A little bit ago I took a look at a Canon camcorder, it was a fairly basic model but it produced decent results. Today for review I’ve got the flagship HD camcorder in the Canon lineup of consumer level products called the HF S21. This camera features a nice large lens with 10X optical zoom, along with 64gigs onboard memory with the ability to add not one, but two SD cards to expand the memory even more. This camera is one that might be in the consumer class, but it’s one that is certainly a prosumer level camera. The cost is a bit high, it’s a bit over $1000, but it’s truly worth every penny if you want the highest possible quality video and still pictures you can get from a consumer level product.

So we’ll start off with he video unboxing:

The box is a box:

There’s  a bit that’s included with the camera including A/V cables, component cables, software, user manual, USB cable, remote control, battery and power supply. The one thing missing is a carrying case, oh well.

The remote is small, but it works well to control the camera at a distance:

The camera itself is rather heavy for how small it is, it feels well made. To the bottom right of the lens is another knob for manual focus.

There is an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera that you can use instead of the LCD if you wish:

On the top of the camera you’ll find a sliding door for flash/light and a zoom slider along with a photo button.

One of the great features of this camera is that the LCD screen is a touchscreen, I’ve never had the chance to play with a camera with a touchscreen on it and it was rather fun. One issue though is the it really picks up fingerprints, much more than any other touchscreen I’ve ever used.

On the side of the camera you’ll find two memory card slots along with another door for USB, A/V and audio connections.

On the bottom you’ll find the tripod attachment, and a slide lock for the battery.

On the right side where the hand strap is, there’s also another door, behind which you’ll find USB and an HDMI out. So yes there is an HDMI port, but there’s no HDMI cable included with the camera.

Here’s the battery off of the camera:

Specifications:

VIXIA HF S21

Canon’s flagship VIXIA HF S21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder, with a 64GB internal flash drive and two SD memory card slots, offers Canon’s most sophisticated feature set to date – blurring the line between consumer and professional. Canon’s superlative proprietary imaging technologies help deliver video and 8.0 megapixel photos with incredible detail and lifelike color. Touch & Track allows you to achieve sharp focus and precise exposure for any subject, simply by touching the generous 3.5″ High Resolution (922,000 dot) Touch Panel LCD. Native 24p Mode perfectly matches the frame rate of film. And 5.1-Channel Surround Sound* ensures your audio complements the stunning realism of your video.

Specifications:

Video Recording system: MPEG4-AVC / H.264
Image Sensor: 1/2.6-inch CMOS, RGB Primary Color Filter
Total Pixels: Approx. 8.59 Megapixels
Effective Pixels: Video: Approx. 6.01 Megapixels (3264 x 1840)
Photo: 16:9 Approx. 6.01 Megapixels (3264 x 1840); 4:3 Approx. 8.02 Megapixels (3264 x 2456)

Maximum recording time:
64GB internal flash drive: Recording time based on internal flash memory only. Greater capacity is possible when SD memory cards are also used (2 card slots).
LP (5Mbps) 24 hours 30 minutes
SP (7Mbps) 19 hours 10 minutes
XP+ (12Mbps) 11 hours 30 minutes
FXP (17Mbps) 8 hours 20 minutes. Allows 1920 x 1080 Full HD Recording.
MXP (24Mbps) 5 hours 55 minutes. Allows 1920 x 1080 Full HD Recording.

Lens:
Zoom Ratio 10x Optical/200x Digital
Focal Length f-6.4-64mm (35mm equivalent 43.5-435mm)
Zoom Speed Variable / 3 Fixed Zoom Speeds
Max. F/Stop f/1.8-3.0

