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Canon HG10 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder

HG10 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder

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Most recent User Reviews for

Canon HG10 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder

  • Reviewed by: RonPerkins

    06-25-08

    Duration of ownership: 30 Days

    Strengths: Excellent Camera and very good service from Click for Digital

    Weaknesses:Done for camcorder

    Overall Evaluation: Have used this camcorder and am very pleased with how easy it is to use and the quality of the pictures and sound is excellent. Have my dogs running at full speed and there is no blur or camera movement.

  • Reviewed by: emandelcorn

    02-06-08

    Duration of ownership: 30 Days

    Strengths: Very Easy Too Use and Downloading onto Computer was Fast and Easy

    Weaknesses:Must be careful not to drop the camera as you could lose hours of material.

    Overall Evaluation: I found the HG10 superior to any other video camera I have owned. My last Sony Camera was a $5000 Semi-Pro model, but was bulky and not so easy to operate. This camera has an extensive manual, but is very simple to use. The low light capability and picture quality are amazing. I like the fact that I don't have to carry tapes with me everywhere I go and don't lose important shots when I have to change tapes. It downloads quick and easy to my laptop computer. Holding over 11 hours of material on the hard disk is fantastic. The only problem is that if you drop the camera, you could lose hours of material on the hard drive. I don't know how Canon will deal with this problem in the future. So far it hasn't happened to me, but the possibility still exists. Also I have purchase a 500 GB external Hard Drive to hold all the material I plan to shot with this camera. My laptop only has a 40GB Hard Drive the same as the camera. So this is something else you should think about.

  • Reviewed by: ddrew

    02-03-08

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Excellent video quality; 1080 24p Mode; handling;

    Weaknesses:Weight; can't store still pictures in HD;

    Overall Evaluation: I did a lot of research on HD camcorders before I bought this. The final list went down to Sony HDR-CX7 and Canon HG10. I made the decision because of the longer recording time of HG10. Actually this decision didn't disappoint me. Till now I have shot 5 hours 1080i videos and about 30 minutes 1080p videos. I have to say 1080i is good enough for normal customers and did perform better than the 1080p mode. There are noticable distortions of the pictures in 1080p mode when the objects are moving fast. All the controls are intuitive and comfortable to handle. You can control all the recording functions using just one hand. The downside of this camcorder is that a miniSD card is necessary to take still photos even it has a large harddisk. HG10 is not as light as Sony CX7. You may feel tired if you hold it for more than 20 minutes. Anyway, it is cheaper and has bigger storage capacity than CX7, and most importantly, it has better picture quality. Overall, I am very satisfied with this excellent HD camera.

  • Reviewed by: Twigger2

    01-26-08

    Duration of ownership: 5 Weeks

    Strengths: Picture quality; storage capacity; quiet hard drive; compact; GREAT, simple controls; good zoom; size (form factor); ergonomics; viewfinder

    Weaknesses:Included software is very basic; audio is not the best; poor LED video light

    Overall Evaluation: Let me start by saying that I am not easily impressed, and I have often regretted major technology purchases. So this time, I decided to thoroughly research my digital camcorder choices, mainly at http://www.camcorderinfo.com. After about two weeks of reading articles and reviews on the web of both standard and high-def hard drive camcorders, I decided on the HG10, and I am glad I did! No regrets this time, even with the advent of new models following the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2008!.The Canon HG10 is very easy to use in full auto mode, but also has some great manual controls. When compared to its main hard drive-based competition from Sony, JVC, and Panasonic, the HG10 holds many advantages, such as its superior image quality (even in low light), image stabilization, controls (zoom rocker, LCD-mounted multi-function wheel/D-pad), features (accessory hot shoe), and no real shortcomings. When researching different models, each one seemed to have some minor or major shortcoming: JVC camcorders tend to have poor image stabilization; Sony's are pricey and have relatively poor low light performance; and Panasonic's have awkward port layout and poor low light performance..If you're in the market for a high def camcorder that does not use miniDV tapes, then your only options -- hard drive or flash-based recorders -- rely on AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) encoding. The drawbacks with AVCHD are slightly worse image quality and more complicated video editing than HDV, the rival high def (HD) encoding standard used by tape-based HD camcorders. So let's address each concern:.1) Video Quality: Whereas most AVCHD recorders have problems with "tailing" (ghostly after-images like you might see when you move your mouse pointer very quickly on a dark background) and extremely grainy low-light video quality. The HG10 is really the first (and currently the only) AVCHD camera that does not suffer these drawbacks. This was probably the single biggest deciding factor that swayed me to the HG10..2) Complex Video Editing: In my research, I determined the best software for AVCHD video editing was Ulead Video Studio 11 Plus (UVS11+). This and Nero 7 or 8 are the only two software packages out there with the ability to edit AVCHD and that don't demand a quad-core super-duper-mega-expensive computer to run the software. My humble 2.5-year-old computer needs all the help it can get, so it was important for me to get software that didn't require a brand new computer. I did, however, go ahead and upgrade to 2 GB of memory (RAM). The Ulead software is more advanced than the Nero Vision editing software. While neither is as full-featured as Pinnacle Studio or Sony Vegas (which I have read will only work with Sony camcorders), both Nero and UVS11+ are far easier to use and (as previously stated) don't require a super-high-end computer. Note that Adobe Premiere is currently unable to edit AVCHD in its native format; instead, it downconverts AVCHD to standard definition..What about ergonomics? My wife and I both find the ergonomics with the HG10 to be excellent. I have pretty big hands, so it took me a while to adjust to using such a small camcorder, but the button and zoom rocker placements are perfect. I do wish the record start/stop button wasn't shaped like a cat's iris, but oh well, no big deal. The viewfinder is a very nice addition which many other camcorders in this price range do not offer. Note that the viewfinder extends about 1.5 inches, too..Speaking of extending the viewfinder... when the viewfinder is extended, it exposes the edge of the accessory hot shoe cover, a very nice bonus, especially when taking into account the not-so-great integrated video light and microphone. Between the two, the light is the worse performer, but I don't find myself needing a better light source because of the excellent video quality, even in low light situations. The audio quality from the integrated microphone is not the greatest, but it's livable. At this point, I don't plan to buy an accessory microphone, but if I change my mind, the camera will accept one using the hot shoe. Note, by the way, that the integrated still image flash is quite good. The still image quality is also pretty good, but not as good as what you'll get from most still cameras (digital or film)..Overall, the HG10 offers excellent image quality, great optical image stabilization, advanced manual controls, an accessory hot shoe, and good ergonomics in a small, lightweight package. Its shortcomings are few -- weak integrated microphone and LED video light, complex AVCHD video editing -- but these shortcomings can be overcome by adding accessories and by improved video editing software, which inevitably will come. I and -- more importantly -- my wife are very happy with our purchase.

  • Reviewed by: drfarahvash

    01-14-08

    Duration of ownership: 2 Weeks

    Strengths: Excellent picture quality, easy to operate, very handy. Hard drive protection technology is awesome.

    Weaknesses:Softwares are not sufficient. A very powerful computer is needed to operate especially graphic card and CPU.

    Overall Evaluation: Canon DVD Burner DW-100 would be an excellent complement which will show up on may 2008. Overall HDD Canon camcorders are better than the Sony equivalents. Corel softwares needs improvement. It takes so long time to convert AVCHD to DVD.

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