buy a special adapter that screws into the tripod hole and wraps around the lens to provide a shoe mount on top of the camcorder. At least for the HF200, I only had to buy a small adapter that fits into the existing Canon mini shoe mount, and positions the mic in the best possible position.
Another entertaining and detailed review. Most other guys spend their time talking about buttons and boxes and have little hard information about the video performance. I was hoping for a bit more on the FS100 as I've recently purchased an FS200 and would like a few clues on getting the best out of it.
The camcorder doesn't have a shoe mount. You CAN get shoe mount adapters that mount on the camcorder's tripod hole, but they're extremely awkward and throw the camcorder off balance.
Thanks for trying it out! I wasn't sure if Vegas could handle it. Never had the chance to try it out myself. Remember to turn off the auto-focus to eliminate any rattling noise in the soundtrack. Just focus on the seating position (preferably with something in it), switch to manual focus, and go for it. The lens' depth of field at the widest setting is pretty deep, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about the image being out of focus.
@crazyfooInc Yes! Once you've switched over to manual focus, just move the joystick sideways to adjust the focus. There's even an automated "focus assist" function where the image is digitally zoomed in so you can better see if the image is in focus or not.
Thanks! The real test will be the upcoming release of the Apple iPad review! That should ruffle a few iFeathers out there! :) The iPad review is still looking for a sponsor however. If I can't find one by this weekend, I'll release the video on Saturday without one.
I didn't want to cover the FS series beyond the ergonomics since they're already at the end of their life expectancy, and the MPEG2 format was troublesome since it's interlaced, and Sony Vegas never had decent deinterlacing capabilities. What you could try is to render your videos with no deinterlacing whatsoever, and let RUclips or your media player do the deinterlacing for you. That's what I did with this review, and it worked beautifully. It could also work with the FS200's material.
It should work out, especially if you can get the camcorder and some spare batteries pretty cheap. The 20X zoom will definitely help. And during major events, the place will be so noisy that the autofocus rattle won't be audible at all.
@wassup986 No idea. All I've been using since I started doing video editing is Sony Vegas. It was the most full featured and most affordable NLE I could find. Version 10 Platinum is available for under a C note, a bit more for the Platinum Pro package. Better than any free package out there, and nowhere near as expensive as the $500+ "pro" packages. One major weakness with Vegas however: lousy deinterlacing. It just doesn't work properly.
You can't reload edited footage back on the camcorder. It doesn't work that way. You must either burn the footage on Blu-Ray, or connect your computer to the TV. I use Sony Vegas Platinum for my editing. It isn't perfect, but it does the job, and it's reasonably priced. You can even download a 30 day trial version before you decide to buy.
@dpkeys I've never used any of the editing or conversion features built into the camcorder. I prefer to edit everything outside the camcorder with an editor such as Sony Vegas.
@ottoelperro MTS is a container format used by most AVCHD capable camcorders. It contains an AVCHD H.264 video stream and a Dolby AC3 stream. You can play the files on your computer with the VLC Media Player. Google it. It should be the very first link.
Excellent review, the HFR-100 camera is within budget -- can find it new on amazon for 315$, the picture quality is surprisingly acceptable for a camera in this price range. It also has an external mic and headphone slot. I'm tempted!
@thebibleastronaut You might have to go the DSLR route. It's the only format capable of recording video that can also support the use of "fast" lenses. Unfortunately, I've never used that kind of equipment, so I can't make any useful suggestions at this time.
@wassup986 The camcorder's file format is actually M2T which consists of an MP4 H.264 encoded video track with a Dolby Digital stereo encoded audio track. And yes, the Pixela software will recognize the files. If it didn't, it would have been a very silly situation. :)
@thebibleastronaut It's actually pretty easy to throw more light into the camcorder. You just need a wider lens. Not stronger, just wider so that more available light is captured and sent to the image sensor. Except for two problems. First, a wider lens will result in a wider -- and heavier -- camcorder, and second, the depth of field will be reduced to the point that anything off by just a few inches will be out of focus. Great for professional artistic use, but lousy for domestic use.
@MrFolaz Once you activate the manual focus, just move the joystick left or right to adjust the focus. You might see the image zoom in temporarily while you're adjusting the focus. That's the focus assist.
