Product Reviews
VIXIA HG20
High Definition Video on Hard Disk Drive
Continuing Canon's industry-leading reputation for technology and product quality, Canon's latest high definition camcorders deliver the optical excellence, advanced image processing and superb performance found in our photographic and broadcast television lenses. With our Canon Exclusives, we bring more advanced features to our camcorders, enabling you to more easily take your video to a higher level than ever possible before.
Among our latest products is the Canon VIXIA HG20 Hard Disk Drive Camcorder. It combines the ease of recording video directly onto an internal Hard Disk Drive with the advanced AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) format. Its 60GB Hard Disk Drive allows you to record up to 22 hours and 55 minutes of crisp, high definition video (LP Mode). It also is a dual system camcorder, with the capability of also recording video and still images to an SDHC card as well.
The VIXIA HG20 boasts 1920 x 1080 Full HD, and has a CODEC capable of recording 24Mbps -- the highest AVCHD bitrate --through Canon's own Full HD CMOS Image Sensor and advanced DIGIC DV II image processor. Other exclusives are a new Genuine Canon 12x HD video lens, SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization and Instant AutoFocus and a host of other advanced features including an HDMI™ Connector. Enhanced and simplified controls give you more choices and easier operation. Remarkable image reproduction and advanced features are yours in this compact AVCHD Format Hard Disk Drive camcorder which easily goes along with you, wherever you are, to capture those unforgettable moments in life- in true HD.
Average Customer Rating:
3.8
out of 5
16 out of 24(67%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for VIXIA HG20
Review 1 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: CanonMacUser
Location: Cupertino, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Great camera
Date: February 21, 2010
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Easy Computer Connectivity, Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, Good Software Compatibility, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use
Light weight, easy to use. Menus are very intuitive and simple. Reports of file type issues and transfer issues seem to be more of a PC issue than a camera issue and not an issue with the camera. Absolutely no issues on Non-PC hardware using both bundled and professional software (and no, I'm not referring to Linux). Video file format shouldn't be an issue either since there are many conversion utilities available, many of which are free-ware. Lack of direct AVI / WMV support is not an issue and shouldn't be a consideration when considering this camera. The only issue I have encountered in more than one year of use is that if an accessory lens (wide-angle or telephoto) is attached, then flash photography should be avoided as the lens will cast a shadow due to the lens partially blocking the flash. Simple solution, don't use the accessory lens for flash photography. Microphone (DM100) is very sensitive and is able to pick up Elk mewing at more than 100 yards. Low light performance is good (video has a deep depth of field = high fStop equivalent so exposure time per frame is limited by the frame rate so nobody should have high expectations for low light performance anyway). Great camera!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Disappointed
Location: Parsonsfield, Maine
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Not for Home Movies!
Date: February 19, 2010
Pros: Great sound/audio, excellent image quality
Cons: Limited Software Compatibility
None of the Pro’s are of any value if you’re unable to make a home-movie in a timely manner to enjoy with friends and family! Truly disappointed with the video software included with the camera and have not been able to find aftermarket products that support the HD video editing. This has been a big waste of money!
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Nickname: SpeedyPro
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Not for Pros
Date: December 24, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality, easy to use
Cons: Short battery life, Limited Software Compatibility
Great camera but not designed for the Indie filmmaker in mind. Though it has a "24 cinema mode" it really records it in 60i and you have to do 24p pull down that looses the audio synchronization with the video.
But great for someone who wants to record their birthdays, events in HD and play it back on there HDTV.
And I have had problems with the battery on the camera as it will not charge anymore, and the power connector won't power the camera anymore either. So, take it or leave it, I've told you what I know.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: walt
Location: Texas
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Fantastic camcorder for the price
Date: December 18, 2009
Pros: good battery life, Easy Computer Connectivity, Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, easy to use
This is a great high definition camcorder. Easy to operate, very adequate battery life, and a choice of two recording mediums. I read the review about needing to know file types and having video editing skills if you plan to compose video productions for DVD, but that would be true for any camcorder. There's nothing about this camcorder's output that would be any more difficult than another manufacturer. That having been said, it is very easy to burn DVDs if you just want straight video from the camera. And transfer to computer is a snap with the enclosed software. Finally, I found the output files to be easily compatible with both Pinnacle and Vegas Movie Studio - neither of which required me to be aware of file types. I would highly recommend this camcorder.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Very Good.
Date: December 3, 2009
Pros: Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, excellent image quality, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, Easy TV Connectivity, easy to use
Cons: Short battery life
Great camcorder, I love it! I am not sure why there are so many bad reviews. I got this about a year ago and I have had a great experience! I use it for online videos. It is AMAZING. Even though the battery only lasts an hour and a half, it is great.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
1
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Nickname: Billy Smith
Location: Nevada
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
horrible!!!
