Customer Reviews

Canon VIXIA HFS10 HD Dual Flash Memory w/32GB Internal Memory & 10x Optical Zoom - 2009 MODEL

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have owned a small wedding videography company for 5 years and after using this camera for a week I am incredibly pleased with it. If you want the smallest camcorder you can get without sacrificing video quality in any way, than this is the camcorder for you. I am amazed at how small this thing is while still having a professional grade lens. This is the same Canon lens as on their GL2 which is probably the most popular entry level professional camcorder ever (which I have owned for a few years).

Pros:
1.) Professional camera lens with superb HD video quality (even in low light situations). I cannot express enough how amazing the pictures look.

2.) 32 GB of internal Flash memory (This is the only difference from the HFS100)
A.) Flash memory is instant. No waiting for tapes to wind or hard drives to spin.
B.) Flash memory helps keep the camera small.
C.) Flash memory protects data from being lost due to the camera being dropped or hit (a real problem with hard drive cameras).

3.) The still picture quality, even with the built in flash, is unbelievable for a camcorder. I feel like I am shooting with my Rebel XTi.

4.) I love the auto open and close lens cover. It only opens when you are actually shooting. If the camera is off or if you are reviewing it immediately closes.

5.) Menus are very easy to navigate.

Cons:
1.) Doesn't come with an HDMI cable. Since it doesn't take a normal sized HDMI cable I think there is no excuse for that.

2.) Doesn't come with a battery charger. You either have to spend $50 to get one or recharge batteries using the camcorder itself.

3.) $200 more than the HFS100 for only 32GB of internal storage is way too much. Should have only cost an extra $100. Unless you need to be able to record more than 2.5 hours of shooting without changing SDHC cards, then get the HFS100 because 32GB class 6 SDHC cards only cost $100.

4.) Only comes with the BP-809 battery which doesn't even last an hour. So you will need to buy the BP-827 which costs another $150. The BP-827 does stick out from the back just a slight bit, but not even an inch and is totally not noticeable nor does it add any real weight.

5.) 10X optical zoom is a little slim for my liking. I am used to 20X.

This camcorder is basically a professional lens barrel with an LCD on the side which gives you the best picture quality possible while keeping the size incredibly small. I cannot encourage you enough to get this camcorder though I would advise the HFS100 over this to save a little money. Remember, the HFS100 is the identical camcorder except it does not have internal memory.

Canon VIXIA HFS100 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom

The Vixia HFS10 is an upgrade for me, coming from the Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom. I've been enjoying the HG20 for a few months now, so being able to dig in to the new features on a 2009 model camera has been a real treat.

Right off the bat, the video image quality on the HFS10 is incredible. Hands down, the best I have ever used. Facial recognition is blazing fast and accurate, even when people are moving reasonably fast. Recording in low light indoors produces bright and clear results. Recording in very bright light outdoors produces a razor-sharp picture with virtually no halo effects or bleeding. This is where Canon really shows off the new Digic 3 processor.

The 10X optical zoom is smooth, and doesn't lose focus easily when zooming in and out. However, at this price point, 10X is certainly on the lower end of the spectrum of what's available. While that's disappointing, the image stabilization definitely makes up for it. At full zoom, the image stabilization compensates for normal "jitters" exceedingly well.

On the still image side, the Digic 3 is able to bring some nice surprises, as well. The "real" pop-up flash works better than expected for indoor shots. For most point-and-shoot scenarios, the HFS10 will stomp all over Canon Elph cameras, and comes pretty close to what you'd expect from a PowerShot (albeit, at a different overall resolution).

Again, the image stabilization really shines with still pictures. But one thing I did notice, is that the HFS10 seems to do "strange things" with still images in low light. Things that should have halos (e.g. sunsets) don't, even with different CP and UV filters.

