Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver)

Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver) Review

I did a lot of research before making my plunge into video. I’ve been a still photographer for a long time and regard myself as a recovering Silver Based Photographer, but I’ve greatly come to appreciate digital photography. I wanted a video camera that would fit my profile and allow me to grow without buying a new camera after a short time. Size was also a consideration in my selection criteria as I frequently do things outdoors and like to travel light.

This video camera meets more of my needs than I expected and way surpasses my expectations.

I’l get the shortcomings out of the way as the list is short and they are not too bad. 1) First is no accessory shoe. I got a nice external LED light source, but there is no place to mount it on the camera. My bad for not investigating this. A small Gorillapod is a reasonable accessory to carry, even out doors, so this is minor. The light stays cool, so a partner can also hold the light for you. ‘Nuff said on that. 2) No built-in light. Minor, but it would have ben nice. See my comment above and additional comment below.

See? I said it was a short list!

This camera is almost as light as my Nikon Coolpix! Great travel companion. The battery life is good, but I always travel with at least one charged spare. This is just common sense. The view screen is nice and bright, the menus are easy to understand and navigate and the controls are well placed. The internal memory is adequate, but just as you should always have a spare battery, I always carry at least two 32 GB flash cards. Without additional memory, your record times are short.

I found the image stabilization a real nice feature. If you crank in the digital zoom, however, you are going to get shake, just not as bad as without one. A second Gorilla pod for the camera is a great help here. The optics are nice and crisp, the color true (with one exception) and the shutter speeds do not generate much blur. One caution: If shooting in low light indoors and you come outside, the camera responds like you eye and does have a blue cast for a short time. Minor, but it is annoying if you are following action. When I say short, I mean give the camera one or two seconds to adjust before shooting anything serious.

I did not test the soft wear, so I have no opinion on that. Just as with my still digital cameras, I suggest using either an external card reader or one built into your computer to transfer images to your computer. I also use softwear other than the Canon furnished software for editing.

Al considered, this is a great non-pro camera. With a little planning of your shots, there’s no reason you can’t deliver pro quality footage. It is not a pro level camera because you still lack a lot of fine control and it is not as rugged as a true pro videocamera. Still worth the price and then some!

Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver) Feature

Records up to 3 hours of crisp high definition video to an 8GB internal flash drive or directly to removable SD memory cards
Ultra-Sleek, Compact and Lightweight Design allows you to take your camcorder with you anywhere
Genuine Canon 20x HD Video Lens delivers unsurpassed image quality
Canon 2.39-Megapixel HD CMOS Image Sensor captures video at 1920 x 1080 resolution
Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor provides the ultimate in color and imaging performance

Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver) Overview

records high-definition video to 8GB flash drive or SD or SDHC memory cards (not included) * maximum video resolution: 1920 X 1080 * 20X optical/400X digital zoom * genuine Canon HD video lens * 2.39-megapixel HD CMOS image sensor * advanced DIGIC DV III image processor * selectable 24p Cinema Mode for a film look, and 30p Progressive Mode * dynamic image stabilization adjusts across the zoom range to correct camera shake * captures still images from recorded movies * 2-11/16″ widescreen LCD * face detection technology for better focus and exposure and face index search function to find all the clips you shot of one person *