Date: November 25, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, good battery life, Great sound/audio, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Bulky Design, Flimsy Construction, Difficult to use, Limited Software Compatibility
hi quality, looks cool, light.
cons:super flimsy, horrible camera quality uneasy to use
cons:super flimsy, horrible camera quality uneasy to use
3 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Me
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
Don't plan on using all year
Date: November 21, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality
Cons: Flimsy Construction
I am about to send the camera back for the second time in the first year. First it would not charge the batteries. Canon fixed it with no problems. Now after using it only twice since the repair it doesn't even turn on now. Canon takes care of you, but it would be nice to have a reliable camera at any and all times.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Tommy D
Location: Eldorado, IL
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Video Editors Beware
Date: November 19, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Short battery life, Difficult to use, Limited Software Compatibility
Camera has excellent video quality, with superb performance. Performs quite well in every setting I have used it in, comfortable to hold and has an easy setup. That is where the pros stop.
As long as you do not mess up a scene or a line, you could hook-up the camcorder to just about any television (preferably HD and play back recordings quite easily. However, if you intend to extract the video file from the camcorder onto your computer and put it onto disk you better be educated in file types, files conversion utilities & additional video editing software. The software included is really watered down; the video file type is not easily converted into .mpg or .avi, which eventually turned into a great big headache. Currently, i am in the process of testing out several (7 to be exact) unfamiliar video editing applications inorder to achieve what i need to do. If you purchase this camcorder you’ll need to be confident in your video editing software (latest versions too) & you will also need to know your file types. Therefore, buyers beware!!!
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Nickname: mountainphoto
Location: Colorado
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Nice...but beware
Date: November 8, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold
Cons: Short battery life, Flimsy Construction, Limited Software Compatibility, can't work at elevation, limited working tempature range, no .avi wma or mp4
The camera was great out of the box. After reading the instructions I noticed some big problems. 1) you can't use this product abouve 9,200 feet. I live in Colorado and some of the best pictures are above 10,000. 2) You can't convert any video to .avi or wmv. it be nice to put some video up on youtube. Finally after 30 days the camera stopped working. Period.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: CgrLvr
Location: Tampa
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
Not Easy to Use
Date: October 31, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Short battery life, Difficult to use, Limited Software Compatibility
Can't seem to be able to save my video to my computer or DVD. I guess I can only use the camera until the hard drive is full. This completely takes away from any enjoyment I have had using the camera. Doesn't seem to be much help available to assist me. Must be something better out there.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Nickname: Alex
Location: Arizona
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Problem with downloding
Date: September 5, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Short battery life, Difficult to use, Limited Software Compatibility
Every time I want to download to my PC, it does not
work,I follow all the instuctions. the ImageMixer3 ver.3
can't import the video into my computer. My PC has 8Gb
of RAM ,had never any problems with video, till now.
work,I follow all the instuctions. the ImageMixer3 ver.3
can't import the video into my computer. My PC has 8Gb
of RAM ,had never any problems with video, till now.
18 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Anonymous
Date: August 27, 2009
I like the camera very much but I don't like the bundled software ImageMixer which comes with it. The feature to put on captions didn't work and the only formats you can export files as are .MOV and MPEG-2. It is VERY difficult to find other video editing programs which can import MPEG-2 files (almost seems like an obsolete format). Has been a very frustrating experience.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Kingair
Location: Maple VAlley, WA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Overall great camera.
Date: July 27, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Great sound/audio, easy to use
Cons: Short battery life
Bought the Vixia HG20 2 weeks ago and used it for the first time at a family reunion. Canon makes it easy for anyone to use there products. The hard part is when you want to convert them to DVD. Use Canons Image Mixer 3 , select create disk, and then select DVD. USE ONLY DVD - R Disks and not DVD + R . This is if your not using blueray yet and just want it to a standard DVD. Windows Movie maker will work also so you can edit your movies. Import the files from the designated location. I Highly recommend that you either buy the Canons DW-100 to copy direct to DVD without a computer, OR have a computer with at least DUAL CORE TECHNOLOGY and 3 gigs or ram. It still took me 2 plus hours to make a dvd from my NEW computer. Besides this little hang up the Camcorder is amazing and not bulky at all even though it has a 60 gig hard-drive. If you want to record in the highest quality you need to change that in the menu. It is defaulted to a lower recording quality when you first get it. One other thing I wish was better is the image stabilization. Its not as good as I thought.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Jamie
Location: Harrisburg PA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
HD 20
Date: June 23, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Great sound/audio, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use, Good Software Compatibility, Good Low-Light Performance
This is a great product! The price is right and in its class
I believe it to be at the top. Downloading video from the product is not a nightmare if you read the directions.
It is a very simple process. What I like also is the clarity of the still images! I also got the tele lens and wide angle which make takeing pics great!
I believe it to be at the top. Downloading video from the product is not a nightmare if you read the directions.
It is a very simple process. What I like also is the clarity of the still images! I also got the tele lens and wide angle which make takeing pics great!