Speaking of filters, the HFS10 has a 58mm lens barrel. So, you have tons and tons of filter options at every imaginable price point. Out of habit, I threw on a SUNPAK CF-7034 UV Ultra-Violet Filter that I had lying around my SLR gear bag along with a spare cap. Though I'm not real big on Tiffen glass, I also tried out a Tiffen 58MM Circular Polarizer, which produced really interesting results with some nature videos.

Anyone who has used a previous generation Vixia or Canon still camera will feel right at home with the menu system. The layout is basically the same, and functions are right where you'd expect them to be. For those not familiar with Canon cameras, getting used to the menu system is very easy.

The only thing that really took some adjustment was using the "time machine" feature that lets you go back and record something that happened three seconds in the past. It works flawlessly, but adjusting to the delay in the viewfinder was really difficult for me to get used to.

Also new for this year: logical port placement, and decent quality port protectors! The HDMI, USB, and component connectors are on the right side of the camera and have a sturdy plastic door to protect them, instead of the flimsy rubberized plugs on last year's models (and they're no longer behind the LCD!). Strangely, Canon has chosen to move the battery release behind the LCD, making it a bit awkward to switch out batteries.

The included Canon BP-807/808 battery consistently gives about 90 minutes of continuous use. I was happy to see that last year's batteries are compatible, so I've been using a Canon BP-819, which gives just over 200 minutes. Although the BP-819 is a larger battery, it's almost flush with the back of the camera when installed.

Of course, the included software is trash. I installed it for the sake of reviewing it, but really, if you're looking to spend this kind of money on a camera, you owe it to yourself to spend another couple hundred on decent video editing software. As a Mac user, iMovie does a passable job, but takes forever to do its various conversions from AVCHD. I stepped up to Final Cut Express 4, which works perfectly with this camera. Of course, there are many options for Windows users as well.

The biggest shortcoming -- and this is huge if you travel with a laptop -- is that Canon still seems married to the idea that you can't export pictures or video from the internal memory without plugging in to AC power. I can't for the life of me figure out the logic behind this. If you have a fully charged BP-819 (or even an 807, for that matter!), that's not nearly enough power to copy over some still pictures, in Canon's estimation. Of course, you can save everything to SD and just pop the card out, or do camera-to-card-to-computer copies, but it's ridiculous that you can't import ANYTHING from the internal memory without being plugged in to a wall.

Were it not for that, I'd be comfortable overlooking the other minor imperfections and giving this a solid 5 stars. And, if you're not planning on doing more than recording and watching your videos when you're away from home, consider this a 5-star review. But if you're planning on uploading a few videos and / or pictures while you're on vacation (or something more professional, like mobile editing), don't plan on doing it without access to AC power.

All things considered, though, if I was looking for a camera in this price range, The Vixia HFS10 is the first and only camera that would be on my list.

I exchanged a Sony HDR 500v for this camcorder after getting a loud hissing sound from the sony. That gave me a chance to actually play with the sony a little bit before returning it. In a few words if you are familiar with manual controls in photography, you'll love the Vixia (which is my case). If you need something simpler, point-and-shoot-kind-of devise, go with the sony. I'm a professional photographer who does video for fun and I absolutely like the amount of manual controls this camera offers. (The sony didn't even have a sound level meter that you could turn on! A must if you use a second mic.)

It also has this 'springy' on-screen-menu that allows you to change your recording settings in as little as two steps. Very very helpful, again for the person who likes manual controls.

Another feature which I really like is the fact that they placed the remote control sensor on the LCD viewer, which allows you to use the remote control to actually record from any position as long as you have a direct view of the LCD screen. The sony has the remote sensor in the front which forces you to be in front of the camera if you want to activate the recording (almost impossible when you are anywhere but in front of the camera). For example if you mount your camera on a monopod when you need to get a shot over a crowd of people, and your fingers cant reach the record button because it is too high, with the sony is impossible to use the remote to do this because the sensor is in front of the camera even if you have very long arms you still are going to have a hard time making it record. Both Canon and Sony removed the LANC input on these new cameras so there is no way to operate them remotely with wired LANC controls. So in the canon as long as you have the LCD facing you then you can use the remote control to start/stop recording.