Very good and honest review. I have this camcorder and agree with everything you said. Another way to get rid of the AF noise is to use an external mic. Thanks for the review.
@Ceejayanthirium No problem! And in your case, a Firewire expansion card (if you don't already have it) is definitely cheaper than a video capture card or an overpriced "high quality" Webcam. Just be advised that even though a MiniDV camcorder CAN be used as a Webcam via Firewire, there might still be a delay in receiving the audio and video data which would suck if you plan to use the camcorder with Skype.
@wassup986 Aside from having no internal memory (you have to supply your own), it's also missing the built-in video conversion utility which is pretty much useless if you already use external editing software.
@KMMKproduction If you'll be shooting mostly in the daytime, bring a handful of memory cards and batteries, stick with the "P" mode and FXP setting, and concentrate on acquiring the best possible source material which you can then scale down to whatever format you want in your editing software.
It definitely does. At that resolution, you could have edited and released the footage from a laptop computer. That would have been perfect for high quality independent news gathering, especially in more sensitive parts of the world.
@wassup986 I haven't had the chance to use the software all that much, but it did look like a severely stripped down version of traditional video editing software. You can add music, do simple transitions, add some title cards. but that's pretty much it.
I had my doubts myself at first, but yes Canon did pull it off in the image quality department, even when using the dynamic image stabilizer. The rattle however really pisses me off. It's an unforgivable bug, and there's simply no excuse for it. Still, it's a good thing you can still use an external mic.
You can find compatible third-party batteries for about $20-$25. They should be labeled as having between 500 and 750 mAh capacity. The original Canon NB-2LH battery will cost you well over $60 in Canada. As for the Sony, externally everything looks fine (SDHC and front mounted microphones! Good!), but I don't know how's the picture or sound quality since I haven't reviewed it. Also, if the bitrate of the audio track is below 256 kbps, the audio (especially live music) will sound like crap.
@NicoleTiana Either use the included video editing software (not very advanced, but okay for basic stuff) or get Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD (a bit complex, but cheap and a great introduction to non-linear editing).
@AngelaMarie53 MTS and M2T are pretty much the standard file format for most of today's HD capable camcorders. You might have to ask the i-Movie 09 software people what's their problem, especially since many other video editors from 2009 have no problems dealing with the camcorder file format.
@guigow2004 Arg! I completely forgot about that! I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, check the show notes for the Canon HF200 - Sanyo VPC-TH1 Shoot-Out. There's a Torrent download link for one of the MTS files from that camcorder. Despite being a higher bitrate than the R10 (24 Mbps instead of 17 Mbps), it's still the exact same file format.
Sorry! My mistake! I forgot I had to show the HF200 in the review. The camcorder I used to record the review was a Canon HV20 HDV camcorder. I only use it when I don't have any other choice since transferring the footage from tape to computer has to be done in real time via Firewire.
@a1mint Optical stabilizers are still the best. We're still a long way off before someone develops a digital stabilizer that works as well as a mechanical one.
@mainestreetsurfers Vegas will handle the clips as-is. This is confirmed with version 9 and above. Be advised however that the clips are processor intensive. You'll definitely need a quad core computer here.
It's perfectly normal. The problem is with the FAT32 file format used in ALL memory cards. It can only create files as big as 4 GB. So when a recording reaches that size limit, the camcorder splits the clip into multiple files. The Pixela software that came with the camcorder can rebuild the files to their complete length. However, I don't know how to do that since I normally use Sony Vegas for all of my editing, and never had to reattach a clip from two separate files.
Uhhh... I would advise against that. I have the FS100, the version before the FS200 (differences are pretty much cosmetic). The imaging sensor can produce a lot of moire artifacts under harsh lighting conditions. Also, the MPEG2 file format can be troublesome with some software editing packages, especially with Sony Vegas which simply can't properly deinterlace the footage. Search RUclips for "Yet Another Travel Show", and you'll find my vacation film. It was recorded on my FS100.
@crazyfooInc Also, the current price of the R100 is now LOWER than what I paid for my FS100! :) Another thing. I originally hoped that the R10 would use the same smart battery as the FS series which would probably have lasted some two hours in the R10. The only catch is that the FSxxx series battery is a proprietary $60 smart battery that would have lasted only a half hour more than the R10's readily available 3rd party sub-$20 extra capacity batteries.
@Ceejayanthirium Camcorders are not Webcams. You'd need a video capture card to pick up the analog audio and composite video signal from the camcorder, and that will introduce a ton of problems. A cheap $20 Webcam would be a more practical solution for you.
Hello. First of all, congratulations for the review... it's VERY good! I'm looking for a camera to record my band's presentations. I would like to know if the R10 is better than the HF100 (in terms of image quality). If not, which camcorder do you recommend for that propose? Thanks!
hi thank u 4 the video , i want 2 know how to use the manual focus to focus on the close things and blur the background , when i use the manual focus it blurs everything
this is an exellent review one question though when you upload the videos to your computer what kind of video file are they like AVI, MPG, MTS ect: Please reply i really need to know this
@mainestreetsurfers I wouldn't recommend 7, especially if you have Windows 7. It's pretty old. Vegas is now at version 11, and there have been a lot of improvements over the years. You can evaluate any edition of Vegas for 30 days if you'd like. You don't even need to uninstall the old version since each version is installed as its own separate package. But make a copy of your existing project files before starting. Vegas can upgrade old file formats, but it can't downgrade new ones.
@guigow2004 Unfortunately, I've never played with that model (in North America, it would be the M30). So I really don't know how well or how poorly it can perform under low light, or what are the best settings for such conditions. You'll have to find a location comparable to what you eventually will want to film, record the area under the different modes available on the camcorder, and look at the results on your computer (don't trust the camcorder's LCD screen).
@crazyfooInc The camcorder's depth of field is extremely long, so you might not have to adjust it at all.. Set the focus to infinity, and anything beyond three or four feet under decent lighting and at the widest zoom setting should remain in focus. BTW, the M30 has the same manual focus capabilities as the R10, but that annoying touchscreen can REALLY ruin your shots! :) Have fun!
@chataramens Actually, I do know what you are talking about (sorry :P) The clicking noise is probably the auto focus, as the video points out at 6:24 From the test videos, the internal mic sounds fine. There IS an external mic port, just no way to mount it to the camera.
Thanks! Two things to consider. First, the HF200's battery lasts an hour and a half, and you can use the BP-808 battery from the Canon FS Series camcorders. You can even get the three hour BP-819 battery for about $90. Second, there is a bit of a hiss in the HF200's audio system, but you can filter most of it out by lowering the high end during editing. That adjustment will also help reduce the audio track's harshness, which is present in most camcorder audio. Have fun with the HF200!
All daytime shots were recorded at 60i. All nighttime shots were recorded according to the information displayed in the video. As long as your video editor comes with a decent deinterlacer, you can use 60i. For night shots, consider locking the shutter speed to 30 fps.
@TheCanadianPublic If I could simplify my question: Why doesn't the HF200 require a high-end computer to render the files? Thanks - great review. PS Will a MacBook from 2008 with iMovie be sufficient?
I'd be interesting to find out on what program you edited the video. The Pixela software that came with it is pathetic. And I have tried editing in other more profession programs (Adobe Premiere Elements 8 and Pinnacle 14 Ultimate). While they import the video from the camera and had no problems with editing, when trying to export or save the finished product (even when it's an AVCHD file) the camera will not accept it. It's frustrating because you can't view the edited product in HD.
@McCulloch416 The built-in mic is surprisingly good, and the audio is recorded in 256 kbps 2 channel Dolby AC3, which is double the rate that many other camcorders will do. The only problem with using an external mic with the HF R10 is that there's no place to mount it properly unless you use a highly oversized and awkward bracket attachment. The HF2xx, HF-S and HF-M series however only need a small shoe mount adapter to properly mount an external microphone on top of the camcorder.
@TheCanadianPublic awesome would you recommend doing that or just buying a diffrent camera although this is the only one in my price. Is google handbrake free? And can you do other files besides MP4
If you already have a quad-core computer to do the editing, it's definitely worth it. Just remember to use manual focus during quiet shots otherwise you'll hear the auto-focus rattle in the soundtrack.
How can I convert clips for web upload WTHOUT degrading the original clip? The owners manual says to convert the clip to SD in the camcorder but I'd rather convert a copy and not ruin the original. I'm bouncing clips back and forth with pixela between the sd card, my hd, and the internal chip to be certain I don't ruin the original but I'm getting very frustrated! It takes a long time to move the clips back and forth like that. Couldn't it just make a new file that I could delete after?