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
2
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Nickname: Sher
Location: Fl
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Great Camera/Horrible to download pic/videos
Date: June 7, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality
Cons: Limited Software Compatibility, downloading is a nightmare- you need a masters
This camera takes amazing pics and videos but trying to download them is a nightmare. I've currently spent the last hour and a half just trying to get my videos off the stupid camera! VERY dissatisfied with that.
18 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Frankie
Location: Lakewood, CO
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Great Buy for Non-Professionals
Date: May 4, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use
Cons: Short battery life, Limited Software Compatibility, low still-picture pixels
I'm extremely satisfied with this product - my very first Canon! I had been looking for a camcorder with which to create and save memorable family moments and I believe I have found just what I was looking for. I wish the battery pack would last longer and the still-picture quality could be higher.... Nevertheless, I am really pleased with my acquisition of this camcorder. Now, if I can only keep it safe from my small children!...
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Nickname: Kellster
Location: Utah
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Great Video, Software Lacking
Date: March 25, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, good battery life, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use
Cons: Poor sound/audio, Limited Software Compatibility, Poor Low-Light Performance
Awesome video with this camera. Love to connect to my 52" LCD and watch 1080i directly from the camera via HDMI cable. Takes awesome video outside in normal light. Inside video is not as great, but you can compensate usually by the auto white balance. Would be much better with built in light or low light setting or nightvision. Storage capability is awesome, can store up to 5 hours on highest quality. I've only had up to one hour at a time. The SD card slot is great because I can record to that and then play it directly off of my PS3. The quality on the card is also awesome. If I were to buy again I would purchase stricltly a Flash memory based camcorder. Just because of the worry of the hard drive failing. I've had NO problems so far though. There is plenty of memory built into the Flash Based camcorders, plus the cost of memory cards is affordable enough if you need more space. Also easier to transfer video to computer via SD Card than plugging in cables. Unless you have the latest computer with quad core or an i7 processor then you don't want to do any video in the highest quality for video editing. For every hour of video it takes approximately 4 hours to process it and burn to a dvd on the highest quality. I'm on a Core 2 Duo T7200 Processor with 4 gig of memory and windows vista. Overall very happy. Capturing moving video is choppy also, but still very good detail.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: Ryan21
Location: San Jose, CA
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Great Camera
Date: March 6, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Great sound/audio, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, durable, easy to use
Cons: the battery life could be a bit better
I love this thing. I was blow away when I hooked it up to my HDTV via HDMI cable. You can see every detail with this camcorder. I use this mainly to shoot me and my friends playing hockey. I did use it not to long ago on a snow trip and it was fantastic, you can see every detail in the snow. I use Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12 to edit because the software included is really only good for importing video and pictures. The still pictures are alright with this camcorder and it is a nice feature to be able to snap a quick pic while recording.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: bassplayer1968
Location: Oklahoma City
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Great Camcorder
Date: January 9, 2009
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, good battery life, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, durable, easy to use, Good Low-Light Performance
Cons: Poor sound/audio, Limited Software Compatibility
My only complaint is the software package that is bundled with the camcorder is only good for importing still shots.
Other than that....fantastic!
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for VIXIA HG20
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Nickname: G_man
Location: Houston, TX
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No
you get more than what you pay for
Date: December 17, 2008
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, durable, easy to use, smart easy mode, lots of manual controls
Cons: Short battery life, no viewfinder, not a (multi-angle) lcd screen
So inexpensive for its features
I just got it 3 weeks ago but I captured many videos using it. Almost 20hrs (about 200GB)
Still images:
Great still images quality although Its maximum resolution is 3MP. A competitor camcorders has 10MP but costs $200 more and not as powerful in videos as Canon camcorders.
Great still images quality although Its maximum resolution is 3MP. A competitor camcorders has 10MP but costs $200 more and not as powerful in videos as Canon camcorders.
Computer Connectivity:
Operating Systems: Works fine with Linux and Mac
Note: It needs to connect the power adapter to access your videos (It is safer this way)
Operating Systems: Works fine with Linux and Mac
Note: It needs to connect the power adapter to access your videos (It is safer this way)
Battery life:
For a non touch screen lcd camcorder, it uses more power than it should.
Recommendation: buy the BP-827 battery and use it as a main battery. It gives you 2670mAh instead of 890mAh. 3x the original one. little bit big though.
For a non touch screen lcd camcorder, it uses more power than it should.
Recommendation: buy the BP-827 battery and use it as a main battery. It gives you 2670mAh instead of 890mAh. 3x the original one. little bit big though.
It's good for my bucket
It's good for my wife thanks to the Great Easy mode and It's good for me thanks to the Manual Controls choices.
It's good for pros as a b-cam
It's good for my wife thanks to the Great Easy mode and It's good for me thanks to the Manual Controls choices.
It's good for pros as a b-cam
Note: I wanted to get HG21 since has a viewfinder and better LCD screen in addition to 120GB hard drive but it costs a lot more.
Loves it.
36 of 36 people found this review helpful.
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