And one more little thing which I think is great is the ability to turn the recording light off. (The red light you see in the front of cameras) This is great because some people get uncomfortable when they know they are being recorded. When they think the camera is off they act natural and thus you get better expressions in your video.

Canon VIXIA HFS10 is currently the top-of-the-line Canon consumer camcorder. It takes very good quality full HD video (one of the best among consumer level camcorders). The optical image stabilization is very useful and face detection is accurate. Autofocus is very fast and the menu system is intuitive. Low light capability is decent (but improved a lot by using the video light for video recording or internal flash for taking photos). The pre-recording mode is very useful for shooting sport, action, fireworks, child and other scenarios where it is often hard to predict when those Kodak moments will exactly be until it has happened/passed. It also has filter thread so you can install lens filter to enhance the video/image and to protect the lens. The LCD is very sharp and clear from wide viewing angle. It has a dual shooting mode where video recording and photo taking can be done without switching settings.

Taking photos with Canon VIXIA HFS10 is also very good. Image quality is very sharp with 8.59-megapixel CMOS image sensor that is also found in Canon DSLR. Taking photos in continuous mode is also very good (about 4 frames per second, comparable to DSLR cameras), however, the shutter response is nowhere near the DSLR (it's slower than DSLR), and I'm used to the DSLR almost no-lag shutter response so I will continue to use my DSLR cameras most of the time. For point and shoot customers, they won't notice the shutter lag (as it is the same if not better than most point and shoot camera) and they will probably be able to replace their point and shoot camera with this camcorder as it produces image quality better and sharper than most point and shoot cameras.

Pros:

1. Video quality (1920 X 1080 Full HD) comparable with many professional camcorder and is one of the best quality for consumer level
2. Image quality for photos are sharp and vivid (8 megapixel).
3. Zoom Covers super wide angle to semi-zoom (6.4mm to 64mm) before the 1.7x magnification.
4. Built in 32GB built-in flash memory
5. Very effective optical image stabilization (a combination of optical and image sensor stabilization)
6. Lens filter thread (I installed 58mm UV/Haze filter to reduce UV and also help protect the front glass element)
7. Autofocus is very fast and includes a very accurate face detection to keep people's face in sharp focus
8. up to 24 hour recording in LP mode (with 64GB total memory, 32Gb built-in, and 32GB SD card)
9. Innovative Pre-record mode is available (and never miss critical shots anymore)
10. Video snapshot mode (shot short movie clips and blend with music tracks)
11. Almost instant on and record (stand-by to recording in less than 1 sec and from off in less than 2 sec)
12. Continuous mode for taking photos is very fast (though the shutter lag isn't nearly as good as SLR cameras)
13. Record HD videos and take 6MP photo to memory card simultaneously
14. Small but bright video light and photo flash.
15. Built-in automatic lens cover
16. Wireless remote control included
17. Bright and clear 2.7 inch lcd screan (and the image is sharp)
18. Very easy to navigate the menu (even though there are so many options and settings available)
19. 24p cinema mode and 30p progressive mode included
20. pre-programmed video and photo mode (sunset, night, beach, spotlight, fireworks, etc)
21. Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and Program mode available (in addition to Auto setting)
22. Dual shot mode (capture video and photo without having to change setting)

Cons:

1. Only 10x optical zoom (not sure why Canon doesn't make this top-of-the-line camcorder 20x or 30x optical zoom)
2. No seamless recording transition from one memory to the other memory
3. Included batteries only last about 75-90 minutes of recording time
4. Shutter response still not as fast as DSLR
5. Low light performance is average (improved if using the video light or internal flash)
6. A bit bulky compare to many other flash memory camcorders
7. Not the lightest camcorder but still lighter than DSLR cameras
8. 24Mbps recording mode has many restriction (require fast speed flash memory, and not all DVD player can playback)
9. No touch screen LCD
10. Non-standard accessory shoe terminal (better than none though. can use VL-5 video light or DM-100 microphone)
11. Must plug in ac adapter to transfer internal memory data to computer
12. No optical viewfinder
13. HDMI cable not included
14. Doesn't come with external battery charger (use the camcorder to charge the battery instead)
15. Top-of-the-line price