Focusing System: Instant AF, Face Priority AF, TTL (through the lens)
Manual Exposure: Yes
Programmed AE: Smart Auto, P, Av, Tv, Cine*, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Night Scene, Low Light, Spotlight, Fireworks
Max Shutter Speed: Movie: 1/2000; Photo: 1/500
Minimum Focusing Distance: 10mm (wide) / 1m (tele)
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual
Frame Rate: 60i, Native 24p (records at 24p), 24p Progressive (records at 60i), 30p Progressive (records at 60i)
Minimum Illumination: 0.3 lx (Low Light mode)
Image Stabilization: Dynamic SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Standard SuperRange Optical (lens shift) / Powered IS
Filter Diameter: 58mm
Viewfinder: .27-inch, approx. 123,000 dots
LCD Screen: 3.5-inch High Resolution Touch Panel Widescreen Color LCD (Approx. 922,000 dots)
Flash: Built-in
Recording Media: Internal flash drive (64GB) or SD memory cards (2 slots) **
USB Terminal: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Video Terminal: component (output), composite (output)
Audio: Dolby Digital 2 channel (AC-3), 5.1-channel (with optional Canon SM-V1 5.1-Channel Surround Microphone)
Accessory Shoe: mini Advanced
Supplied Video Editing Software: Pixela ImageMixer 3SE
HDMI Terminal: HDMI Mini Connector (output), CEC and x.v.Color supported
Microphone Terminal: 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack
AV Mini Terminal/Headphone Terminal: 3.5 mm 4 pole mini-jack (video/audio output only)
Remote Control Terminal: Yes (compatible with LANC protocol)
Dimensions: (W x H x D) 3.0 x 2.9 x 5.8in. (75 x 74 x 148mm)
Weight (not including battery pack and memory card): 1.0 lbs. (470g)
Weight (fully loaded): 1.2 lbs. (520g) (including BP-808 and memory cards)

Note:
* Movie mode only
** 1920 x 1080 movie recording requires a Class 4 or higher memory card. For other recording formats, a Class 2 or higher card is recommended. Also, movie recording requires cards with 128MB of memory or more. Cards made by Toshiba, SanDisk or Matsushita are recommended. No particular restrictions apply for still images.

Price: $1,399.00 (from Amazon at time of review)

Looking at the LCD screen on the Vixia HF S21 you can touch the zoom button and a slider will appear which you can use for zooming instead of the mechanical zoom on top of the camera.

There’s plenty of choices when it comes to options, here’s the main menus:

The touchscreen seems to work well for the most part, but there are times when it seems not exactly as responsive as it should be, or as I would want it to be.

When you switch to straight video camera mode a Function touch button appears, which gives you more options:

So as you can see there’s plenty of options on this camera, more than enough to keep you busy for quite a while trying to figure them all out. Yes, you have all of these options, but what’s great about this camera is that you can just turn it on and start shooting excellent quality videos in a matter of seconds.

Battery life seems a bit low, a little over an hour or so which isn’t much really. You can of course opt to buy an extended battery, which I think you’ll want to get.

Ok so let’s take a look at sample videos and sample pictures.

Here’s an unboxing video shot with the Canon Vixia HF S21

The video is very nice, it’s clear and crisp..  Of course it’s been recoded on the Viddler servers, but it still looks very good. It does look much better straight from the camera though on the computer, and it looks very good played via Component on an HDTV as well.

The sound quality is very good as well, the microphone seems very good at picking up sounds, but yet there’s no extra noise in there.

So here’s some sample pictures, I took a lot more than these actually, but chose a few that show good and bad examples. Using the camera for still pictures works well, but it takes a bit to get accustomed to, and the flash can be very bright at times, but then at other times it works perfectly.

Conclusion:

The Canon HF S21 might be considered a consumer grade camcorder, but it’s more prosumer. It’s a camera that’s as close as you’ll get to a professional grade camcorder without spending ten thousand plus dollars.

The Vixia HF S21 is a truly an excellent HD camcorder hat has tons of options, but yet anyone can easily pick it up and use it.

The camera has 64gigs of memory built in which should be more than enough for most people, but if it’s not you can insert not one but two SD cards for even more recording time.

It might be easy to use, but to really get good results you’ll need to spend a lot of time learning how to use it, it’s certainly not a camera for the novice, but it could be a good place to start if one wants to get serious about doing high quality videos.

