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Customer Reviews for VIXIA HF M300
VIXIA HF M300
The Canon VIXIA HF M300 Flash Memory Camcorder records directly to an SD memory card slot and is ultra-sleek, compact and lightweight - it's a brilliant blend of capability and convenience.
Average Customer Rating:
(10 Reviews) 10
Rating Snapshot (10 reviews)
5 stars
3
4 stars
4
3 stars
2
2 stars
0
1 star
1
7 out of 10(70%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for VIXIA HF M300
Review 1 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: Videoguy
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Good Basic Camcorder
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:September 15, 2011
Pros: good battery life, Compact Design, excellent image quality, easy to use, mic input
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Short battery life, Poor Color Reproduction, Poor sound/audio, lacks focus wheel, lacks true video head has cannon only head
I bought this camera to do basic EFP and ENG jobs, cheap camera for school projects and home videos. the camera has great quality, but lacks basic manual features that I would love to use easily. This is a great camera for a beginner who doesn't know what there doing, but if you want to be able to easily adjust focus, iris and white balance, this camera may not be for you. all the whitebalance, exposure, and focus controls are operable via touch screen, meaning that you may get a jitter in your video when u tap the screen (you move the camera). There is no easy gain control, and the manual focus is temperamental. The camera is lightweight and durable which is good, but doesn't have a viewfinder. This is a great camera for simple home videos and for school projects, but not suitable for someone with a good video background. T
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: Wildbill
Location: Tampa, FL
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:June 18, 2011
Pros: good battery life, Easy Computer Connectivity, Great sound/audio, Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity
Cons: Limited Software Compatibility
I simply wanted a video camera to make videos of my family. 1month later a few people saw a video and 2 different people hired me to film things and events for them. I was encouraged to start a business. The biggest complement I get is how good the video looks. From small sized youtube videos to large screen video display at an art showing, the video looked crisp and hollywood movie quality. Sometimes the software was slow to start filming or to take a snapshot. I overcame this by just turning it on and shooting everything. 2 batteries is 3 to 4 hours of video.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: largo
Location: Sarasota, Florida
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 6 to 10 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great value
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:May 19, 2011
Pros: Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, durable, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, Easy TV Connectivity, easy to use
Cons: Short battery life
In this purchase, I wanted and received a compact HD camera. It has multiple functions which a more adventurous videographer might choose to employ. I know that these are there but I also know that the competent fully automatic performance is what I will rely on. This seems to be dependable enough for me to capture the G-kids and our trips both as video and still frame shots. (I rarely print photos.)
The complaints that I agree with are the short battery life, cost of Canon accessories, and the lack of a printed manual.
A counter argument on battery life is that at max video quality on an 8 gig card, you'll get your card filled (40 minutes).
I will buy a larger capacity unit as a primary power source. I will keep purchasing 8 gig cards so that I can divide my 'artistic efforts' into comprehensible sizes. I do prefer cards to built-in memory. These memory chips weigh nada and are easily locked down to protect the information contained. Unlocked, means ready to use. Initializing/formatting these chips can be done in your computer. Internal memory can only be erased and readied by the camera and it's time and power consuming. Buy chips!
One issue that caught me by surprise was that my camera would rattle when off. It sounded like marbles were rolling around in there! I called Technical Support and was advised by Lauren that this is normal. The motors that are used for optical stabilization, when powered down, allow loose motion of the control mechanisms. I felt that this could have been mentioned in the manual. Like way near the front.
I got the 301 from Costco at a VERY good price and am more than pleased that my research led me to this jewel. If your demands are reasonable for what you are spending, this is a great value. If you understand that venturing into the menus can be daunting but that you normally don't have to, you'll be gratified. I felt that some of the negative comments here were generated by personal issues and unreasonable expectations.
As an incidental reply to one comment, all of my amateur camcorders over the past 25 years have had noise from the zoom motors included in recorded, otherwise quiet, passages.
Anything I do not mention here is of sufficient quality to me to be passable and an indication of good performance.
The complaints that I agree with are the short battery life, cost of Canon accessories, and the lack of a printed manual.
A counter argument on battery life is that at max video quality on an 8 gig card, you'll get your card filled (40 minutes).
I will buy a larger capacity unit as a primary power source. I will keep purchasing 8 gig cards so that I can divide my 'artistic efforts' into comprehensible sizes. I do prefer cards to built-in memory. These memory chips weigh nada and are easily locked down to protect the information contained. Unlocked, means ready to use. Initializing/formatting these chips can be done in your computer. Internal memory can only be erased and readied by the camera and it's time and power consuming. Buy chips!
One issue that caught me by surprise was that my camera would rattle when off. It sounded like marbles were rolling around in there! I called Technical Support and was advised by Lauren that this is normal. The motors that are used for optical stabilization, when powered down, allow loose motion of the control mechanisms. I felt that this could have been mentioned in the manual. Like way near the front.
I got the 301 from Costco at a VERY good price and am more than pleased that my research led me to this jewel. If your demands are reasonable for what you are spending, this is a great value. If you understand that venturing into the menus can be daunting but that you normally don't have to, you'll be gratified. I felt that some of the negative comments here were generated by personal issues and unreasonable expectations.
As an incidental reply to one comment, all of my amateur camcorders over the past 25 years have had noise from the zoom motors included in recorded, otherwise quiet, passages.
