Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 16GB Internal Flash Memory and 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom | 
| Brand: Canon
Buy New: See price in cart
New (18)
Rating:  37 reviews
Sales Rank: 218
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Monitor Size: 270
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 12
Digital Zoom: 200
Display Size: 2.7
Maximum Focal Length: 57
Minimum Focal Length: 4.8
Maximum Resolution: 2070000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 5.1 x 2.9 x 2.5
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: HF10
Model: HF10
UPC: 013803091991
EAN: 0013803091991
ASIN: B001144JQU
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Capture high-defintion video to 16 GB internal flash drive or SDHC cards | | • | 12x optical zoom; SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer | | • | 24p Cinema Mode; 30p Progressive Mode | | • | 2.7-inch widescreen Multi-Angle Vivid LCD | | • | Simultaneous photo capture |
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Product Description
With the light, compact Canon VIXIA HF10, you can have stunning AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) format recording with the ease and numerous benefits of flash memory. It's used in some of the world's most innovative electronic products such as laptop computers, MP3 players, PDAs and cell phones. Canon offers the best in flash memory with dual flash memory-record to both the camcorder's 16 GB internal memory and a removable SDHC card, extending your available recording space and offering added flexibility in file transfer and playback.Add to that the VIXIA HF10's Canon exclusive features such as Canon's own 3.3 Megapixel Full HD CMOS Sensor and advanced DIGIC DV II Image Processor, SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization, Instant Auto Focus, Canon's 2.7" Widescreen Multi-Angle Vivid LCD and the Genuine Canon 12x HD video zoom lens and you have a flash memory camcorder that's hard to beat and unmistakably Canon.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 Finally an AVCHD Camcorder worth buying April 4, 2008
Educated Parent (Bethesda, MD United States)
69 out of 70 found this review helpful
I had the award-winning HDV (tape-based) HV20 prior to this, and the HF10 is almost indistinguishable in terms of image quality. Given the dramatic difference in image data between an HDV image and an AVC image, that means this is one heck of a camcorder. I have tried out other AVC camcorders and have been really disappointed. Not so here, and I purchased this one. It has 24p and 30p recording, in addition to 60i. (Don't be confused by Canon's nomenclature, it is true 24p, just recorded in interlaced 60i.) The cinema mode has a bit of a wash-out effect on colors. The camcorder is surprisingly small. Power save mode is great, and is virtually instantaneously on when the LCD screen is opened. One warning about AVC in general, if you don't have a fast computer, it will grind it to a halt. I have a quad-core with 4 gig RAM and editing is fine, but I wouldn't want to use an old computer. Sony Vegas works great with the files. Wish the camcorder automatically saved to the SDHC card when the internal storage was full. Otherwise, this is the best thought out camcorder since my DVX-100. Nice to occasionally see consumer products worth their expense.
 OK overall. April 16, 2008
Phillip Ushijima (IL United States)
52 out of 76 found this review helpful
This is my first HD camcorder so I can't really compare it to others. But my expectations of what a full 1920x1080 camcorder should be have not been met.
I have shot scenes in both 1080/60i and 1080/30p at the highest quality possible - 17Mbps. The images seem softer than I'd prefer even with the digital sharpening enabled. This must either be the lens or the sensor based on my experience with digital still cameras. Either way I was disappointed. The compression artifacts and/or noise reduction being performed also degrade the video quality to a point below what I would expect. Even in ample light, the texture of fine hair and textiles is lost lending to a plastic appearance. In low light, noise levels are about what I expected. It is not terrible like I've seen in samples from older AVCHD cameras and other small flash cameras like the Sanyo Xacti. Notably, noise levels and exposure were markedly improved in 30p mode vs. 60i mode.
The built-in video light is next to useless. I couldn't get the right color balance, the throw distance is poor and it's too narrow. The built-in flash is too bright without manual adjustment. The camera's ports are all hidden behind plastic doors attached with thin plastic strips that ruin the otherwise solid-feeling build of the camera. There are several functions that are only accessible by scrolling through menus for which I would have preferred having dedicated buttons to manipulate (auto/manual focus, exposure compensation and manual white balance in particular). The placement of the some controls is awkwards. I have small hands so I felt a small camcorder should work well. But it is difficult for me to reach the power button with the hand holding the camera. I can't actually bend my thumb back far enough to activate the start/stop button with the pad of my thumb - it hits rights around the inside of my thumb's knuckle. The zoom lever is sensitive and smooth. The mode dial is difficult to operate with the hand holding the camera.
I do like the weight of the camera. I like the appearance. I like how quiet it is. My previous Mini-DV camera produced videos with wonderful whirring tape motor and zoom motor background sounds. This one has no noticable background noises aside from when on-camera controls are manhandled. I like being able to transfer the recordings directly to my computer in a fraction of the time that the recordings represent. My Mini DV camera transferred at a 1:1 ratio.
I don't like that the software I use (iMovie) can't read the recordings directly unless they are on camera. I have to trick it by putting a previously transferred recording onto a memory card and inserting it while iMovie is running. The recordings take several times their length to import into iMovie on my Intel C2D 2.16 GHz iMac because it converts them into an intermediate format for editing. These are issues with my software, not the camera, but Mac users should be aware of this since besides professional level editing software iMovie seems like to only option for handling AVCHD video on the Mac.
I am considering returning or selling the camera in the hope that something better will come along. I don't have a need to capture HD video so I can wait.