Pros:
+Excellent video quality
+Decent still picture quality
+Easy to use, but with advanced options
+Touchscreen LCD
+Crisp, clear LCD
+Dual memory options
+Seems well made

Cons:
-Limited battery life
-No HDMI cable
-No carrying case

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD Camcorder is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Today for review I’ve got the new Canon Vixia HF R10 Camcorder. This camera is nice and small making it very portable, it features built-in 8gb of memory which can be expanded with the use of an SD card if you need more storage. It shoots in HD and comes with a 20X optical lens so you can be sure to get close up to your subject and have it be nice and clear. It is an HD camcorder with three options for video out so you can instantly watch your creation right on your TV, it also features the ability to take stills from the videos right on the camera. So read on to learn more..

We’ll start off with the video unboxing:

So let’s jump into the pictures.

Included with the camera is a few discs, charger, component and composite cables along with battery and manual. You’ll notice there is no HDMI cable even though the camera has an HDMI output.

The camera itself is small and lightweight and has a strap on the side. It seems well made and it’s comfortable in the hand.

On the bottom you’ll find battery compartment and tripod hole.

On the top is the still picture button and the zoom slider.

On the back you’ll find a large Record button along with with two rubber covers on each side that open to reveal HDMI, USB, A/V,Microphone, Power and component.

It opens up of course to access the LCD display, it rotates so you can view it from the front, or top.

To the left of the display is a little joystick for navigation and a function button beneath it.

To the right of the display, on the camera itself are several more buttons.

Specifications:

VIXIA HF R10

With the Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder, you’ll find that high definition video has hit new levels of convenience, ease, performance- and value. The VIXIA HF R10 has an 8GB internal flash drive, together with an SD memory card slot, Canon’s Relay Recording and Smart Auto. A Genuine Canon 20x HD Video Lens and Dynamic IS works in combination with our sophisticated Canon HD image processing to deliver the sharp, vivid, lifelike video you want to see on your HDTV. Advanced Video Snapshot lets you create 2-, 4- or 8-second movie clips, with music, that are perfect for sharing And advanced easy-to-operate control features of the VIXIA HF R10 help to make high-quality video that can turn the casual shooter into the family cinematographer, at a very affordable price. For the crowning touch, show your personal style with a choice of three colors- black, silver or red.

Specifications:
Digital Video

Video Recording system: MPEG4-AVC / H.264
Image Sensor
1/5.5-inch CMOS, RGB Primary Color Filter
Total Pixels: Approx. 2.39 Megapixels

Effective Pixels:
Video: Approx. 1.56 Megapixels (1664 x 936)
Dynamic IS ON: Approx. 1.04 Megapixels (1360 x 765)
Photo: 16:9 Approx. 1.56 Megapixels (1664 x 936)
4:3 Approx. 1.73 Megapixels (1520 x 1140)

Maximum recording time8GB internal flash drive:
*Recording time based on internal flash memory only. Greater capacity is possible when SD memory cards are used.
LP (5Mbps) 3 hours
SP (7Mbps) 2 hours 20 minutes
XP+ (12Mbps) 1 hour 25 minutes
FXP (17Mbps) 1 hour – Allows 1920 x 1080 Full HD Recording

Lens: Zoom Ratio 20x Optical/400x Digital
Focal Length: f-3.0 – 60mm (35mm equivalent 40 – 800mm)
Zoom Speed: Variable / 3 Fixed Zoom Speeds
Max. F/Stop: f/1.8-3.6
Focusing System: Instant AF, Face Priority AF, TTL (through the lens)
Manual Exposure: Yes
Programmed AE: Smart Auto, P, Cine*, Portrait, Sports, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Night Scene, Low Light, Spotlight, Fireworks
Max Shutter Speed: Movie: 1/2000, Still image: 1/500
Minimum Focusing Distance :10mm (wide) / 1m (tele)
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent H, Fluorescent, Manual
Frame Rate: 60i, 24p Progressive (records at 60i), 30p Progressive (records at 60i)
Minimum Illumination: 0.4 lx (Low Light mode)
Image Stabilization: Electronic: Dynamic Image Stabilization/Standard Mode (Dynamic OFF)
LCD Screen: 2.7-inch Widescreen color LCD (Approx.112,000 dots)
Recording Media: Internal flash drive (8GB) or SD memory card**
USB Terminal: USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Video Terminal: component (output), composite (output)
Audio: Dolby Digital 2 channel (AC-3)
Supplied Video Editing Software: Pixela ImageMixer 3SE
HDMI Terminal: HDMI Mini Connector (output), CEC and x.v.Color supported
Microphone Terminal: 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack
AV Mini Terminal/Headphone Terminal: 3.5 mm 4 pole mini-jack (video/audio output only)
Dimensions: (W x H x D) Approx. 2.4 x 2.5 x 4.9in. (60 x 64 x 124mm)
Weight (not including battery pack and memory card): Approx. 9.5 oz. (270g)
Weight (fully loaded): Approx. 11.5 oz. (325g) (including BP-2L5, memory card and grip belt)