Anything I do not mention here is of sufficient quality to me to be passable and an indication of good performance.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: Cannonball
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Travel
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Needs Viewfinder
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:February 11, 2011
Pros: Compact Design, excellent image quality
Cons: Short battery life, no viewfinder only lcd
I bought this camera to take vacation and family video which is shot mostly in bright sun. It is impossible to see anything on the LCD screen. I even bought their optional LCD hood, but it was useless. Professional camcorders have view finders why not consumer camcorders. The battery that comes with it is too small. You have to buy a bigger one. On the plus side it takes great video and has a lot of nice features for the money.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: OmHiker
Location: Omaha, NE
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: Yes
Good Camera with some drawbacks
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:January 21, 2011
Pros: external microphone port, hidef, good value for the price, compact, touch screen
Cons: zoom motor noise, 2gb video file limit, battery life could be better, mas optional microphone are expensive
I like the camera overall for what my intended uses will be, including family videos and to take videos for business and place them on video sharing sites.
I bought two of these since they offered Hi Def quality and I could use them in two camera interview scenarios. That way videos from both cameras would be identical in color and quality. I replaced my digital 8 tape standard camcorder with the Vixia HFM300.
Another factor that influenced my purchase decision was the ability to plug in external microphones, such as the lapel mics I own without having needing mics that use the Mini Advanced Shoe (MAS) port. This camera also has external microphone mini-plug jacks. A plus for me.
Several factors I was not expecting:
ONE: I purchased 16 GB class 10 SDHC cards for both units. I did not realize that when doing a continuous video shoot that lasted 75 minutes at FXP quality that I would get 5 video files and not one large file to edit from. I can work around this in the editing software, but there are distinct cuts where the scenes are "spliced" together. With my older Digital 8 unit, one large video file was what I was used to working with in long shoots. Video file maximum size is 2 GB. This was not detailed anywhere in the reviews, specs, or user guides that I could find.
TWO: When in low ambient noise areas, on playback you can distinctly hear the recorded sound of the zoom motor when changing the zoom ratio. The ambient noise has to be louder than what the internal microphones pick up with the zoom motor. I have owned several camcorders over the last 15 years and this is the first where the zoom motor is loud enough to be recorded by the built-in microphone. For this alone, I would not recommend these units unless you know how to work around this negative aspect.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: jdavis176
Location: North Wales, Pa
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Love it!!!
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 1, 2010
Pros: small and lightweight, easy to use, takes great video, takes good still shots, like the touch screen, would recommend this to a friend
Cons: price, only has a lcd screen. hard to see in the sun, nowhere to attach an external light
I love this camera. It’s a must have if you own an HDTV. I wasn’t sure at first if I wanted to buy this device because of other reports of customers not liking the menu screen. They claim it was hard to navigate around in. That turned out to be false. I have no problems changing settings and/or getting around within the menu. I figured it out without the manual. This camera has nice features and takes awesome video. Other complaints I’ve read from other customers was this camera has no hard drive. I feel it’s better not to have one anyway. If you drop and break the camera you can’t retrieve your video. SD memory card is best anyway. I would like to get another one of these.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: D
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Great Product. Great Value
Overall Rating
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
Date:September 7, 2010
Pros: remarkable image quality, ease of use, great value for price
Cons: no internal memory, Short battery life
I was thoroughly impressed with the clarity of the video. I used a mini hdmi cable directly from the camcorder to a 52" HDTV, and the picture looked as crisp as any HD channel.
It gives home videos a very professional and cinematic feel.
It gives home videos a very professional and cinematic feel.
Recommend going with Class 10 SDHC for full HD recording at 24 or 30mb/s.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: Not happy
Location: Michigan
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Overall Rating
Features
2
out of
5
Performance
1
out of
5
Price/Value
1
out of
5
Quality
1
out of
5
Satisfaction
1
out of
5
Date:August 20, 2010
The Canon camcorder video was unusable. After dealing with the useless software provided, I had to buy third party soft ware to convert all the video. I recorded in MXP format, this was very poor and pixelated eve when shot from tripod.
The touch screen dose not respond, and when it dose it is in accurate. There is no reason you can't shoot the video, bu the SD card a computer and drag it a folder, then play, this would just make to much sense. Looking back I should just burned the $800+ I invested in it.
The touch screen dose not respond, and when it dose it is in accurate. There is no reason you can't shoot the video, bu the SD card a computer and drag it a folder, then play, this would just make to much sense. Looking back I should just burned the $800+ I invested in it.
DON''T BUY THIS PRODUCT
16 of 70 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: Jojo
Location: Florham Park, New Jersey
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Excellent value for the money
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 10, 2010
Pros: good built quality, fits good in your hand, lots and lots of manual options, easy full automatic option, excellent optical zoom, surprisingly good digital zoom 300x, great image stabilizer, wireless remote included, lots of cables included, surprisingly good photos
Cons: short battery life(1hour), no shoulder strap included, no printed full manual included only an cd
turn on the cam, use fully automatic mode and be happy, great camera.
take the CD, print out the 209 pages PDF Manual, study it, and i mean study it, you will not believe what you can do with this small cam, unbelieveble!
the optical zoom is great and even the 300x digital zoom is very very good and sharp.
one of my favorite features is the additional antishake button you can press, it freezes your video without shake, like magic!
take the CD, print out the 209 pages PDF Manual, study it, and i mean study it, you will not believe what you can do with this small cam, unbelieveble!
the optical zoom is great and even the 300x digital zoom is very very good and sharp.
one of my favorite features is the additional antishake button you can press, it freezes your video without shake, like magic!
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for VIXIA HF M300
Nickname: AlexG
Location: GA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Satisfied
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:May 17, 2010
Pros: Easy Computer Connectivity, Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, Easy TV Connectivity, easy to use
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance, Uncomfortable to hold, Short battery life, poor image stability
Great for the price, but the image stability and Low light recording need improvement.
22 of 28 people found this review helpful.
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