Canon's new ultra compact camcorder rocked our world, and we think it will rock yours too. Awesome HD video in the palm of your hand? Read the full Canon Vixia HF20 review here.
Review summary of the Canon Vixia HF20:
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 We're beginning to wonder if Canon is capable of manufacturing a bad camcorder. We haven't seen a dud from the company in years, and the Canon Vixia HF20 represents yet another A+ in consumer classroom. We loved the ultra-compact nature of the Vixia HF20, allowing us to transport the little bugger with ease. Its menu system cannot be beat and shooting features were not only plentiful, but also of the highest quality. Speaking of which, the Vixia HF20 cranked out one of the best video performances we've seen to date, even rivaling the Canon Vixia HF S10. We had few complaints at the end of our jaunt, and we're sure future Vixia HF20 owners will feel the same. At $900, the Vixia HF20 is a steal in terms of bang for the buck. Another winner from Canon. Jeez, this is getting old. Release: April 2009. Price: $900.
Pros: Great video performance. Excellent features. The best menus system in the biz.
Cons: Skimps on external controls. No viewfinder.
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Full Canon Vixia HF20 Review:
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Design - Good
If size matters, the Canon Vixia HF20 will fulfill the needs of many looking to lighten the contents of their bags or even coat pockets. This is one tiny camcorder, shrunken down even further compared to its predecessor, the Canon Vixia HF10. The Canon Vixia HF20 is also a stealthy little bugger with its all-black chassis and Boccioni styled architecture along the grip side. If the Vixia HF20 is too puny and basic, there's always Canon's new top dog, the Canon Vixia HF S10, which flaunts a massive 58mm lens filter diameter and offers a control dial. But for those looking to slim down their HD experience and rely on autopilot, the Canon Vixia HF 20 is one of the best in the biz.
We were very impressed with the Canon Vixia HF20's construction, especially the cushy felt hand strap. The pronounced right grip panel blanketed our palm with ergonomic comfort and the little engine felt surprisingly secure in our hand. The oversized zoom slider functioned much smoother than a typical rocker design, but the Mode dial required a second hand to adjust due to its cramped placement. The LCD joystick is slowly becoming a standard on smaller camcorders, and the Vixia HF20's gets the job done without any major hiccups, though nothing comes close to the convenience of the Canon Vixia HV30's rear-mounted joystick.
The Canon Vixia HF20's ports are well concealed with plastic shields and a rubber shroud, and we liked how the glossy battery fit flush against the back of the camcorder. However, if you opt for a larger battery pack, the Vixia HF20's back end will definitely not look as coordinated. Buttons and controls are minimal on the Vixia HF20 and the camcorder's Power button was difficult to access because it was buried in a groove along the top. However, for a petite HD camcorder with a feathery weight, the Canon Vixia HF20 is quite impressive.
Interface and Menus – Very Good
A 2.7-inch LCD is the only monitor the Canon Vixia HF20 has to offer, and the 211,000-pixel resolution provided a very sharp picture. In fact, the Vixia HF20's LCD display was one of the best we've seen on a camcorder. Unfortunately, the Vixia HF20 is devoid of a viewfinder, so those looking to seek refuge from the glaring sun will be out of luck. However, the LCD screen did an excellent job deflecting glare and was viewable at extreme angles. The Vixia HF20's LCD panel offered a strip of large buttons that made it easy to toggle between Camera and Playback modes, though the ability to zoom was not available amongst the options. We had no major issues with the LCD joystick and it provided rapid, accurate control. We could have used more controls and buttons in general, but that's what the Canon Vixia HF S10 is for.
The Canon Vixia HF20 inherited Canon's latest wave of menu systems, which are the best in the industry. The graphics are smooth and sexy, and every option is laid out in an intuitive, easy-to-access configuration. The Function menu was packed with tons of useful options like shooting mode, Image Effects and White Balance control, though we'd like to see Canon tack on frame rates in the Function menu as well. The Main menu was by far the fanciest portion of the Vixia HF20's interface and consisted of mainly administrative options. We'd also like the Image Stabilization option plucked from the Main menu and added to the Function menu, or included as an independent button within the LCD bay. As with the Canon Vixia HF S10, the Vixia HF20's Joystick menu was an excellent addition to the interface, though it would be great if we could customize the list of options. Playback was excellently smooth and easy to navigate on the Vixia HF20, and overall this is one of the best interfaces out there.
Shooting Features – Very Good
Despite its diminutive size, the Canon Vixia HF20 still packs in oodles of image controls and modes. In fact, Canon has not toiled extensively with Vixia features for quite some time. Even the Canon Vixia HF S10 offers nearly all the same features as the Vixia HF20, so beginners will have plenty of room to grow. Canon is still the only manufacturer offering three different frame rates on their HD camcorders, though the 30p and 24p modes are simulations and not native incarnations. The Canon Vixia HV40 finally broke some ground with the addition of native 24p, so serious budget filmmakers will definitely want to look into that model, as long as they're willing to deal with tape.
Aside from multiple frame rates, the Canon Vixia HF20 offers independent Shutter control that dips down to 1/6-second in 24p mode and maxes out at 1/2000-second. Canon is also one of the few manufacturers to offer Aperture control, and the Vixia HF20 has an f/1.8 – f/8.0 range. The White Balance options were plentiful and we found the Auto setting to do the job most of the time. The Vixia HF20's Manual Focus was awesome, thanks to the Focus Assist function, which magnified the image within the entire LCD rather than a tiny box in the middle of the screen. If the Focus Assist function included a focus meter in inches/centimeters, the function would be top notch, so Canon is almost there. There was also a standard Exposure control with 18 steps and Backlight Compensation for contrast-heavy situations.
Canon never sells us short on color options, and the Canon Vixia HF20's range of palettes coupled with Cine Mode never failed us. Art mode was our favorite Image Effect, creating a posterized feel to our video clips, and the Vixia HF20 offered a few fades for those looking to avoid Final Cut. The Vixia HF20 can capture still images up to 3.3-megapixels in size, though the image quality is great. Although images are a smaller resolution by today's standards, we found that they could certainly run with the Canon Vixia HF S10, who recently won our HD Camcorder Still Image Bout. Pre-Record feature functioned just as well as the Canon Vixia HF S10's, and the Video Snapshot feature was just as lame, creating a cheesy collage of 4-second clips set to inspirational mush. The Canon Vixia HF20 still presented us with one of the most impressive shooting feature sets in the consumer league.
Hardware and Connectivity – Very Good
This is a doozy. Canon actually reduced the Vixia HF20's sensor size down to a 1/4-inch CMOS chip, which is a rarity for a company that's been stuffing their HD camcorders with oversized imaging equipment for the last few years. Perhaps it's the latest Digic DV III processing that made all the difference, because the Vixia HF20's video performance was excellent. The 24Mbps max bitrate also helped, but we've seen that from Canon since last year with the Vixia HG21. Whatever magic lies behind the lens, we say keep it flowing for Vixia generations to come. Canon has proved that you don't need a massive sensor to be one of the best in the HD market with the Vixia HF20.
The Canon Vixia HF20 records full 1920 x 1080 high-definition video to 32GB of internal flash memory and also SDHC cards. Video is interlaced, not progressive, meaning the Vixia HF20 records 30 frames of horizontal lines and another 30 frames of staggered horizontal lines that mesh together to make 60fps. In this case, we encountered interlacing while editing Vixia HF20 clips, which is fairly standard on nearly all consumer camcorders. The JVC Everio GZ-HD320 can record native 60p video, but it's only supported during Playback.
The Canon Vixia HF20 has a 15x optical zoom, which explains the smaller sensor. Still, this range is very impressive for a pint-sized model. The JVC Everio GZ-HD320 is even smaller and has a 20x optical zoom, the longest range on a consumer camcorder. However, the Everio GZ-HD320's video quality could not match the Vixia HF20's by a long shot and its overall features couldn't compare either. The Vixia HF20's Optical Image Stabilization performed very well, even at full zoom. When it came to ports, the Vixia HF20 offered a standard set, including HDMI, Component and USB, but the addition of the hot shoe and Mic jack surprised us in a good way. Because of this, the Vixia HF20 could be mounted with an external shotgun mic and used in more professional environments. The Headphone jack places the Vixia HF20 above most other camcorders, and this is a generous offering in the connectivity department.