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I came here looking for battery life times, and information about the available resolutions and bitrates. Very good video!!
nice work i bought a rf 11 this week this will help in learning the camera better ty
I think your voice really fits with your videos, I bought the HF200 because of your review too, good video man and good job.
@TheCanadianPublic thanks for the feedback. I had live streaming for formal services in mind, but i didnt want anything too expensive or too cheap. a cheap webcam gives cheap quality, not what i was looking for. luckily my old minidv camera can do it, so no harm done. thanks again and keep up the good work!
great review
Great review, Im buying this camera thanks to you!
francois, excellent review. you may have helped me decide to go for the HF200 instead of the R10!
Yep. Montreal to be exact. Very relaxed city.
Great review. Thanks
@crazyfooInc Almost made a mistake there. The focus assist doesn't work while you're recording otherwise the digital zooming-in feature would also be recorded. The manual focus however still works while you're recording.
This was a great review. Thank you.
Thanks for the excellent review.
@UimMinsoo There's no shoe mount at all on this thing. To physically mount a mic on this thing, you'd have to buy a special adapter that screws into the tripod hole and wraps around the lens to provide a shoe mount on top of the camcorder.
At least for the HF200, I only had to buy a small adapter that fits into the existing Canon mini shoe mount, and positions the mic in the best possible position.
Man what a great review!!! very refreshing and well done video, great information, thank you!!
God Bless you
Another entertaining and detailed review. Most other guys spend their time talking about buttons and boxes and have little hard information about the video performance. I was hoping for a bit more on the FS100 as I've recently purchased an FS200 and would like a few clues on getting the best out of it.
Best Review yet..
What I TRIED to put on the camcorder (but couldn't) was a Rode Videomic mono shotgun microphone. Great for interviews, but lousy for music.
Excellent review!!
The camcorder doesn't have a shoe mount.
You CAN get shoe mount adapters that mount on the camcorder's tripod hole, but they're extremely awkward and throw the camcorder off balance.
Thanks for trying it out! I wasn't sure if Vegas could handle it. Never had the chance to try it out myself.
Remember to turn off the auto-focus to eliminate any rattling noise in the soundtrack. Just focus on the seating position (preferably with something in it), switch to manual focus, and go for it. The lens' depth of field at the widest setting is pretty deep, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about the image being out of focus.
@crazyfooInc Yes! Once you've switched over to manual focus, just move the joystick sideways to adjust the focus. There's even an automated "focus assist" function where the image is digitally zoomed in so you can better see if the image is in focus or not.
Radio Martini.
My review background music is Acid Trumpet, and the test footage background music is Protofunk.
Thanks! The real test will be the upcoming release of the Apple iPad review! That should ruffle a few iFeathers out there! :)
The iPad review is still looking for a sponsor however. If I can't find one by this weekend, I'll release the video on Saturday without one.
I didn't want to cover the FS series beyond the ergonomics since they're already at the end of their life expectancy, and the MPEG2 format was troublesome since it's interlaced, and Sony Vegas never had decent deinterlacing capabilities.
What you could try is to render your videos with no deinterlacing whatsoever, and let RUclips or your media player do the deinterlacing for you. That's what I did with this review, and it worked beautifully. It could also work with the FS200's material.
It should work out, especially if you can get the camcorder and some spare batteries pretty cheap. The 20X zoom will definitely help. And during major events, the place will be so noisy that the autofocus rattle won't be audible at all.
@mainestreetsurfers H.264 MP4 video and Dolby 2 channel AC3 audio in an MTS file.
@wassup986 No idea. All I've been using since I started doing video editing is Sony Vegas. It was the most full featured and most affordable NLE I could find. Version 10 Platinum is available for under a C note, a bit more for the Platinum Pro package. Better than any free package out there, and nowhere near as expensive as the $500+ "pro" packages.
One major weakness with Vegas however: lousy deinterlacing. It just doesn't work properly.
@TheGamerLand The answer is in the review. It depends on the model.
Aside from the rattle, pretty much the same as the HF200. Canon used the same encoding (256 kbps AC3) and I believe the same microphone elements.
@TheCanadianPublic i got vegas 8 and it works now thanks for the help
You can't reload edited footage back on the camcorder. It doesn't work that way. You must either burn the footage on Blu-Ray, or connect your computer to the TV.
I use Sony Vegas Platinum for my editing. It isn't perfect, but it does the job, and it's reasonably priced. You can even download a 30 day trial version before you decide to buy.
Good review!
@dpkeys I've never used any of the editing or conversion features built into the camcorder. I prefer to edit everything outside the camcorder with an editor such as Sony Vegas.
@crazyfooInc Thank you for the fast reply. I am seriously thinking about buying this camera. thanks again.
@ottoelperro MTS is a container format used by most AVCHD capable camcorders. It contains an AVCHD H.264 video stream and a Dolby AC3 stream. You can play the files on your computer with the VLC Media Player. Google it. It should be the very first link.
Excellent review, the HFR-100 camera is within budget -- can find it new on amazon for 315$, the picture quality is surprisingly acceptable for a camera in this price range. It also has an external mic and headphone slot. I'm tempted!
@thebibleastronaut You might have to go the DSLR route. It's the only format capable of recording video that can also support the use of "fast" lenses. Unfortunately, I've never used that kind of equipment, so I can't make any useful suggestions at this time.
@wassup986 The camcorder's file format is actually M2T which consists of an MP4 H.264 encoded video track with a Dolby Digital stereo encoded audio track. And yes, the Pixela software will recognize the files. If it didn't, it would have been a very silly situation. :)
@thebibleastronaut It's actually pretty easy to throw more light into the camcorder. You just need a wider lens. Not stronger, just wider so that more available light is captured and sent to the image sensor.
Except for two problems. First, a wider lens will result in a wider -- and heavier -- camcorder, and second, the depth of field will be reduced to the point that anything off by just a few inches will be out of focus. Great for professional artistic use, but lousy for domestic use.
Excellent review! :D
@MrFolaz Once you activate the manual focus, just move the joystick left or right to adjust the focus. You might see the image zoom in temporarily while you're adjusting the focus. That's the focus assist.
@TheCanadianPublic i called canon and they said that its supported by sony vegas 7
Sony Vegas HD (i.e. Version 10), Platinum edition. It supports the files as-is with no conversion required.
@TheCanadianPublic
Why would it not fit?
Very good and honest review. I have this camcorder and agree with everything you said. Another way to get rid of the AF noise is to use an external mic. Thanks for the review.
@Ceejayanthirium No problem! And in your case, a Firewire expansion card (if you don't already have it) is definitely cheaper than a video capture card or an overpriced "high quality" Webcam.
Just be advised that even though a MiniDV camcorder CAN be used as a Webcam via Firewire, there might still be a delay in receiving the audio and video data which would suck if you plan to use the camcorder with Skype.
That answer is in the review.
@wassup986 Aside from having no internal memory (you have to supply your own), it's also missing the built-in video conversion utility which is pretty much useless if you already use external editing software.
@KMMKproduction If you'll be shooting mostly in the daytime, bring a handful of memory cards and batteries, stick with the "P" mode and FXP setting, and concentrate on acquiring the best possible source material which you can then scale down to whatever format you want in your editing software.
@iTouchiPodz No idea. I don't have a Mac.
What about using it as a webcam/live streaming? I have one but i cant figure out how. Can you look into that and get back to me please
It definitely does. At that resolution, you could have edited and released the footage from a laptop computer. That would have been perfect for high quality independent news gathering, especially in more sensitive parts of the world.
@chataramens 1920x1080 (1080p)
So, yes, it does.
@wassup986 I haven't had the chance to use the software all that much, but it did look like a severely stripped down version of traditional video editing software. You can add music, do simple transitions, add some title cards. but that's pretty much it.
I had my doubts myself at first, but yes Canon did pull it off in the image quality department, even when using the dynamic image stabilizer.
The rattle however really pisses me off. It's an unforgivable bug, and there's simply no excuse for it. Still, it's a good thing you can still use an external mic.
You can find compatible third-party batteries for about $20-$25. They should be labeled as having between 500 and 750 mAh capacity. The original Canon NB-2LH battery will cost you well over $60 in Canada.
As for the Sony, externally everything looks fine (SDHC and front mounted microphones! Good!), but I don't know how's the picture or sound quality since I haven't reviewed it. Also, if the bitrate of the audio track is below 256 kbps, the audio (especially live music) will sound like crap.
@NicoleTiana Either use the included video editing software (not very advanced, but okay for basic stuff) or get Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD (a bit complex, but cheap and a great introduction to non-linear editing).
@AngelaMarie53 MTS and M2T are pretty much the standard file format for most of today's HD capable camcorders. You might have to ask the i-Movie 09 software people what's their problem, especially since many other video editors from 2009 have no problems dealing with the camcorder file format.
@guigow2004 Arg! I completely forgot about that! I'll see what I can do.
In the meantime, check the show notes for the Canon HF200 - Sanyo VPC-TH1 Shoot-Out. There's a Torrent download link for one of the MTS files from that camcorder. Despite being a higher bitrate than the R10 (24 Mbps instead of 17 Mbps), it's still the exact same file format.
Sorry! My mistake! I forgot I had to show the HF200 in the review.
The camcorder I used to record the review was a Canon HV20 HDV camcorder. I only use it when I don't have any other choice since transferring the footage from tape to computer has to be done in real time via Firewire.
how does this play with macs?
@a1mint Optical stabilizers are still the best. We're still a long way off before someone develops a digital stabilizer that works as well as a mechanical one.
@mainestreetsurfers Vegas will handle the clips as-is. This is confirmed with version 9 and above. Be advised however that the clips are processor intensive. You'll definitely need a quad core computer here.
@burtonandi C'est normal. Le canal de télé est basé à Montréal.
great video!!!
@wassup986 Sorry. MTS format, not M2T format.
It's perfectly normal. The problem is with the FAT32 file format used in ALL memory cards. It can only create files as big as 4 GB. So when a recording reaches that size limit, the camcorder splits the clip into multiple files.
The Pixela software that came with the camcorder can rebuild the files to their complete length. However, I don't know how to do that since I normally use Sony Vegas for all of my editing, and never had to reattach a clip from two separate files.
Uhhh... I would advise against that. I have the FS100, the version before the FS200 (differences are pretty much cosmetic). The imaging sensor can produce a lot of moire artifacts under harsh lighting conditions. Also, the MPEG2 file format can be troublesome with some software editing packages, especially with Sony Vegas which simply can't properly deinterlace the footage.
Search RUclips for "Yet Another Travel Show", and you'll find my vacation film. It was recorded on my FS100.
@crazyfooInc Also, the current price of the R100 is now LOWER than what I paid for my FS100! :)
Another thing. I originally hoped that the R10 would use the same smart battery as the FS series which would probably have lasted some two hours in the R10. The only catch is that the FSxxx series battery is a proprietary $60 smart battery that would have lasted only a half hour more than the R10's readily available 3rd party sub-$20 extra capacity batteries.
good job... man
@TheCanadianPublic I have a Q6600 and 8GB Ram with Win 7 64-bit
@Ceejayanthirium Camcorders are not Webcams. You'd need a video capture card to pick up the analog audio and composite video signal from the camcorder, and that will introduce a ton of problems. A cheap $20 Webcam would be a more practical solution for you.
@TheCanadianPublic Actually I found the Sanyo VPC-FH1 for $279.99 I think I am going to go with that.
Hello. First of all, congratulations for the review... it's VERY good!
I'm looking for a camera to record my band's presentations. I would like to know if the R10 is better than the HF100 (in terms of image quality). If not, which camcorder do you recommend for that propose? Thanks!
hi
thank u 4 the video ,
i want 2 know how to use the manual focus
to focus on the close things and blur the background ,
when i use the manual focus it blurs everything
All they give you is exposure compensation in the joystick menu. No Tv or Av mode whatsoever.
Even the FS100 has Tv mode.
this is an exellent review one question though when you upload the videos to your computer what kind of video file are they like AVI, MPG, MTS ect:
Please reply i really need to know this
@mainestreetsurfers I wouldn't recommend 7, especially if you have Windows 7. It's pretty old. Vegas is now at version 11, and there have been a lot of improvements over the years.
You can evaluate any edition of Vegas for 30 days if you'd like. You don't even need to uninstall the old version since each version is installed as its own separate package. But make a copy of your existing project files before starting. Vegas can upgrade old file formats, but it can't downgrade new ones.