Love/Hate relationship May 3, 2008
SFjarhead
46 out of 48 found this review helpful
The Canon HF100 is the same as the Canon HF10, except it has no internal memory (the HF10 has 16GB) and the HF100 is $200 cheaper. For $75 I can buy a 16GB SDHC card which works great with the camera;... you do the math.. ~ three 16GB cards for the same price has the HF10 which only has 16GB of memory (but can take external cards also)
Records video at Standard Definition (SD), 720p and 1080p (also takes still shots) This is a must for those that have upgraded to an HD TV and want to watch their home movies in HD.
Here Be Dragons...
If all you want to do is watch your videos directly from the camera, no problem; comes with composite and component cables (will take HDMI sold seperately) However, if you actually want to save your videos, without buying new SDHC cards, then there are a few hiccups. The camera will download to your PC, but only in the format filmed; no filming in HD then downloading in SD. It will capture the HD you filmed in, but the software will not edit the HD format and you will be hard pressed to find a codec that will play the H.264 format nicely.
Here's my problem. I want to film my son's soccer games in 1080p for viewing on my 57" TV, so I film in 1080p. His coach, along with 1/2 the parents, want SD because they still use DVD players, while I can play the HD via my PS3. I tried many video capture/editting software to capture the HD I film in; nothing recognizes my camera. If I film in SD, everything works great, but this defeats my primary reason of wanting HD (so I can view on my 57" TV, thereby justifying to the wife that HD is worth it...) So, here's what I do. I film in HD, 1080p, use the Canon DVD burner that connects directly to the camera (sold seperately $250) to capture 1080p source (by the way, no blue rays reqiured, a 1 hour soccer game fits nicely on 2 standard DVDs; 1 half per disk - that can then be played back via my PS3) For the coach, and the rest of the parents, I use a Pinnacle 500-usb Video Capture box (about $50) This little device was intended for turning VHS tapes into DVDs. But just plug into the composite output of the camera, and into the usb of your PC, and your PC DVD burner will make the 1 hour of 1080p video into 1hour of 480p on a normal DVD; plus the Pinnacle software also allows you to edit anf make menus and all the good stuff that the HD software hasn't really caught up with yet.
 Some Bad "Features" - Beware (updated) May 1, 2008
Not My Real Name
29 out of 34 found this review helpful
Had the HF10 for about a month now. Here's a few things that dont get talked about much:
1. The built-in memory is basically useless. Its very slow and hard to get images and video off it. Go for the HF100 instead and buy some big SD cards.
2. If you have a mac, get ready to pull your hair out. repeatedly. Even though Apple lists this as a supported device, you cannot get photos or videos off the camera via usb at all. It does not mount as a volume when you plug it in. Quicktime cannot access avchd files.
3. The assinine avchd directory structure means that ZERO of the existing photo and video editors find the files on the camera/cards by default - you have to go and find them yourself. Or subject yourself to the horrors of the bundled Pixela Imagemixer software.
4. Canon's bundled software for getting images off the camera for macintoshes doesn't handle video _at all_ !!!
5. The images that are captured when in video mode are not saved as jpg's - they are in some bizarro avchd thumbnail format which nothing on the planet seems to be able to access.
6. the resolution of the stills is really poor compared to cameras a 1/3 of the price.
7. it's really slow (enumerating a completely empty memory card takes about 5 seconds)
8. the selection of photo mode/video mode and video view/photo/view is really really irritating
9. the menus are confusing and inconsistent.
10. the battery does not last long at all.
revised (May 24th). Camera no longer powers up - sending it back for repairs. argh !
A few points I made earlier are not quite fair, so here are some clarifications:
(2,4) - if you plug the camera into usb but do not also plug in the ac supply, you can get the photos off, but not the videos (via imovie). this is a very strange and confusing stuation, but at least I can now get the files off there into iMovie (ie: plug in the ac first, then the usb, then power on. yuk).
(10) - you can now purchase a double-size battery.
The price on this camera has dropped rapidly since its launch. You might want to hold on to your money for a bit longer if you are looking to make a purchase. avchd is definitely not "there" yet - definitely not a good choice for general home usage. I'd recommend the Sanyo cameras instead for that.
Great HD camcorder a few drawbacks April 27, 2008
Daniel Claflin (Sanatoga, PA United States)
27 out of 28 found this review helpful
I have owned this camcorder now for 2 weeks and have loved it since I got it. The video quality is amazing. In full HD the the detail and color accuracy really shows. The camcorder also auto focuses incredibly fast even while zooming and panning. The quick record mode is very nice (especially if you have children). When the quick record mode is on the camcorder will come out of sleep mode and be ready to record in about a second. Literally by the time you flip the lcd open, it's ready to record. The still shots are ok, but I wouldn't get rid of my stand alone digital camera. The transfers of files to pc requires the use of the included software. There is a quick burn option with the software that can create either an AVCHD dvd or a standard definition dvd. I also tried using the software for editing and authoring but found it cumbersome for that usage. I personally use Nero 8 and it works perfectly with the files created by the Canon. The drawbacks to the camcorder are the battery and the awkward menu. The included battery barely last hour with normal recording. I'll be buying the BP-819 2.5 hour battery by summers end. The menu has a few awkward sections. For example, to fade in or out when recording you have to select the fade effect from the main menu. But to use the selected fade while recording, you have to use the joystick to activate the fade effect assigned before recording. Overall, this camcorder is very good. It has great video quality. The software package, though a little cumbersome, is pretty decent. I don't regret this purchase one bit. It seems pricey, but once you see the differnce on a HD tv compared to SD mini dv, you won't regret it.
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