In conclusion, Canon VIXIA HFS10 is targeted for those who are looking for a consumer camcorder with the best video quality with a lot of internal flash memory (32GB) that can also take photo with the best image quality and the largest megapixel to date for a canon camcorder (8MP). Basically, Canon Vixia HFS10 is currently the top-of-the-line Canon consumer level camcorder.

Also check out the following Canon camcorders that has comparable main feature (Full HD video and DIGIC DV III image processor) before deciding to buy Canon VIXIA HFS10 (and decide whether any of these camcorders will fit your needs therefore avoid paying the premium that Canon VIXIA HFS10 command):

- Canon VIXIA HFS100 (no internal flash memory, 10x optical zoom, 8.59-megapixel CMOS image sensor)
- Canon VIXIA HF20 (32GB internal flash memory, 15x optical zoom, only 3.89-megapixel CMOS image sensor)
- Canon VIXIA HF200 (no internal flash memory, 15x optical zoom, only 3.89-megapixel CMOS image sensor)

Sidarta Tanu

Since there have been so many long reviews posted already, I will try to keep mine short and sweet. I'll just highlight some of the things that stand out to me and make a few comments.

Verdict: If you can afford it, probably the best (certainly one of the best) consumer HD video cam on the market today.

Features:
- Outstanding lens
- 8.59-megapixel CMOS image sensor!
- Quality build
- Excellent picture quality
- Good auto-focus system is fast and accurate
- Optical image stabilization
- Reliability and easy transfer of flash based system.
- Decent 32 GB of internal flash memory
- Good menu system is easy to use and understand
- Built-in mic port
- Superb feature set - lots of bells and whistles (serious amateuers rejoice!)
- Near pro-level capabilities and lots of manual control
- Good macro capabilities
- Excellent remote control capabilities (can control from many angles)

Gripes:
- No optical viewfinder (sadly, becoming the norm)
- No separate battery charger included (but more the norm these days, alas)
- No HDMI cable (ditto)
- Expensive (but you get what you pay for)
- Batteries- you will need to carry several
- Must be on A/C power to transfer (but can use SD card as alternative)

Overall, an outstanding camera that is fun to use and yields great results. The latest in a long line of outstanding consumer video cameras from Canon. If you are serious about video, this is your camera. I am giving it 5 stars because, even though it's not perfect, it's the best I've ever seen.

Serous videographers will love this camera. Five stars!

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P.S.
My two cents worth - if you are an average joe looking to make family movies, you should still consider the standard def models. They have far more zoom range and are much easier to hand-hold and shoot. They produce great results, there's lots of low cost and good editing software, their resolution is great for DVD's, and the tapes are easy to use and store. You really need a tripod with HD cams, and editing is much harder and more difficult. The picture quality on the better std def cameras is excellent, not HD, but plenty good. And you can save a ton of money. I still use my std def cams for lots of family stuff.

I was on the fence between this and the top of the line Sony with 240gb hard drive. This was clearly the better choice. Yes, the Sony can store tons more footage, but I'll never really need that much space. The benefit of having a solid state memory storage vs. the moving parts of a spinning hard drive is much better. It is faster and is much less likely to break. Best consumer camera I have handled by far. This also has 1080p/30 which the Sony does not. The video snap shot feature is a must as well. The interface is very user friendly and easy to learn very quickly. Just like their photography, Canon came out on top with this.

The videos you shoot are simply awesome. I played video from the camera to a Phillips 42" 1080P LCD TV and picture is unbelievable. Very crisp, clear and bright colors. It is equal to or possibly a bit better than HD programming over the air.

