Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom

Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 4:44 am

Manufacturer: Canon
Customer Rating:
List Price: $899.00
Sale Price: $869.99
Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Buy Now

Product Description

The Canon HG20 AVCHD Hard Disk Drive camcorder sets a new standard for High Definition, delivering optimal image quality, long shooting times along with the extraordinary ease and versatility when viewing video on television or a computer. Capture amazing HD video with even greater detail and color reproduction with its innovative 24Mbps capability, and the addition of a video-capable SDHC card slot plus the extended 60GB internal Hard Disk Drive allows you to now record up to 22 hours of video onto the internal Hard Disk Drive so there's no need to worry about running out of space. And, like all Canon VIXIA camcorders, the HG20 features: a Canon HD video lens, FULL HD CMOS Sensor, and Canon's exclusive DIGIC DV II image processor. Create the look and feel of Hollywood movies with the 24p Cinema Mode and even use Canon's select Photo Grabbing function to capture still images from previously recorded video. If online video posting and sharing interests you, the HG20's 30p mode provides the perfect frame rate for the web and delivers clarity for fast-action subjects. The HG20 offers the unparalleled combination of Canon's exclusive SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer to stabilize a wide range of movements, Instant AF for accurate focusing that's critical when shooting in HD, and a built-in video light to easily shoot in dark settings. The HG20 features the latest HD technology, excellence in Canon optics and engineering in a compact, sleek design that delivers the high level of performance you've come to expect from Canon.

Product Details

24Mbps offers the highest bit rate in AVCHD for High Definition video - enabling improved color reproduction and tonality
Record up to 22 hours of High Definition video to a 60 GB Hard Disk Drive
Includes a genuine Canon 12x High Definition video lens
Comes with a 3.3 megapixel full HD CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080) and a DIGIC DV II image processor
Features Canon's SuperRange optical image stabilizer

Video Reviews

No video reviews found for this product.

Customer Reviews

Very good camcorder

Review Date: August 31, 2010

Reviewer: Gregory Prickril, USA

I've been using this camcorder for over a year and am quite happy with its usability and image quality. It works well indoors and the quality of well lit outdoor images is astounding. A few things I'm not crazy about:

- Sometimes when you push record, a message appears that the camera is reading the hard drive. After a few seconds, you have to hit play again. As this behavior is unpredictable, you can miss good shots unexpectedly.
- It doesn't have a viewfinder. I knew this when I bought it, but now that I'm filming in the summer sun, it's reallz a handicap.
- The battery life is less than stellar. On a full charge, it shows around 74 minutes of filming capacity. I doubt I get half that.
- You have to use the HORRIBLE software that comes with it to put files back on the camera for viewing. I copy pictures using Windows with the camera identified as a USB device. Canon should really be embarrassed by the low quality of the software they ship with this thing.

If I were going to do it all again, I would buy a model with a viewfinder and consider not having an internal hard drive. The capacity is nice, but I'm just waiting for it to go South. Memory cards are essentially solid state and can be easily acquired. BTW, now that I'm shooting more landscapes, I wish the camera was able to tell me when it's level.

Amazing

Review Date: August 29, 2010

Reviewer: Gabriel Trainer, Seattle, Wa USA

I had trouble at first getting this camera to connect to my Mac but I discovered that it only needed to be charging at the same time it was being plugged in. This camera has amazing quality and since it has a hard disk drive you will never have to deal with those annoying tapes or mini dvds ever again. Plus it has a 60 GB hard drive which means it can hold over 20 hours of footage and it has an SD card slot (not a mini SD card slot, a regular one thankfully) which means you could hold even more if you really need it. But all in all I would recommend this if you want a HD camera an are tired of dealing with tapes or disks and want something that will work well with Macs.

Major defect with poor customer service

Review Date: August 2, 2010

Reviewer: Doug Gregory,

I puchased my HG20 from Amazon in December of 2009. The camera has worked great for several vacations, thousands of pictures and tons of video. Unfortunately the display suddenly stopped working a week or two ago. We were showing some recent video to grandma and grandpa when the display on the camera went white. I researched the problem on the Internet and found a tech site reporting the same problem. The result on the tech site was the same as my experience with Canon, replace the display screen. My repair estimate is over $200. There has been no response from Canon other than to ask for a credit card. If Canon owns up and fixes the problem I will update, but as of now, I wouldn't buy this camera again - there appears to be a major defect and poor customer service.

Good camera overall

Review Date: July 15, 2010

Reviewer: H. Tran, Houston

Good camera overall. Works really great in well lit rooms and outdoor. Superior quality. When the room is dim or doesn't have enough light the picture quality is poor. Over I would recommend this camera it is easy to use and I have it for almost 2 years without any issue. The software that comes with this camera is a piece of junk and the support is not great for the software either.

Great for the money

Review Date: March 15, 2010

Reviewer: Mommy1, Houston, TX

This is a good HD video camera for the money. If you have an HD televison and wish to directly play back the footage on your TV, shooting in HD is the way to go. The shots look great, with the only exception of low light/night time filming. This gets very grainy, with poorer quality - my only negative. Also, I have fairly large hands, and although the camera is a bit small, it is managable. I would also highly recommend that you purchase a mini HDMI cable to connect to your TV, this will give much better results.

Share and Enjoy: