Video Quality on the HF200 I just purchased the HF200 yesterday becuase of the huge number of features for a reasonable price point. I am not really familar with all of the settings yet, but for my first couple of videos I set the Canon to MXP and used the auto mode. I believe this is the highest setting for HD. My question is that when I play back the video on my PC with the included software, the video seems to be a bit grainy to me. BTW, the software crashes occasionally. Yet, the focus and color of my videos are very crisp and clear.Am I doing something wrong or is it because of the 4 megapixel lens versus the newer model HFS11 at 8 megapixel lens? Video Quality on the HF200 I just purchased the HF200 yesterday becuase of the huge number of features for a reasonable price point. I am not really familar with all of the settings yet, but for my... » Read More Video Quality on the HF200 I just purchased the HF200 yesterday becuase of the huge number of features for a reasonable price point. I am not really familar with all of the settings yet, but for my first couple of videos I set the Canon to MXP and used the auto mode. I believe this is the highest setting for HD. My question is that when I play back the video on my PC with the included software, the video seems to be a bit grainy to me. BTW, the software crashes occasionally. Yet, the focus and color of my videos are very crisp and clear.Am I doing something wrong or is it because of the 4 megapixel lens versus the newer model HFS11 at 8 megapixel lens? « Show Less
1253028
You have to change the video quality setting, the default is set at standard play not HD
1253029
You're welcome for the advice! It's nice to know someone actually reads it! When the HF200 splits long takes into 2GB segments, it is completely seamless. Once recombined, there is no way anyone can tell that they were ever slit in the first place. (Actually, I've never even installed it, but the Pixela software that comes with the HF200 might actually recombine split segments if you use it to download your video from the HF200. If so, you will see arbitrarily huge video files if you use it and shot very long takes. However, I have always used Windows Explorer to copy my video files directly from my HF200 to my computer, so I always see the individual video files, none of which exceeds 2GB.) You're welcome for the advice! It's nice to know someone actually reads it! When the HF200 splits long takes into 2GB segments, it is completely seamless. Once recombined, there is no way anyone can tell that they were ever slit in the first place. (Actually, I've never even installed it, but the Pixela software that comes with the HF200 might actually recombine split segments if you use it to download your video from the HF200. If so, you will see arbitrarily huge video files if you use it and shot very long takes. However, I have always used Windows Explorer to copy my video files... » Read More You're welcome for the advice! It's nice to know someone actually reads it! When the HF200 splits long takes into 2GB segments, it is completely seamless. Once recombined, there is no way anyone can tell that they were ever slit in the first place. (Actually, I've never even installed it, but the Pixela software that comes with the HF200 might actually recombine split segments if you use it to download your video from the HF200. If so, you will see arbitrarily huge video files if you use it and shot very long takes. However, I have always used Windows Explorer to copy my video files directly from my HF200 to my computer, so I always see the individual video files, none of which exceeds 2GB.) « Show Less
1253030
David, out of hundreds of posts I've read about the HF 200, yours is by far the most helpful. I am shooting a corporate board meeting in poor flourescent lighting tomorrow, and trying to get test to get the best results. The meeting is 90 minutes long, so I am going to try to break it up into approx 20 min segments while shooting for easier file management. Going to shoot in FXP mode 30p. I am going to try some tests with aperture priority at wide open. Are there concerns about subject staying in focus by doing this, or is the autofocus reliable enough for shallow dof?
1253031
On the HF200 I have found that the Cinema mode with 24 fps is showing excellet quality and clarity. The video is fantastic. There are a couple of HD settings with FXP 17 Mbps or MXP 24 Mbps. The FXP is great for most scenes and MXP would only allow 3 hrs of video recording on a 32GB memory card. An additional note: AVCHD video recorded in MXP mode cannot be used with the otpional DW-100 DVD Burner by Canon to create DVD discs. You must use FXP mode if planning to use this optional burner.
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I'd be curious about this as well. I bought a standard definition FS200 which had really grainy, poor video quality. I'm ready to pay extra for the HD version but would like to know how you like the video quality of of the HF200 so far.
725756
The big difference is the image sensor, the HFS100 has 8.59 megapixels and the HF200 has 3.29 megapixels. On the Canon site you can do a nice side by side comparison of all the differences.
903010
HFS100 advertises 3264x1840 video resolution. Do you need a monitor/TV of that resolution to see the quality? The TV's on the market only go up to 1920x1080, I think. Does that mean there is no difference in quality between HF200 (2304x1296) and HFS100 when watching on TV?Also, HF200 has proprietary Sony file system (people complained). Does that really bother you?
136447
Consider the new FZ1000, especially if you have used or own Sony RX10 (sensor size superzoom). I cannot comment on that because I don't own that model, but the GH4 is in a different league because it is interchangeable lens M4/3 lens system. The thing these two have in common is 4K video, although I have read mixed reviews on this technology that you probably admire in the movie theater. Value wise, the FZ1000 looks brilliant. Other than the 4K advantage for video-recording, its closest competitor at the time of this post is the RX10, and I read about this on another site.
490822
I also purchased the FZ8 and returned it because of the noise (grainy photos). I went ahead and got the Sony DSC-H7 and like it much better. My only wish is that it would shoot in the RAW format (the FZ8 did!). Overall, we like the flash better, the speed better, the grip and position of the buttons and the H7 camera overall.
945425
I have a Canon HF 200, and have been trying to find some way to play my HD files on the BD-60. So far, no luck. I've emailed and called customer service to ask what formats are supported - waste of time.The customer rep said this was only available on the BD-80 (despite what the manual states)Good luck.
87934
I have a Canon HF 200, and have been trying to find some way to play my HD files on the BD-60. So far, no luck. I've emailed and called customer service to ask what formats are supported - waste of time. The customer rep said this was only available on the BD-80 (despite what the manual states) Good luck.
1559562
i'd suggest searching you tube/vimeo for the handful of clips f/tm700 that were shot in 1080p/24 cinema mode and the HA 1080i mode...judge for yourself if the quality is good enough...if you have at least a dual-core computer 2.0-3.0 ghz you should be ok power wise.
1755185
Kitchen at night should be OK. Probably won't have that sharp HD look though. In your second example just make sure your subject is not silhouetted against the window and you should be all right. The camera is quite good at coping with most shooting conditions automatically. However, in my first week of using the HF100, in a darkened restaurant, I made the mistake of not turning the on-board video light on. I had read it is not very good and eats up the battery, but I should have used it. The video came out very grainy. Across a table for two is probably the best time to use it. I didn't shoot much anyway, so it wouldn't have used much battery. Oh well, I'll try it next time.
1919427
Video quality from the camera is great. Just make sure you're using the STM lenses otherwise you will get the motor noise when it's focusing. Also, autofocusing with video is a little slow to lock-on compared to most camcorders today.
574900
Canon messes with us, they use a speed unit in megabits/s while SDHC cards are rated in megabytes/s. Let's recap: - The minimum requirements for the Vixia HF200 is class 4: 26x, 4MB/s - The maximum video quality "MXP" actually requires 24mbps (bits, not bytes), i.e. 20x, 3MB/s - The read/write speed of the Transcend class 6 cards ($41/16GB) is 150x (22.5MB/s) - The read/write speed of the Sandisk Extreme III cards ($94/16GB) is 200x (for the "30MB/s Edition") - The Extreme IV cards ($177/16GB) are rated at 300x (45MB/s) All these cards far exceed the minimum requirements of the MXP maximum video quality. The difference in speed between these cards do not affect camcorder operations, it only makes it faster to transfer the videos to a computer using a SDHC card reader. - Transcend: http://www.transcendusa.com/Products/ModDetail.asp?ModNo=147&LangNo=0&Func1No=1&Func2No=13 - SanDisk: http://www.sandisk.com/OEM/ProductCatalog(1368)-Extreme_III_SD_Memory_Card.aspx
1551375
Kitchen at night should be OK. Probably won't have that sharp HD look though.In your second example just make sure your subject is not silhouetted against the window and you should be all right. The camera is quite good at coping with most shooting conditions automatically.However, in my first week of using the HF100, in a darkened restaurant, I made the mistake of not turning the on-board video light on.I had read it is not very good and eats up the battery, but I should have used it. The video came out very grainy.Across a table for two is probably the best time to use it. I didn't shoot much anyway, so it wouldn't have used much battery.Oh well, I'll try it next time. Kitchen at night should be OK. Probably won't have that sharp HD look though.In your second example just make sure your subject is not silhouetted against the window and you should be all right. The camera is quite good at coping with most shooting conditions automatically.However, in my first week of using the HF100, in a darkened restaurant, I made the mistake of not turning the on-board video light on.I had read it is not very good and eats up the battery, but I should have used it. The video came out very grainy.Across a table for two is probably the... » Read More Kitchen at night should be OK. Probably won't have that sharp HD look though.In your second example just make sure your subject is not silhouetted against the window and you should be all right. The camera is quite good at coping with most shooting conditions automatically.However, in my first week of using the HF100, in a darkened restaurant, I made the mistake of not turning the on-board video light on.I had read it is not very good and eats up the battery, but I should have used it. The video came out very grainy.Across a table for two is probably the best time to use it. I didn't shoot much anyway, so it wouldn't have used much battery.Oh well, I'll try it next time. « Show Less
140949
Hello K. Thomas,I have had the Canon FS10 for 2 months now and have just 'finally' been able to edit a movie successfully after much research and trial and error. However, it was very painful due to the .mod format. The camera itself is very nice, small, and simple. Unfortunately, even after converting the files to .mpg, all of the Microsoft editing and DVD burning software, using Vista, continue to give me errors. I do not want to trash the technology as I may be unknowledgable, however, it's not for the casual editor. I am returning the camera today and looking for one that is more compatible with my software. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Hello K. Thomas,I have had the Canon FS10 for 2 months now and have just 'finally' been able to edit a movie successfully after much research and trial and error. However, it was very painful due to the .mod format. The camera itself is very nice, small, and simple. Unfortunately, even after converting the files to .mpg, all of the Microsoft editing and DVD burning software, using Vista, continue to give me errors. I do not want to trash the technology as I may be unknowledgable, however, it's not for the casual editor. I am returning the camera today and looking for one that is more... » Read More Hello K. Thomas,I have had the Canon FS10 for 2 months now and have just 'finally' been able to edit a movie successfully after much research and trial and error. However, it was very painful due to the .mod format. The camera itself is very nice, small, and simple. Unfortunately, even after converting the files to .mpg, all of the Microsoft editing and DVD burning software, using Vista, continue to give me errors. I do not want to trash the technology as I may be unknowledgable, however, it's not for the casual editor. I am returning the camera today and looking for one that is more compatible with my software. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. « Show Less
107354
I was looking at buying either the Sony HX10, or the HX20 and saw your question. Although there really aren't any reviews on the Sony HX cameras yet (1 review doesn't count), the Cannon SX 260 has several, and a consistent theme is noise when recording video... to me this is a deal breaker, also the Sony HX 10 is 18mp & 1080 HD vs the 12mp & 720 HD on the Cannon. I'm leaning toward buying the Sony HX10, but are waiting for at least 10 reviews.
725760
Thanks Jim, What is the advantage of the HF200 over the HF100 camcorder? Is the quality going to be better?
506646
I like the HD movies, the camera acts like a video recorder so you can zoom in and out while shooting and the video is HD. But the feature I really love is the high speed. You can record high speed up to 1000 fps. To do that with any other High Speed camera you are going to pay a lot, really a lot. I bought a second one of these when my other one got damaged just for the high speed.
1217553
Well I suppose Canon could be lying or the two techs at two different times were misinformed about the MPEG2. Since the camera hasn't been released yet, how do you know that the files are .mod? Also some sites (not Amazon) are claiming this is an HD camera. It's not, it's SD.