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The Canon HG21 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 incredible 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 120 GB internal Hard Disk Drive allows you to now record up to 45 hours of video onto the internal hard disk drive so theres no need to worry about running out of space. And, like all Canon VIXIA camcorders, the HG21 features: a Canon HD video lens, FULL HD CMOS Sensor, and Canons exclusive DIGIC DV II image processor. Make the look and feel of Hollywood movies with the 24p Cinema Mode and even use Canons select Photo Grabbing function to capture still images from previously recorded video. If online video posting and sharing interests you, the HG21s 30p mode provides the perfect frame rate for the web and delivers clarity for quick-action subjects.
The HG21 offers the unparalleled combination of Canons exclusive SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer to stabilize a wide range of movements, Instant AF for accurate focusing thats critical when shooting in HD, a built-in video light to easily shoot in dark settings, and the Canon exclusive 2.7-inch Multi-angle Vivid LCD Screen to view from various angles with right color representation and contrast. The HG21 features the latest HD technology, excellence in Canon optics and engineering in a compact, sleek design that delivers the high level of performance youve come to expect from Canon.
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 Most Fascinating Camera |
| Review Date: September 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: K. Cook, Houston, TX USA |
First of all, this is my first camcorder. We do have the ability to use our small Canon digital camera in this mode but this is a far weep from that. I was excited to get one of the first even though I figured I would be taking a slight gamble as I am not exactly that informed on the subject and wonder about the wisdom of getting a product that is not yet proven.
So far, so excellent...Our grandchild had a birthday the very day this thing came in so I was determined to figure things out in order to capture the event. I figured that we paid a premium price to have the high HD quality so of course I shot in the highest mode. I only had time to charge the battery and skim through the book but I am pleased to report that the quality of the videos was simply outstanding. In my opinion, the simple part is taking the pictures...set it to the quality and mode and fire away. Then, the question is, what to do afterwards...This is the hard part.
I have an Intel Mac and IMovie 08 so I read other reviews of similar cameras and figured out how to go the shots from the camera to the computer. No problem. In my opinion, and that is what these reviews are all about, if you are shooting at the highest quality, you better have a lot of room on your hard drives, and, or, prepare to spend a lot of time on the back end moving your videos off the camera and on to disks or the drives. I did not have much hard drive space left on my Mac so perhaps that fact made things seem very slow. On the other hand, because I wanted to shoot in the highest quality, the wait and distress were worth the investment...Remember, I am just at the edge of knowing what I am doing so you must consider that my skill level is still very low by comparison.
The fantastic thing about this camera, in addition to the fact that the HD videos are breathtaking, is that the built in hard drive is 120 gigs...wow! that is equal to 82 of the smaller 3 inch DVDs! About 45 hours of recording time on lower quality and near 11 hours or so in the highest quality...so, unless you get nervous about hard drive failure, you can go for a long time without having to go them off the camcorder.
After doing a small reading and fiddling around, I hooked the camera up to our HD TV and was pretty much able to use the small remote device and see the videos. Simply outstanding...most shots were taken in the house with average lighting. One of my concerns was reading that low light might cause grainy videos but I did not find this to be the case....I suspect this could be the case when shooting in extremely low light but I cannot see this ever becoming an issue. I was too impatient to really link into the HD ports of my TV so we settled for using the ports at the front and went to the game port...I do not reckon this was really in HD but it still was just incredible. Later, when I played back some videos on our HP Vista computer and just was blown away with the quality...I had gone outside and take videos of the hummingbirds on our feeder and could not believe how crystal clear the shots were.
The 12X optical zoom is very close to walking up to the subject...very nice. The image stabilizer works fantastic as I never used a tripod and still saw no real shaking. I did notice that you can negate image stabilizer when using the camera on a tripod so that was something I was a small concerned about.
One addition thing that may concern some...apparently these hard drive camcorders could suffer hurt to the drives if used at an altitude of 9800 feet and above. If you are a serious mountain climber or plot to be above 9800 feet, you might consider other options.
I am very interested in reading other reviews. So far I am very pleased...no camera will ever be perfect and do all things so, regardless of the quality or cost, there will always be some element of compromise. I have already ordered another battery as well as an SD card for it. The battery life is small of two hours so trips out in the wild pretty much would demand more power. Most may not feel the need to have another battery but I cannot imagine missing any fantastic shots...you pay too much for these things not to be able to use them to their fullest extent...maybe another review when I really know what I am doing! |
Best camcorder on the market
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| Review Date: October 26, 2008 |
| Reviewer: 2thS8R, Seattle |
| This is best HD camcorder on the market. It takes incredible pictures. The clarity is similar to watching a blue-ray movie. I like the huge hard drive. It takes hours of video without any worries. The best part is the quick and simple transferring of video clips to my computer. I used to spend the whole day uploading DV tapes. Now, through the USB is 10 times quicker. The editing software is very simple to use. |
BEST AVCHD OUT THERE!!!
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| Review Date: November 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: WR, |
| I was using a MiniDV camcorder and chose to up grade. I'm not a huge Canon fan, mostly because of price but I sure do like this camcorder. There is A LOT of fantastic features on the HG21 and yes it does have a viewfinder (the HG20 does not). Its very simple to use and you have a lot of storage with the 120GB hard. I like shooting in the 24p cinema mode. I certainly would recommend it! If you don't need a huge hard drive or viewfinder than go with the HG20 its exactly the same and you will save some $$$. |
Worth the investment
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| Review Date: January 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: W. CAMPBELL, Chino, CA United States |
| I've used this camcorder for about a month now and I'm very pleased with my buy. Canon released the new 2009 models at CES2009 - and this model still compares well in comparison. (The newer models sport much better camera capabilities, but I already own a fantastic camera.) Originally bought this model instead of the HG20 for the viewfinder, and although the viewfinder works OK the additional hard drive space makes the buy worthwhile. Picture Quality is awesome (I only record in MXP) and sound quality so-so, but I'll connect an external microphone if I need better sound quality. Due to the enhanced picture quality in MXP you will not get away with common standard definition recording mistakes - especially when you play back on a large size LCD or Plasma. Quick pans or bumpy recording could make you feel sick when watching playback on a large screen. Maybe a excellent book on the subject is in order before capturing that huge event ... or let your wife do the recording ;-). Car power adapter and extra battery is a must for long trips. |
A terrific camera
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| Review Date: February 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: SoCal Music, California |
Bought this camera a month or so ago from Amazon -- extremely pleased with this camera. Incredible image quality - especially in the 24mbs setting (the highest quality setting). The camera is compact and light in weight.
Some notes for purchasers : You'll certainly want to get the BP-827 battery for this camera -- it eats through the standard battery shipped with the camera quickly. Personally, I bought a couple of the BP-827's. Also, the cameras image quality in low-light scenarios is average -- so the VL-5 light (another accessory) comes in handy and seems to work very well with this camera. Best image quality from this camera will come from very well-lit scenes -- which is going to be right for nearly any consumer grade camera out there.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this camera. |
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November 30th, 2009 | 
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