Chasing the camcorder crown | Bangkok Post: tech

Well known for its famous duel with Nikon in the digital SLR race, as well as other tussles, Canon is also hyper-competitive in the sprint for the camcorder crown. A current trend in HD camcorders sees a big push towards HDD and flash-based storage, and the new Canon Vixia HG21 raises the bar again with the inclusion of a hard disc drive. It has the edge over its predecessor, but can it nudge out the competition and keep Canon on the competitive front line?

FIRST APPEARANCES

Although a little too plastic out of the box, the slick matt black body of the HG21 will win many fans.

It's a little bigger, and 70-grammes heavier than its silver HF11 cousin at 540g, but is still on the compact side.

The new disk drive tucks in neatly on the right side without breaking the smooth lines of the device, to give an overall feel of style, much as we have come to expect from Canon.

HARDWARE

The left side is dominated by a 2.7-inch LCD display, which is adequate but lacks the touch screen functionality of competing Sony camcorders.

At the heart of the unit is a 3.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, which captures at a 1,920x1,080 resolution and offers better results than competing CCD sensors, which are in the process of being superceded.

The stand-out spec of the device is the 120GB HDD, which can hold about 11 hours of video at the highest quality compression setting, or up to 45 hours at lesser quality.

The x12 optical zoom is crisp and speedy, and the 6.9mm viewfinder at eye level comes in handy, especially in direct sunlight when the LCD glares over.

Also included are three jacks for an external mic, AV and component out, as well as an SD card slot.

FUNCTIONALITY

All the controls of the HG21 are nicely sized and easy to operate right out of the box.

The four-way toggle housed on the left of the LCD screen is a little hard to operate while maintaining steadiness, but is just about manageable.

There have been mixed reviews of the interface, but with a little familiarity, the menu is navigable.

The optical image stabilisation feature works well, the autofocus is snappy and sharp and the hand strap fits snugly enough, but battery life is below average for this class of camcorder, and lets the unit down.

Also, when transferring data from the hard drive, a connection to a power supply is required, which will effect some users shooting on the go.

One important aspect of usability is the steadiness of the unit. Is it too small and light at 540g? Do heavier and bigger units provide clearer results? Ultimately, it is up to the discerning user to make such decisions, and, here, the HG21 balances this well. However, it's important to remember that smaller and lighter are no longer necessarily better.

SHOOTING RESULTS

Overall, the video output quality is excellent. The HG21 is able to record at a bitrate of 24Mbps, the highest now available, and with great results.

The 85mm sensor captures enough light when shooting lowly lit scenes, impressive for a camcorder of this size.

And the sound is clear enough for any home user, even in difficult conditions.

Still images taken with the device are of a decent quality too, even with the 3.3-megapixel sensor, but the HG21 could never replace a DSLR in this regard.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the Vixia HG21 is a solid enough build that produces excellent video results and passable still images, with decent usability.

Its short battery life when shooting in HD mode may require the purchasing of a spare battery, and the addition of a directional microphone will be required for more professional use. However, for home users and budding amateur film-makers, the HG21 will neatly fulfil needs and budgetary requirements, keeping competitors such as the Sony HDR-SR12 at bay for now.