Canon Vixia HF20 Product Specs
The new Canon HF20 comes from a highly-praised, award-winning pedigree. It is being marketed as a less expensive alternative to our 2008 camcorder of the year, the Canon HF11. For an MSRP of $899 ($300 less than the HF11), you get an HD camcorder that's stuffed with 32GB of internal flash memory and many of the features that made the HF11 such a popular choice for consumers. Be warned, however, Canon also did a fair amount of tinkering under the hood—and some of the results aren't pretty. Compared to its older sister, the HF20 is a significantly worse low light performer and it consistently measured high levels of noise in our testing.
For those looking for even more of a budget option, there's also the Canon HF200, which is identical to the HF20 except it records solely to SD/SDHC cards and doesn't contain any internal memory.
*Update: The Vixia HF20 was ultimately selected as our 2009 runner-up for Mid-Range Camcorder of the Year. To see why we selected it and read about our other 2009 awards, "check out the 2009 CamcorderInfo.com Select Awards":http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Camcorderinfo-com-Select-Awards-2009-37268.htm.*
| Canon Vixia HF20- Specs | |
|---|---|
| Original Price | 899 |
| Year | 2009 |
| Format | Flash Memory |
| Class | Consumer |
| HD | Yes |
| General Type | Basic Budget, Prosumer |
| Image Stabilization | Digital |
| 3D Capable | No |
| HD Video Format | AVCHD |
| SD Video Format | None |
| Frame Rate(s) | 60i, 30p, 24p |
| Primary Audio Format | Dolby Digital (2ch) |
| Secondary Audio Format | None |
| Primary Media | Internal Flash Memory |
| Secondary Media | Memory Card |
| Tertiary Media | None |
| Memory Card Type | SD/SDHC |
| Included Media Capacity | 32GB Internal Flash Memory |
| Maximum Recording Time (highest quality in minutes) | 175 |
| Recording Quality Option(s) | MXP (24Mbps), FXP (17Mbps), XP+ (12Mbps), SP (7Mbps), LP (5Mbps) |
| Included Software | Digital Video Solution Disk, Pixela ImageMixer 3SE Video Editing Software, Music CD |
| Zoom Control Type(s) | Joystick |
| Optical Zoom | 15 x |
| Digital Zoom | 300 x |
| Manual Focus | Yes |
| Manual Focus Control Type(s) | Joystick |
| Focus Assist / Peaking | No |
| Manual Exposure | Yes |
| Manual Exposure Steps | 23 |
| Manual Aperture | Yes |
| Manual Aperture Steps | 10 |
| Minimum Aperture (f/) | 1.80 f/ |
| Maximum Aperture (f/) | 8.00 f/ |
| Manual Shutter Speed | Yes |
| Manual Shutter Speed Steps | 15 |
| Minimum Shutter Speed | 1/6 |
| Maximum Shutter Speed | 1/2000 |
| Manual White Balance | Yes |
| White Balance Presets | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual |
| Manual Gain | No |
| Manual Noise Reduction | No |
| Audio Dubbing | No |
| Auto / Easy Mode | Yes |
| Face Detection | Yes |
| Color / Image Control(s) | Image Effects (Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Soft Skin Detail), Custom Image Effects (Brightness, Contrast, Sharpening, Color Depth), x.v. Color |
| Low Light Mode(s) | Night (Scene Mode) |
| Scene Mode(s) | Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, Fireworks |
| Other Manual Control(s) | Onscreen Markers |
| Still-Video Hybrid | Yes |
| Still Image Resolution(s) | 16:9 - 2304 x 1296; 4:3 - 2100 x 1575, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480 |
| Flash | Yes |
| Flash Settings | Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, On, Off |
| Simultaneous Video / Still Recording | Yes |
| Self Timer | Yes |
| Manual ISO | No |
| Continuous Shot | Yes |
| Bracketing | Yes |
| Other Still Feature(s) | Extra shutter speed options (1/4, 1/2); capture still from video playback |
| Still Media | 32GB Internal Flash Memory, SD/SDHC Memory Card |
| Still Media Included | 32GB Internal Flash Memory |
| Body Type | Horizontal |
| Weight (with battery pack) | 400.00 g |
| Width (mm) | 70.00 mm |
| Height (mm) | 62.00 mm |
| Length (mm) | 124.00 mm |
| Body Color(s) | Black |
| LCD Size (inches) | 2.70 in. |
| LCD Resolution (pixels) | 211000 pixels |
| Touch Screen | No |
| Viewfinder | No |
| Video Light | Yes |
| Waterproof | No |
| Composite (RCA) output | Yes |
| Composite (RCA) input | No |
| FireWire | No |
| Audio-only AV input | No |
| S-Video | No |
| USB | Yes |
| Component output | Yes |
| Component input | No |
| HDMI | Yes |
| Headphone output | Yes |
| External Microphone input | Yes |
| LANC / Control L | No |
| Accessory Shoe (Cold) | Yes |
| Accessory Shoe (Hot) | Yes |
| Included Wireless Remote | Yes |
| WiFi | No |
| GPS | No |
| DC Power | Yes |
| Docking Station | No |
| Card Slot 1 | SD/SDHC |
| Sister Model Up | Canon Vixia HF S10 |
| Sister Model Down | Canon Vixia HF200 |
| Included Battery | BP-809 |
| Other Accessories | Wrist Strap |
| Other Features | Video Light, Digital Effects, Quick Start, Pre-Record, Video Snapshot |
| Canon Vixia HF20 Scores | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | Score | Weighting | |
| Color Score | 8.37 | 2.0 | |
| Noise Score | 5.65 | 1.0 | |
| Wide Angle Score | 10.20 | 0.8 | |
| Motion Score | 10.80 | 1.0 | |
| Video Sharpness Score | 12.78 | 4.0 | |
| Low Light Color Score | 6.18 | 1.25 | |
| Low Light Sensitivity Score | 1.16 | 1.5 | |
| Low Light Noise Score | 3.63 | 1.25 | |
| Compression Score | 7.00 | 1.0 | |
| Media Score | 8.52 | 1.5 | |
| Editing Score | 7.00 | 0.75 | |
| Auto Mode Score | 9.13 | 0.5 | |
| Zoom Score | 7.00 | 0.75 | |
| Zoom Ratio Score | 5.29 | 0.5 | |
| Focus Score | 4.00 | 0.7 | |
| Exposure Score | 8.30 | 0.65 | |
| Aperture Score | 6.50 | 0.65 | |
| Shutter Speed Score | 6.60 | 0.6 | |
| White Balance Score | 9.50 | 0.55 | |
| Gain Score | 0.00 | 0.5 | |
| Color & Image Controls Score | 9.00 | 0.5 | |
| Other Manual Controls Score | 1.00 | 0.5 | |
| Still Features Score | 11.56 | 0.8 | |
| Ease of Use Score | 5.10 | 1.25 | |
| Handling Score | 5.75 | 1.25 | |
| Stabilization Score | 0.91 | 1.0 | |
| Portability Score | 8.32 | 0.8 | |
| Battery Life Score | 4.90 | 1.0 | |
| LCD & Viewfinder Score | 7.88 | 0.6 | |
| Menus Score | 3.00 | 1.0 | |
| Playback Score | 6.50 | 0.3 | |
| Connectivity Score | 6.88 | 0.8 | |
| Audio Features Score | 5.75 | 1.0 | |
| Other Features Score | 4.50 | 0.5 | |
| Total: | 229 | ||
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