Since I was a little kid with an 8mm film camera, I have tried in vain to make videos that had the look and sound of professional TV and movie productions.
I failed in many ways, many times. Sometimes due to my meager skills, sometimes due to the short comings of my cameras.
The Vixia HF G10 changes that. I can no longer blame my equipment.
Let me say now, I am not a professional video/film maker. I have had no formal training. My videos are for my own enjoyment, I record special moments and travels for myself and my family. I seldom display or publish videos on the Web.
I placed my order on Jan. 5th, the day of Canon's new product announcement. Amazon was great, as usual, and kept my pre-order updated until the camera was released. I received it last week, and was immediately struck by the quality of the images.
So far, I have just been learning about the G10, and its features. I've made some stunning video studies of my flower and vegetable garden. Whether played back on the camera's LCD screen, or on my big screen HD television, the images are sharp, clear, vibrant, and have the look of a professional documentary. In addition, the on camera microphones are far superior to any camcorder I've ever used. I have some large wind chimes near my garden and the playback of audio through my TV is astonishing. I have a Sennheiser MKE 400, but have not used it as yet, the on-camera sound is excellent.
What I like: Coming from a DV tape camera, the memory cards are the best thing since sliced bread. The 'touch screen' is very good. I did not think I would like it, but it is easy to use, responds well, and the menu system is somewhat intuitive. The Manual mode provides tons of recording and exposure options. In Programmed mode the camera will make several automated exposure adjustments as the scene or lighting changes. In Av mode the DOF control is excellent, and there are built-in ND filters available in Av mode that have already come in handy. I have not used Tv mode, but in full Manual the controls are easy to access and perform as well as my Canon EOS still camera.
Three modes of Auto focus and excellent, easy to use Manual focus. Zoom speed adjustment, very cool.
Cinema Mode: Sounds like a gimmick, works like a charm. The primary feature in Cinema Mode is a set of 9 filters for various cinematic effects. I like them all, and look forward to using them to highlight my scenes in my videos. It would be easy to over use these, I think. But the Nostalgic, Sepia, and Old Movie filters will surely get used, as will the Dramatic B&W. I'm thinking the Vivid would work on panoramic landscapes.
The whole memory card/built-in memory thing is wonderful. Transfer to a Win 7 PC is easy and fast. So far I'm sticking with the MXP 24P (true 1920 x 1080). It is the luxury I paid for, and I'm going to use it.
Things I don't need: Still photos - nice but I have a great still camera. In camera editing and Decorations: just fluff to me. I guess these things have market appeal, but why does Canon add them to a camera aimed at the upper end video customer?
Things I don't like: The initial impression that the G10 is a small, cheap-looking, plastic camcorder (I got over that when I saw how it performed). The shallow angle of the lens opening prevents adding after market wide angle conversion lens; apparently the only lens that currently fits is the very expensive Canon lens. The BP808 battery is small, and you need 2, or a larger BP819. There is no separate battery charger included, so you need one of those, too. The hot shoe is the Canon mini-shoe, so you need an adapter to use after market mikes or lights, or buy the expensive Canon accessories.
My still camera is a Canon 5D Mk2. It has fantastic video performance as well as awesome still image performance. I wanted the G10 to give me more flexibility for different situations; run-and-gun, handheld kind of stuff, ad hoc filming which I find difficult with the 5D Mk2.
That's about all I can think of now. I would buy this camcorder again without hesitation. I would and do recommend it to anyone looking to take that next step up in video making.
I'll try to post a short video soon, showing some of the images from the Vixia HF G10. Canon VIXIA HF G10 Full HD Camcorder with HD CMOS Pro and 32GB Internal Flash Memory
Let me first start out by saying, I originally wasn't going to spend so much on a new camcorder. I had bought the Canon HF 100 a few years ago, and was fairly happy with it. It was nice, but definitely had its drawbacks. So, I started researching Canon's new line for 2011 and was torn between the M40 and G10. Having the new CMOS Pro sensor was a must. Everything I read about the low light capabilities sold me. Basically Canon went with a smaller pixel count (exactly 1920 x 1080), which in turn makes the pixels larger and better in low light shooting. I originally bought the M40 and was very happy with it, but started to realize it wasn't fitting all my needs. That went back, and I went with the G10. I have not looked back since!
People might wonder what the biggest difference is between the two, and the big ones in my opinion are the manual lens control, wide angle lens (makes a HUGE difference in my opinion), larger LCD (3.5 in. vs. 3 in.), color viewfinder, and dual recording slots that let you record to both sd cards at the same time. Boy, I wish I had this feature two weeks ago for my niece's second birthday party. My sd card got corrupted while using the M40 and I lost her blowing out her candles and eating the first piece of cake. Now, if I had the G10, I would have had a backup of it recording to both slots simultaneously.
Image quality wise, I couldn't be happier. The video quality just pops out and is silky smooth. I have made a couple videos with it and people are just in awe of the quality. I usually record in 60i because I like the smoothness. I know there are benefits of recording in 30p and 24p, but for home videos, I prefer 60i. Now if I was doing an amateur film, I'd probably go with the true 24p this camera offers. This camera has a lot of setting to meet your shooting requirements. I know a lot of people wish Canon included a 60p mode, but I honestly don't see a reason for it, at least not now. Everything I've read about it, editing 60p is a complete nightmare. No thanks.
Speaking of modes, it does have an auto, manual, and cinema options. Manual of course gives you countless options, and cinema mode offers a variety of shooting preferences such as cool, vivid, dream, b/w, etc. You can search on youtube and see demonstrations of each.
One of the big selling points for me was the wide angle lens. Now I know you can always buy an optional attachment wide angle lens for the M40, but they add a lot of extra weight and in my opinion inconvenience of carrying around more equipment than necessary. I also think by the time you add in that cost to the camera, it's not that much cheaper. I love having the wide angle lens built in and with me at all times. It's truly something you get used to, and you won't want to be without.
Build quality is exactly what I expect from any Canon product. Feels sturdy and should hold up to a lot of wear and tear. I've never had any issues with previous Canon products breaking on me, so I would expect the same from this one. I would say the only thing I don't like on the newer Canons opposed to the older models is the touchscreen. It's simply not as responsive as I would like. I'm probably spoiled on my iphone's silky smooth touch controls. I guess it's just something I'll have to get used to. The only other feature I really miss from older camcorders is night vision. I don't know why most companies got rid of this feature. I still bust out my old Sony SR45 for those occasions.
In conclusion, if you're looking for an excellent prosumer camcorder with amazing low light, controls, and options, you won't be disappointed with the HF G10. I've already ordered the DM-100 external mic (I like to do lots of outdoor shooting, so I need to eliminate the wind noise the best I can), and already have the VL-5 from my previous camcorder for better dark shooting. I think I'm set for almost all recording situations. I hope this was an informative review. Thanks for reading. - 1080p - High Definition - Prosumer Camcorder'
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