The pictures shot in the still mode are also very good and I was impressed. Pictures do look like they were shot from a nice digital camera and not from a video camera. Now pictures shot while recording video, have a bit more noise and not as crisp, but are still good.

The flash memory is great. Instant access, no moving parts, which should allow this camera to be trouble-free for many years. Hey, it's a Canon!

A nice feature is that it has a built-in 1.7X digital tele-converter which does not affect video quality. With the small optical zoom of 10X, the digital tele-converter does give the zooom a little more oomph.

OK, you know it had to come....here are the bad points I found. Besides for battery life, all are very minor:

The manual is big and bulky. If you must include other languages besides English, that's fine if you need to. But do it with different manuals. To include 3 languages in one book, makes for a quite a thick and cumberson manual for no real reason.

The controls are a bit of a challenge to master for me and the menu takes a little getting used to, but this camera has many capabilities and some nice manual features.

The 10x zoom is a bit small in my opinion, but the tele-converter helps offset this a little.

The worst thing about this camera and what others are also saying, is the mediocre battery life. Expect to pay for another battery, probably one with at least double the juice of the one that is packaged with this camera.

Remember, the format is AVCHD and software that can use this format is still limited, but there are more coming out all the time. Expect to pay another $100 or so for these although Amazon has some great deals if you keep watch. The software included with the HF S10 works, but it's nothing real special.

Also, make sure your computer requirements are above the minimum for trouble free viewing/editing. I built my computer with an Intel Quad Core 9650, 8GB 1066mhz RAM and a GTX 260 PCI-E Video card with 896MB RAM and I have absolutely no problem of a slowdown or anything else. Also make sure you have plenty of Hard Drive space as AVCHD uses alot of space.

As far as SDHC card, I would advise class 6 or higher. Class 4 will work, but longer write/read times. I learned the hard that not all memory card readers will read SDHC or possibly not over an 8gb card even though you may have an SD slot and it will read other SD cards.

Overall, this is an awesome camera and I have only had it a few days and maybe once I learn the features and how to have it sip the battery life (if it can), I will like it that much better. If you are looking for a great HD Video camera that has a great picture and sound, you need not look further. I have read the reviews of many different cameras and played with a few and have no regrets in getting this one.

ADDITIONAL: I have now had this camera for awhile and the only changes I'd make to my above statement is that battery life is better now that I concentrate on shooting photos only or video only. I was earlier shooting both videos and photos, switching back and forth as well as playing back what was shot. This used the battery up quite quickly. In concentrating in shooting only and not as much playback, battery life is much better. Also, I highly recommend buying the the next size up battery pack (BP-819) as it seems to last twice as long and Amazon has the best deal on it hands down.

The Canon Vixia HFS10 is by far the best camcorder that I have used, but it sits unused after I ran into one essential problem. You cannot extract the videos off the camcorder with standard and professional software - such as Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 or Adobe Elements. You can try iMovie but I spent 5 hours extracting a 3 minute clip. So, once you use the internal flash memory - you're stuck. In order to record more, you must delete everything and cannot preserve anything.

Is it fair to blame Canon? Yes. Or is this Adobe's problem? Yes. I blame both. I blame Canon because the software that they provide with your purchase does not extract videos (only the pictures). I blame Adobe (and others) because they are supposed to be the best. I blame both because after one year - neither has fixed the problem so don't count on quick resolutions. Every company blames the other.

My point: Stay away from this Camcorder unless you are were lucky enough to do video editing with Final Cut Pro (which works). However, I find it ridiculous that I would have to spend an additional $1000 to get video off a $800 camcorder.

Pros:
- Fantastic HD recordings in high light situations.
- Superb 8 Megapixel still images in photo mode, in high light situations.
- The ability to grab 6 Megapixel stills while recording an HD movie.
- Mini video light for those somewhat dark and close shots.
- Silent zooming... no noticeable motor noise.
- Great stereo recordings.
- Insanely close-up, fully focused, macro shots.