Price: $443.95 (From Amazon at time of review)

The Vixia display is not bad, you’ll find a few things on the screen letting you know the settings, battery life etc. You can turn all of this off of course if you want.

There are several on screen settings you can adjust without actually going into the menus like White Balance, Digital Effect, Resolution, Quality etc:

Then you can open the menus for even more options, but a lot of these aren’t really related to taking movies, just for the camera settings.

So let’s take a look at some sample still pictures.  These were taken indoors in a very well lit room with five bulb overhead chandelier and the window blinds open letting sunlight in.

As you can see they are very grainy, and not exactly focused, these were the best of the bunch, I took about 30 pictures in total of these things. I learned that you’ve really got to hold the camera still for pictures or they will be very much out of focus. The camera does have image stabilization but I not for the still camera I would guess.

Despite being a well lit room the pictures do appear fairly dark, even on a bright white background.

On the other hand, you don’t buy a camcorder to take still pictures, the ability to do that is just an added bonus, though it would be nice if it took semi-decent pictures. It does take good pictures though outside in very bright light, but you won’t be outside all of the time.

So how about the video performance? Here is a  product unboxing using the Vixia, this was taken under the same lighting conditions and the camera was set to the highest resolution:

The video isn’t too bad, but it’s not that great either. It’s a bit grainy like the pictures, it needs a lot of light and it doesn’t like dark objects as you can see from the video. I used a tripod for recording, so the camera was very still.

The microphone seems sensitive, I didn’t have to yell to be heard, and I wasn’t always close to it during the filming. The audio is decent overall I think.

As far as battery life, well there’s nothing I could find in the specs that says what the battery life should be but from what I can tell you should be able to get a couple hours recording out of it.

There is a bunch of software included with the camera, but I never bother with any of it, I’ve found it’s much easier to take the card out or hook it up via USB and transfer the videos and pictures that way instead of using the software to do it. The software is fine for people that don’t know much about cameras, and who might be looking for some basic tools, but I’ve got my own that I use so I have actually never installed the stuff that came with any of my cameras and actually used it.

The Vixia does have a lot of little features like the ability to output via HDMI, component and composite, or the ability to take video snapshots with music for sharing. It comes with 8gb internal memory but you can also use an SD card as well for even larger storage for more shooting time.

Conclusion:

The Vixia is an easy to use camcorder, it’s not a professional camcorder so don’t expect a multitude of settings to be able to change but there are plenty of them in there. It’s really sort of an entry level camera, it’s one that most people will be able to pick up and just start shooting. Overall the Vixia is a nice little camera for those that want a no fuss, easy to use camcorder.
The video quality is decent if you’ve got enough light for indoor shooting and outdoor quality is very good.
The still picture function leaves a lot to be desired, I’d be carrying my dedicated still camera with me to take stills and not rely on this camera to do it.

Pros:
+Simple and easy to use
+Compact and lightweight
+Several output options
+Dual memory
+Decent video

Cons:
-Still pictures not very good
-Not great in low light situations

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Canon VIXIA HF R10 Camcorder is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Last week I took a look at one of DXGs HD cameras, the DXG-595V and I found it to be a very good HD camera, especially if you consider it’s price point is around $200. Today I’ve got another DXG camera, the DXG-569V model, it’s an HD camera as well, but it’s smaller in size and of course lower in price.

The DXG-569v can record in HD up to 1280, it’s got a 5mp CMOS sensor, and a 3″ TFT screen as well and it includes a nice bundle of software from ArcSoft so you can edit and create your own movies. So read on to find out if it’s worth your hard earned cash…

First up is the unboxing video, so check it out and continue on to the rest of the review:

Specifications:

DXG DXG-569V HD Video Camera

Your life in HD

The DXG-569V is one slim, sexy and sleek high-definition camcorder that can record real HD video, up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps. Sporting a 5MP CMOS sensor, large rotational 3: TFT screen and a few other advanced features, the DXG- 569V is just perfect for capturing life, from birthdays to baseball, from vacations to picnics.

What’s more, the DXG-569V takes fantastic still pictures, up to 8M and can support high-capacity SD cards so you’ll have more recording time – always ready and never worry about missing those great moments.

Completing the package is a free premium software – $99 retail value – the DXG-569V comes with the ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme that lets you create, edit and watch videos in a whole new level.

Features/Specs:
5.0 Megapixel, CMOS Sensor
H.264 Video Compression, 1280 x 720 resolution
3″ High-Resolution TFT screen

HEIGHT     WIDTH     DEPTH
5.2”     2.87”     2.13”

Price: $144.95 (Approx)

The DXG-569V HD Video Camera comes with Arcsoft Total Media Extreme, Mr Photo and Video Works, the same as the DXG-595v that I just reviewed comes with. The software is fine to use, it works well, and it’s nice to have it included with the camera to make creating your videos a bit easier.

I found the DXG-569V camera to be fairly easy to use once you get accustomed to the controls. Everything is right at your fingertips, and I like the fact that the power button is behind the display so you can’t accidentally power it on.

The included extras are nice, especially the carrying case and the battery charger that can charge other batteries as well of the same type, you can also use standard batteries with the DXG-569V if need be so you don’t have to worry about a special battery.

One complaint I could have about this camera is the location of the flash/assist light, it’s located under the lens on the front, and when I hold it my index finger tends to cover the light, after using it a few times though I learned not to do that.

A second small complaint could be that there is no lens cover, I always seem to touch it with my fingers and get fingerprints on it, but it’s not a big deal really…

Here’s a sample movie in HD using the DXG-569V Camera:

and here’s some sample still pictures as well:

as you can see the still pictures are not the greatest indoors, you need to use a tripod to get the best pictures with this camera., but it’s primarily a video camera after all, and it’s common for the stills not to be the best quality when the still camera is a secondary function of a device. Outdoors is bright light the pictures are a bit better, the still camera seems to need more light than the video camera does.

Images

Conclusion:

The DXG-569V is a very nice little video camera, and coming in at around $150 makes it very reasonably priced for all that it can do and all that’s include with it.

If you’re looking for a small portable flip style hi-def video camera then you might want to give this one a try, yes the still pictures aren’t the greatest in low light, but the video is pretty good.

Pros:

Small and portable

Can use standard batteries if need be

Decent video quality

Lots of included extras

Well made

Cons:

Still pictures not that great

Location of assist light is no the best place

No lens cover

Grades:

Overall:

Design:

Performance:

DXG DXG-569V HD Video Camera is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Video cameras are becoming more and more popular, and more and more smaller, but just because they’re little and inexpensive doesn’t mean you can’t get a good quality video from them.

One such company that makes HD video cameras and sells them at very inexpensive prices is DXG, most people balk at the quality vs price with these cameras, they can’t believe that a sub-$200 camera can produce a quality video. I’ve got the DXG-595V HD camera for review today, it’s DXGs flagship camera, and by the HD in the name we can see it’s a hi-def camera, and it can record up to 1080p resolution.

With a price of about $200 for a hi-def camera, most people can’t believe that it can possibly be any good, well it’s not bad really, especially if you consider the price. The videos at all resolutions are decent, but the still photos leave a lot to be desired, but this is primarily a video camera with the added function of a still camera, so these types of products are normally sub-par with still pictures, so it’s to be expected.