Video Quality – Very Good
Yet another Canon has blasted off a solid imaging performance, and the Vixia HF20 left us with barely any qualms. Not only were video clips sharp and highly detailed, but noise levels were also minimal across the board, even in low light. In fact, there were some instances where we preferred the Vixia HF20's low light performances to the formidable Canon Vixia HF S10's. However, no camcorder this year has touched the awesome low light performance churned by the Sony HDR-XR520V, which was the best we've seen out of any consumer camcorder to date. Colors produced by the Vixia HF20 were vibrant and electric, and Cine mode placed an entirely different perspective on our test footage due to the gamma shift. The Vixia HF20 held a steady edge over last year's Canon Vixia HG21, and that's probably because of its new Digic DV III processing. For a sub-$1,000 HD camcorder, the Canon Vixia HF20 is about as good as you can get.
Scene Test – Battery Park Vines
Scene Test – Battery Park Vines in Cine Mode
Edge Test – Financial District
Edge Test Financial District in Cine Mode
Right out of the starting gates, the Canon Vixia HF20 proved itself an all-star in bright light. The first two clips exhibited the Vixia HF20's ability to render a flawless sky and wonderfully detailed vine patch. Watching both clips on our HD monitor was highly impressive and we had minimal complaints. Cine mode tosses the picture into a completely different bowl of color and lighting, which is ideal for more professional applications. Lines and edges looked sharp within the last two images, though the top of the left hand building was a bit blown out, even in Cine mode. There were times when the Vixia HF20 had a tendency to overexpose, so we had to keep an eye on our levels in bright light. Overall, we were very pleased with the Vixia HF20's performance here.
Color Test – Costume Cascade
Color Test – Costume Cascade in Vivid
Close-up Test - Flowers
Close-up Test – Flowers in Cine Mode
Although the colors look a little flat in these PNG images, the actual video clips displayed a killer palette, especially in Vivid mode. There was no bleeding and colors looked natural with a bit of a kick. It's hard to beat Canon when it comes to color. Even the flowers in the second batch of images exhibit beautiful hues of lavender and violet. Furthermore, the detail is stellar, and the Vixia HF20 can certainly represent close-ups and portraits better than most HD camcorders we've seen. The Cine Mode version of the flower clip was magical, and watching it on our HD monitor was like watching a clip from the Nature Channel.
Contrast Test – Fence Creatures
Sharpness Test – Fence Creatures
Detail Test - Glitter
Contrasts were tough for the Canon Vixia HF20 to handle without us having to significantly boost the overall exposure, so lighting was important in these types of situations. We lost a little detail in the shadows, so we recommend using the light or refraining from shooting toward backlit areas. This is still not a bad performance, and the creatures retain a great deal of color information and detail. Sharpness was very impressive in the second clip on the HD monitor. The Vixia HF20 handled all of the aluminum-clad chaos quite well and noise levels were low, even in the darkest portions of the footage. The tiny hexagonal chips within the tub of glitter looked amazing as well, and colors popped.
Night Test - Chinatown
Night Test – Little Italy
Night Test – Little Italy in Cine Mode
Candlelight Test – Midnight Meeting
Candlelight Test – Midnight Meeting in Cine Mode
We were expecting to be snowed in with noise at times with the Canon Vixia HF20, based on what we saw with the Canon Vixia HF S10. The Vixia HF S10 was a great low light performer, but it exhibited significant amounts of noise in certain random scenarios. We were never surprised by hefty servings of noise with the Vixia HF20. In extreme low light we were greeted by snowy blue noise, but those were conditions where most consumers would take advantage of the video light. Exposure vs. noise was great in the first clip and the level of detail was awesome. Colors retained an excellent level of information and we only had to dial the exposure up a few notches.
We ran into a little noise in Little Italy, but again this is a great low light performance. Noise is the only central complaint, and it's a minor one. Cine mode reduced noise levels even more, and that clip was just as impressive as the Program AE clip. Lastly, we went super low light on the Vixia HF20 to see if it could handle the reduced illumination. The detail, sharpness and colors in the first clip were outstanding, especially viewed on the HD monitor. We were highly impressed with the Cine Mode clip as well, though at the sacrifice of less exposure. All in all, this was one of the best low light performances we've seen, especially from a camcorder the size of a soda can.
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