Cons:
- Poor low light performance (stills and video).
- MUST have power adapter connected when camera is attached to USB port.
- Menus and Functions are unavailable in Dual Shot mode.
- Sounds like a loose marble inside when the lens cover is closed.
- Mini video light appears bright, but is not powerful enough.
- Mini video light makes images and recordings appear with bluish tint.
- Self timer buried in menus and has to be turned on for every use.
- No stitching mode for still images.
- Camera is incapable of focusing in low light situations (stills and video).
- LCD display only rotates 270 degrees.
- Good luck finding a "correct" spare battery.
- Shoulder/neck strap not included.
- Flash blows out image when too close.
- Menu system is not intuitive and can be confusing.
- DC IN and AV OUT terminals located in a clumsy location.
- DC IN and AV OUT terminal covers awkward to work around.
- Remote does not allow switching between play and record modes.
- Raw .MTS movie files are not directly playable on a Mac (lack of a QuickTime codec).
- Non-removeable hand strap.
- Lack of image and movie editing and stitching software (for Mac).
- Somewhat slow playback processor.
- Focal length for wide angle shots, is way too close.


If you are looking for a basic camcorder to do HD recordings, this cam may be what you are looking for, but don't count on it for much more than that.

Going by all the reviews and hype, I was excited about receiving my new S10. But after working with it for a while now, I can safely say that I am somewhat disappointed with this camcorder. It blatantly "misses-the-mark" on pricing and several key features. Many of the features it does offer are buried in the "Functions Menu", are difficult to locate and just don't work the way you would expect.

The biggest and worst problem I have with this camcorder is the focal length. In the fully zoomed out position, subjects are still far too close up for any type of useful shooting. This applies to still images and video. You are forced to step back about an extra 8 feet in order to get the same type of focal length that you would get with any standard digital camera. This causes MAJOR problems when shooting in close quarters, like a small room or within crowded surroundings.

The camera also has a major problem when using the flash. I have tried numerous settings, but the camera refuses to adjust the intensity of the flash. If you attempt to do any type of close up stills and you require the flash, this camera just won't do what you need it to do. Close shots are consistently blown out, unless you are standing about 5 feet away from the subject.

I was forced to speak with 3 different people at Canon (First a Tech Support rep, next a supervisor and finally a Customer Relations rep), for a total of 1.5 hrs on the phone. Due to Canon's inability to supply consumers with the proper information, via the Canon website, to make an informed decision on purchasing accessories for the new Vixia HF-S10, I purchased 2 incorrect batteries and was unable to return 1 of the them. The Customer Relations rep was finally able to correct my frustrations with this problem.

I am seriously disappointed with Canon for releasing a mainstream product, such as the S10 and NOT having the correct accessories in stock and available for use with this camcorder. On top of that, going by the website, all the accessories that are marked as "compatible", are NOT truly compatible for this camcorder. Listen up Canon, just because an accessory, in this case a battery, may fit and power on a camcorder, does NOT mean that it is "compatible". The batteries that I purchased and now are stuck with, do NOT properly fit in a Vixia HF-S10 (BP-808 and BP-809). The Canon website did not provide the appropriate information to make an informed decision about which battery to buy. Also, the battery that is correct and shipped with that camera (BP-807), is NOT EVEN AVAILABLE for purchase separately and from what I was told, it will never be available. If you need a spare battery, spend the extra bucks and purchase the BP-819. It fits the best out of all batteries offered and gives a higher mAh for extended recording times.

I could go on and on about the pitfalls of Canons latest and greatest endeavor into the consumer HD market. From my perspective, it appears that Canon rushed this product to the masses in order to get in on the HD ground floor marketplace and to keep paces with some of the other major HD camcorder manufacturers.

Bottom line: In my honest opinion, if you must have a Canon product and you are looking to jump into the HD realm, either wait for the next revision of this camera and let Canon iron out some of the issues or look elsewhere to fill your HD appetite.

