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Customer Reviews for VIXIA HF R20 Black
VIXIA HF R20 Black
The Canon VIXIA HF R20 Flash Memory Camcorder is a perfect choice for those seeking ease of use, high performance function and good value. The VIXIA HF R20 has an 8GB internal flash drive, together with two SDXC-compatible memory card slots, Canon's Relay Recording, a 3.0" Touch Panel LCD and Smart Auto.
Average Customer Rating:
(9 Reviews) 9
Rating Snapshot (9 reviews)
5 stars
5
4 stars
2
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
2
7 out of 9(78%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Review 1 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: PHD
Location: California.
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Mostly used for: Business
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
Excellent piece of equipement
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:December 27, 2012
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Easy Computer Connectivity, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, durable, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold
Cons: Difficult to use, Short battery life
I bought this camera when it first came out. I bought an extra battery from a 3rd party and the when a batter charger came on the market bought it and it came with 2 non-intelligent batteries as back ups. So I have yet to run out of battery power even after hours of "filming". Excellent image quality but a bit of a learning curve for someone not used to touch screen controls. Sound not bad for an in camera mic but not good enough for what I wanted. So I bought a Rode mic for it that is much better and can be used as a desk top or on a boom or on an SLR flash bracket. Lots of recording room on the internal memory and the two additional memory card slots. I also bought a 3rd party ultra-wide angle that seriously expands its content inclusion. When you consider the price, the image quality, the option for smoothing out camera shake, good auto and endless manual controls, the small size and light weight, I think it a very good choice. Not TV production quality but then who would expect it. And found it easy to both connect to my iMac or MacBook to download either directly from the camera or removing the card and using a USB card reader. Not a single problem. Even faster if you have a card reader built into your computer. I too have dropped it a couple of time onto tile floors Ouch! Not a scratch and not degradation of recording quality. Amazing low light quality. I have shot in candle light quite successfully. I have used iMovie 2011 and it imports very successfully with no problems.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: Smyrnafishers
Location: Tennessee
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Bad choice for a camcorder
Overall Rating
Features
3
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:September 9, 2012
Pros: Compact Design
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Difficult to use, Limited Software Compatibility
I have had problems trying to download videos ever since I purchased this camera. It is dificult to use and no help available on line. The only thing I like about the camcorder is that it is lightweight.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: DaveK
Location: Tucson,AZ
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: No
Big little camcorder
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:June 18, 2012
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, 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, Limited Software Compatibility, battery cost to high
I have used this Camcorder now for about 8mo., and am very pleased. The HD is excellent and you have an option of 5 Quality settings. You have in camera storage + 2 SD card slots,(use 16GB class 10 minimum, for best results). the low light is OK, it could be improved, but at what cost?. I also like the fact that it has audio in/out, + full computer&HD outputs.
I record musical performances, so I use an external mic for better sound. The built in mic is above average. the LCD screen is very good in all aspects. Must remove from automatic to fully use menu.
Like most people the battery could be improved, especially in the $$$Cost area(a fair price would in the $45 area), you have to have 2, if you use the Zoom a lot, it's a power robber, other wise it will last about 70-80 min.
for the price I think it's Very Good
I record musical performances, so I use an external mic for better sound. The built in mic is above average. the LCD screen is very good in all aspects. Must remove from automatic to fully use menu.
Like most people the battery could be improved, especially in the $$$Cost area(a fair price would in the $45 area), you have to have 2, if you use the Zoom a lot, it's a power robber, other wise it will last about 70-80 min.
for the price I think it's Very Good
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: ShootitB&W
Location: Chicago, IL
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: No
A great purchase
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:March 30, 2012
Pros: good gain control, good manual focus, excellent telephoto zoom, good camera for stills, very durable, excellent hd video
Cons: terrible battery life, poor low-light shooting.
