Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom - 2009 MODEL

• AnalogVideoFormat: NTSC
• BatteriesIncluded: 1
• BatteryDescription: 1 Lithium-Ion
• Binding: Electronics
• Brand: Canon
• Color: Black
• CompatibleDevices: Flash Memory
• DisplaySize: 2.7
• EAN: 0013803109689
• Feature: Record crisp HD video directly to a removable SDHC memory card
• FloppyDiskDriveDescription: None
• HasRedEyeReduction: 1
• Label: Canon
• LensType: Zoom lens
• Manufacturer: Canon
• MaximumFocalLength: 61.5
• MediaType: Flash card
• MinimumFocalLength: 4.1
• Model: 3536B001AA
• MPN: 3536B001AA
• OpticalSensorResolution: 3.89
• OpticalZoom: 15
• PackageQuantity: 1
• ProductGroup: Photography
• ProductTypeName: CAMCORDER
• ProductTypeSubcategory: other-digital-camcorder
• Publisher: Canon
• Studio: Canon
• Title: Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder w/15x Optical Zoom - 2009 MODEL
• UPC: 013803109689
• Warranty: 1 year warranty

Good but not perfect
I have had this camera for less than a year. Image quality in good light is very good. Low light indoors is not as good.

My complaints are about after you have shot the footage. Downloading the video to a computer via cable has proved to be a nightmare as the correct drivers have not been installed properly. Having said that, this problem was fixed with a very cheap memory card reader.

This video format of AVCHD does not work with Windows Live Movie Maker. Editing doesn't work, picture quality is poor and jutters. I had to purchase Cyberlink Power Director 8 which seems to fix these problems.

Canon accessories are very expensive e.g battery, light.

The big lens is good for zooming but for most situations, something slimmer like an iphone 4 should suffice.

There is no built in memory but that's not a great issue unless you are on a long trip but memory cards are cheap now anyway.

Everything I need
Superb picture and sound and easy to convert for YouTube and FB. When I connected the USB cable I was able to see the MTS files from the camera as just another drive and dragged them to my computer. I didn't load the acompanied software as suggested by other users. I just downloaded Free HD Converter V1.7 opened the mts file in Free HD and hit convert which converted the file to MPG4 quicktime in a few minutes. For picture quality, one thing that blew me away was I zoomed accross the room and could see super close up every little button and switch and label text crystal clear on the mixing board. I have the camera set on a tripod, connected by HDMI to a wall mouted HD TV I use as a monitor. The TV has a logitech surround sound. I love the fact that the audio "VU" meter disaplays the real time audio levels during recording so I can eaily adjust the audio input. The camera also has an microphone attenuator to prevent distortion and a mic input. Also great was a powerful remote control. As far as low light issue, I don't see any problem for me. Just tweak some of the lighting settings. I messed around for weeks researching which camera to purchase and I am 1000 percent happy with this one. It is awesome! Also, thanks to the reviewer who suggested Free HD Conveter. It is great program. So my bottom line for this camera? This thing just blows me away!

Thanks

Poor Reliability - Camcorder stopped working after a year
Exactly after a year, none of the functions worked when the camcorder was powered on. The camcorder was well maintained and used sparingly.

Canon's technical phone support staff had me hard reset the camcorder, and when that didn't work, he asked me to send the camcorder to Canon for repair. Canon quoted a (ridiculous!) repair charge of $260.

This is my first canon device, and certainly my last.

Great for Mac User
I received this for Christmas and it is extremely easy to use and has excellent video and sound quality. Others have lamented the software that is included from Canon. For me, the software is still in the box. I simply stick the card into a USB reader and import directly into iMovie. No fuss, no complications. You do then have to delete from the camera, deletion at the end of import is not an option like in iPhoto. No biggie.

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