First I need to disclose that I am a huge Canon fan, so keep that in mind when reading this review. I love Canon printers, digital cameras, and camcorders. Once in a while I will get a Panasonic digital camera or camcorder, which are also great, but usually its Canon.

This is my fourth Canon camcorder. The first was an ancient Hi-8, the second was an older DV-tape camera, the third was the HG10 hard-drive HD Camcorder. I also have an older Panasonic hard drive camcorder (640x480).

I also should note that I am not a digital video guru and not suited to telling the minute differences in video quality between different camcorders of the same resolution. I'm just your average early adopter.

I have to shoot much more video and photos to get a better sense of the A/V quality, but here are my first impressions...I will add more later.

In my early tests, the video on the default setting (1080i), is as good or better than the HG10, as is the sound. It is extremely easy to operate, especially if you have previous experience with digital cameras and camcorders.

Controls and menus are well-placed, except for perhaps the zoom switch, which is difficult to operate while holding the camera because of its tiny size (its slightly smaller than the HG10, but feels even smaller).

Like any high-resolution digital camcorder, it takes a very steady hand to work the HFS10 without a tripod, even with stabilization on. This is a problem for me as I have shaky hands.

What really interests me in this camera is the features. First off, I love that I finally have a camcorder which shoots on on SD Cards - its fantastic. It even recorded video fine on my non-standard 150x 4GB SD card, which some devices don't support. Of course, you are free to shoot on the built-in memory as well, but you will need a cable to get that out of the camera.

But what really blew my mind is when I took my SD card out of the camera and put it into my 1080p Panasonic Viera HDTV - it identified and played back the video (and photos) instantly and beautifully in 1080i! YES!

I was really surprised this worked, as the TV is Panasonic, this is a VERY new feature, and it didn't like the AVC files from my Canon HG10 for some reason.

Previously, in order to play back HG10 video in HD on my HDTV, I would either need to hook the camera up to the set, or burn a special AVC-on-DVD disc with special software, and play it back on my PS3, which I never bothered doing.

The test 8MP photos from this camcorder were not as good as the same shots taken with my 8MP Canon & Panasonic digital cameras. The flash shutter speed seemed a little slow and I got some flash/blur (again I have shaky hands - I will do more testing). However, well lit scenes were of perfectly good digital camera quality.

I was, like other reviewers, very disappointed that the camera did not come with the special HDMI cable. I used the component-out for testing, which worked fine, except no digital audio obviously.

The small black chassis is very well engineered and definitely shows a step up in workmanship from the HG10. Menus also seemed faster, easier to navigate, and easier to understand than the HG10.

The unit has a pop-up flash that is quite powerful despite my flash/blur issue. The slide-out mini accessory shoe is appreciated over the HG10's pop-out-and-lose shoe panel (the new shoe also seems to have connectors of some sort).

Speaking of pop-off-and lose, this camcorder has an automatic lens cover like a point-and-shoot digital camera, which I just love. I hate lens caps with a passion - they're awkward and you tend to leave the lens exposed much more than with an auto (and as a result wind up having to clean the lens more often).

Like the HG10, this unit has a 10x zoom. This is not an issue for me as trying hold a camcorder still at even moderate zoom is a challenge.

I will post more info after I have had a day or two with the camcorder.

Between the still camera features, SD card utilization, Panasonic Viera playback support, and automatic lens cover, this camcorder is already a winner in my book, and very typical of Canon's commitment to improving its products every release.

UPDATE

I just noticed that this camcorder does not have an electronic viewfinder, only the LCD panel. Not that big a deal to me but worth noting. Especially since it takes great stills, it would be nice to be able to pop off a still without opening the LCD.

I have tested the video files with Pinnacle Studio Plus 11, which is the software I use for editing AVCHD files - was able to edit, add effects, and convert to DiVx, no problems.