@guigow2004 Unfortunately, I've never played with that model (in North America, it would be the M30). So I really don't know how well or how poorly it can perform under low light, or what are the best settings for such conditions.
You'll have to find a location comparable to what you eventually will want to film, record the area under the different modes available on the camcorder, and look at the results on your computer (don't trust the camcorder's LCD screen).
@TheCanadianPublic when i try to use handbrake it comes out in a grainy green color
@crazyfooInc The camcorder's depth of field is extremely long, so you might not have to adjust it at all.. Set the focus to infinity, and anything beyond three or four feet under decent lighting and at the widest zoom setting should remain in focus.
BTW, the M30 has the same manual focus capabilities as the R10, but that annoying touchscreen can REALLY ruin your shots! :)
Have fun!
@chataramens Actually, I do know what you are talking about (sorry :P)
The clicking noise is probably the auto focus, as the video points out at 6:24
From the test videos, the internal mic sounds fine. There IS an external mic port, just no way to mount it to the camera.
Thanks!
Two things to consider. First, the HF200's battery lasts an hour and a half, and you can use the BP-808 battery from the Canon FS Series camcorders. You can even get the three hour BP-819 battery for about $90.
Second, there is a bit of a hiss in the HF200's audio system, but you can filter most of it out by lowering the high end during editing. That adjustment will also help reduce the audio track's harshness, which is present in most camcorder audio.
Have fun with the HF200!
can you put a fisheye on it ?
@chataramens Sorry, I don't own it (yet... hopefully next friday)
I just know from experience (aka being a tech nerd) that 1080p is 16:9 (as is 720p)
All daytime shots were recorded at 60i. All nighttime shots were recorded according to the information displayed in the video.
As long as your video editor comes with a decent deinterlacer, you can use 60i. For night shots, consider locking the shutter speed to 30 fps.
@TheCanadianPublic
If I could simplify my question:
Why doesn't the HF200 require a high-end computer to render the files?
Thanks - great review.
PS Will a MacBook from 2008 with iMovie be sufficient?
So there is no 1280x720 video recording? That sucks...
@TheCanadianPublic i syill don't understand can you put a fisheye on it ?
Can this pause during the making of a video? Please respond ASAP!!!
I found this thing for 300-350. Surely its the best camcorder at that price range, isnt it?
I'd be interesting to find out on what program you edited the video. The Pixela software that came with it is pathetic. And I have tried editing in other more profession programs (Adobe Premiere Elements 8 and Pinnacle 14 Ultimate). While they import the video from the camera and had no problems with editing, when trying to export or save the finished product (even when it's an AVCHD file) the camera will not accept it. It's frustrating because you can't view the edited product in HD.
@McCulloch416 The built-in mic is surprisingly good, and the audio is recorded in 256 kbps 2 channel Dolby AC3, which is double the rate that many other camcorders will do.
The only problem with using an external mic with the HF R10 is that there's no place to mount it properly unless you use a highly oversized and awkward bracket attachment.
The HF2xx, HF-S and HF-M series however only need a small shoe mount adapter to properly mount an external microphone on top of the camcorder.
@TheCanadianPublic awesome would you recommend doing that or just buying a diffrent camera although this is the only one in my price. Is google handbrake free? And can you do other files besides MP4
@TheCanadianPublic oh, you're right!
anyways, good review. led me to buy this product.
Does this camera make a lot of noise in low ambient noise? I have heard the Hard drive can be heard in the recordings.
If you already have a quad-core computer to do the editing, it's definitely worth it. Just remember to use manual focus during quiet shots otherwise you'll hear the auto-focus rattle in the soundtrack.
How can I convert clips for web upload WTHOUT degrading the original clip? The owners manual says to convert the clip to SD in the camcorder but I'd rather convert a copy and not ruin the original. I'm bouncing clips back and forth with pixela between the sd card, my hd, and the internal chip to be certain I don't ruin the original but I'm getting very frustrated! It takes a long time to move the clips back and forth like that. Couldn't it just make a new file that I could delete after?
That tripod screw mount is that made out of plastic or metal? I know some companies now on their lower end models use plastic.
I would like to know what you recorded the video of the camcorders with.