I purchased this camcorder back in Dec.2011, basically to use it for documentary projects at film school. The funny thing is that the R20 shoots HD video better than some of the $2000 camcorders that the school issues out (camcorders, not the DSLR's). Another aspect to mention would be it's surprising durability. I unfortunately made the mistake of letting some friends borrow the R20 and it's been dropped three times (once from 3 ft. onto a tile floor), left out in a cold car for a few hours, and has had a few jacks ripped out from people tripping over cables linking into it... but the little guy still records perfect. The only thing that I have to complain about the R20 is that the battery life is very short, and it's almost required for you to buy an extra battery/charger ($$$)...but aside from that this camcorder is still great, and I would definitely buy it again.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: Blackfish
Location: Stockton, Ca.
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: Less than 1 year
Product replacement: No
Not the best purches ever.
Overall Rating
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
Date:March 27, 2012
Pros: great hd video.
Cons: poor battery life., very poor battery life., battery life not good.
It has poor battery life. Very poor. Bad battery life.
2 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: St. Louis, MO
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Canon Enthusiast: 11 to 20 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great for the money
Overall Rating
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
Date:February 20, 2012
Pros: memory cards - no hdd, good battery life, availability of accessories, price, performance
Cons: auto mode needs updating, auto light conditions doen't work well with cfl bu
This camcorder has exceeded all my expectations at the price point. I attached a "fish eye" lens for wider viewing angles. It's worked well with every type of memory card I've thrown at it. I've found that Class 10 seem to work the best. The "auto mode" isn't always great, but it does the job. You may need to change the white balance manually if you're using CFL bulbs, though. I had no need for the included software (Macbook and WIndows 7 do fine on their own), so I cannot comment on the included programs. The best part is that you can always keep extra memory cards around (or buy them in pinch) if you're on vacation or forget to empty one - unlike Hard drive cameras.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: Lennyinfla
Location: South Florida
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great Purchase and Great Features
Overall Rating
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
Date:February 18, 2012
Pros: external mic input, two card slots, convert hd to sd in the camera
Cons: batteries are over priced.
As someone who does a lot of still photography and videography in the medical field, this camera is supurb for the price and features. One of the best features I like is that it is an affordable camera with an external mic input.
That is a great feature for video taping presentations. Also, the fact that you can use two SD cards for extra long recording time, and the camera will "transfer" HD to SD internally. These features are extremely handy and usually available only in high end cameras. I will probably purchase one or two more of these cameras. The only downside is that I had to purchase some extra after market batteries because the batteries are way over priced.
That is a great feature for video taping presentations. Also, the fact that you can use two SD cards for extra long recording time, and the camera will "transfer" HD to SD internally. These features are extremely handy and usually available only in high end cameras. I will probably purchase one or two more of these cameras. The only downside is that I had to purchase some extra after market batteries because the batteries are way over priced.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: Cameradude
Location: Virginia, VA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Mostly used for: Family & Friends
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
Great camera!!
Overall Rating
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
Date:September 14, 2011
Pros: good battery life, Easy Computer Connectivity, Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, durable, Good Software Compatibility, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, easy to use
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance
I have had this camera for about 2 weeks and this camera is great! The inly real problem I've had is that in low light it docent look so good but over all its a great camera for the price
41 of 41 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for VIXIA HF R20 Black
Nickname: john
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Mostly used for: Sports
Canon Enthusiast: 1 to 5 years
Product replacement: Yes
crazy nice
Overall Rating
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
Date:September 2, 2011
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Great sound/audio, Accurate, Vivid Colors, Compact Design, excellent image quality, durable, Good Software Compatibility, Ergonomic/comfortable to hold, Easy TV Connectivity, easy to use, works with premiere
Cons: Difficult Computer Connectivity, Short battery life, avchd not compatible on macs unless have premiere
i use this camera mainly for skate vids ad its the best I've had, its the most affordable and blows other cameras in the price range away
28 of 31 people found this review helpful.
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