The DXG-595V HD Camera is easy to use, small and compact and seems very well made, I’ve been using it for all of our unboxing and product related videos since it got here, and I’m going to continue using it for some time to come. So if you’ve checked out our reviews lately with videos in them, chances are they were made with this camera…

First up, check out the video unboxing to see everything that comes with the DXG-595V video camera, quite a bit comes with it…

Specifications:

DXG-595V HD High-Definition Video Camera

Life is full of surprises, so be ready to capture them. With the DXG-595V, rest assured that you can take vibrant, clear and high-definition video. They key is in the details…the DXG-595V records 1080p high-definition video, with a 5X optical zoom and a bright 3” TFT screen to frame your subject or to review your video files.  What’s more, you can take fantastic digital pictures, up to 8M image resolution. And with the included ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme software, you can edit your video or create movies and watch them on your PC like never before!

Compact, lightweight and easy to take along, the DXG-595V is perfect for vacations, road trips and just about any occasion you want to capture.

Features/Specs:
-5.0 Megapixel, CMOS Sensor
-H.264 Video Compression
–1920 x 1080 at 30FPS (HD)
-Up to 8MP Image Resolution
-3″ High-Resolution TFT screen
-Supports High-Capacity SD Cards
-Li-ion Battery

Lens:
5x Optical Zoom Lens
Wide: F/3.2, f=6.26mm
Tele: F/6.8, f=30.75mm

Focus Range:
Normal: 17in ~ Inf.
Macro: 2in ~ 17in

Still Image:
Format: JPEG
Resolution: 3M,5M,8M (Firmware Interpolation)

Movie Clips:
Format: H.264 (MOV)
Resolution: QVGA(30fps), WVGA(60fps), 720p(60fps), 1080p(30fps)

HEIGHT     WIDTH     DEPTH
2.75”     5”     2.24”

Using the DXG-595V HD camera is actually very easy, I like the fact that the power button is behind the display so it can’t be presses accidentally. The display also rotates around so you can take pictures or movies of yourself as well.

It’s very small and portable, the included case is nice as well, it provides adequate protection for the camera and even a small pocket to carry extra memory cards if need be.

I also like the fact that you can switch to still or movie modes, but there’s also a button as well to take stills when you are in video most so you won’t have to switch to still mode.

The camera is small, lightweight and very easy to use, all of the buttons are right there within reach of your thumb for easy access.

Overall it’s very easy to use, and actually kinda fun…

One complaint I could have is that you can’t zoom in macro mode on the highest resolution.

The included software included is:

ArcSoft Total Media Extreme which also includes Total Media Theatre and TotalMedia Studio and NewSoft Video Works and NewSoft Mr. Photo.

The included software is ok for most things, and it’s nice that they included several programs with the camera. It seems though every type of device like this comes with some sort of software bundled with it, and you’ll have to figure out yourself which software is right for your needs.

Here’s some sample videos and still pictures for you:

I’m not going to embed the sample videos in here as there are a lot of them, so here’s some links to them if you wish to check them out:

Radeon Unboxing

Corsair PSU Unboxing

NZXT Avatar Unboxing

Jawbone2 Unboxing

Here’s a few sample still pictures taken with Macro and Normal modes, along with Black and White and Sepia as well. The DXG-595V doesn’t do very well with low lighting, it needs a lot of light to get good pictures, and at the very least be on a tri-pod at all times as it is very sensitive to movement.

Product Image Gallery:

You can also find a lot more information and reviews about Video Cameras over at our main site under the category of camcorders.

Conclusion:

The DXG-595V HD Video Camera is a great choice for a low priced hi-definition video capable camera, the price is well worth it for this camera.

Sure it’s not going to compare to one that costs thousands of dollars but it’s adequate for consumer usage, and even semi-professional as well. With the popularity of online video sharing sites, this cameras makes it very easy and affordable to produce high quality videos to share with everyone.

I can easily recommend this video camera as a great low cost alternative camera, the movies are decent especially if you consider the price.

Pros:

-Easy to use

-Decent quality videos considering the price

-Low priced

-Lots of accessories

-Seems well made

Cons:

-No zoom in Macro mode

-Battery life not that great

-Uses special battery

-Still pictures not that great, need lots of light

Grades:

Overall:

Design:

Performance:

DXG-595V HD High-Definition Video Camera is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog