Review: Canon (Vixia) HF11 AVCHD Camcorder


With 32GB internal memory, SDHC card slot, comprehensive inputs and outputs and the fastest recording bit-rate of any AVCHD cam, does Canon’s HF11 tick all the boxes for the serious HD camcorder user?


Image: Canon Vixia HF11 AVCHD CMOS Camcorder
The Canon HF11 comes hot on the heels of the popular HF10 and HF100 solid state AVCHD camcorders that, in the short time they’ve been around, have managed to capture considerable attention from users, and would-be users, longing for high performance standards in addition to better input and connectivity than we’ve seen on the majority of solid-state HD camcorders to date.

The Vixia HF11 (as it’s known outside Europe) is not only a true solid-state camcorder in every way but it’s the first to employ the full 32GB of built-in flash memory. Even more significantly, it employs the highest data transfer bit-rate possible under the current AVCHD specification. What will also attract a great deal of users, however, is the fact that it’s possible to move movies and stills between its internal memory to a SDHC card in the slot, a very welcome external microphone input, headphones output and a decent level of manual controllability over main operational functions like focus, exposure and sound recording levels.

What differentiates this new model from the HF10 it succeeds is its increased capacity internal memory, a large 1/3” CMOS image sensor and super-fast AVCHD data rate as a perfectly good reason to give it serious consideration. So what’s it like - and how does it measure up against its main competitor, the Panasonic HDC-SD100?

First impressions


Well, it does look like the HF10, for sure, even if the body colour is darker. Canon has given it a few other simple features that make for easier usage, too; it might seem obvious to give a camcorder a dedicated main Power button, for instance, but not so. In the case of the vast majority of equivalent models, this is embedded into the functions offered on the main power dial. It’s nice to have a dedicated button, however, and its existence makes much sense.

What’s also nice is the degree of simplicity afforded by its layout, even though it’s somewhat deceptive. There’s a lot of power and functionality under the hood and what Canon has successfully done is to place a ton of features and functions at the user’s disposal which are accessible by a well-designed and easy-to-operate graphical menu system.

Another welcome feature of the HF11 is one that’s in evidence on other Canon products - including the HF10 and HF100 - namely a mini-joystick navigation/menu selection tool to be found on the left side of the LCD frame along with other controls for zoom, playback controls and a second Record Start/Stop button. On first impressions, the HF11 has much to offer not only the user looking for a camcorder that can cope with more serious applications but also the leisure user who simply seeks easy functionality together with state-of-the-art consumer high definition video.

Features


The HF11 generates its full-specification HD pictures thanks to the incorporation of a single 1/3.2" CMOS image sensor which offers a maximum 3.31 megapixels resolution. This single MOS sensor is considerably larger than each of the three 1/6” sensors used in both the Panasonic HDC-SD100 and HS100 AVCHD models. Its lens provides an optical zoom of 12:1 (4.8mm - 57.6mm) together with Super Optical Image Stabilisation and DIGICDV II electronic processing. However, the really big news is that it uses the maximum AVCHD-spec data rate of 24Mbps to write and read full 1920 x 1080/25P HD clips to their respective media.

The front element of the lens is protected by an auto lens shutter which switches in as soon as you turn off the camcorder’s power, with other features including a 37mm filter thread into which you can screw optional lens filters and accessories. Picture monitoring is achieved with a generous 2.7” fold-out LCD screen which itself supports a mini-joystick for navigating menus and making selections, in addition to additional playback controls along the bottom and a zoom in/out toggle on the left side. It’s also possible to start/stop recordings with a secondary Red button here, too. If all that’s not enough, Canon has provided a FUNC button which is the gateway into the many menu options available with which to set up both recording and playback parameters for movies and digital still pictures.

A built-in stereo mic is mounted under the lens on the front of the body along with a not only a Video Light but also a Flash Light for movie and stills illumination respectively.

Image showing Canon Vixia HF11 with SDHC card in place plus shot of whole camera

Perhaps the most noteworthy features are the camcorder’s built-in 32GB flash memory (which is basically a memory card but which is embedded into the guts of the machine and cannot be removed), a full-size SD memory card slot which can accept high capacity SDHC cards up to the current maximum capacity of 32GB. The presence of a separate microphone input socket as well as the ability to connect either headphones or an AV output jack (as supplied, and which carries analogue video and sound out to a TV or recorder) is a major plus point. Additionally, the HF11 offers the capability to out HD movies to a suitably-equipped HDTV via either HDMI (cabling not supplied) or via YPbPr Component RCA Phono jacks (cable supplied). Other ports include a USB 2.0 sokcet (cable supplied) enabling movie clips and pictures to be exported to a computer for further editing and sharing.

It’s good to see a separate Power On/Off button, positioned on the roof of the camcorder near the rear, and the Mini Advanced Shoe, which acts as a hot shoe enabling optional “zoom mics” and external video lights to be used, is right at the upper rear of the body. A zoom toggle and separate Photo button are also near the upper rear.

For total newbies looking to shoot their first HD but likely to be phased by the various buttons and controls, there’s an “Easy” button (see image, above left) placed inside the LCD recess. Just press it and happy, trouble-free shooting is guaranteed!

Performance


The HF11 handles very nicely and is well suited to hand-held usage. Unlike its main direct competitor, the Panasonic HDC-SD100, it has rather more straight lines and harder edges compared to the SD100’s more slender and attractive lines. It doesn’t detract from the product’s ergonomic qualities, however.

The camcorder offers five recording modes. They are:
The higher three modes produce full specification 1920x1080 pixels resolution HD images, whilst the other two generate 1440x1080 pixels. By default, these all utilise interlaced line scanning (in which two odd line / even line half-scans are intermeshed to create a single frame), although there is a 25P progressive frame scan mode as a user setting, to be found in the menu system (note that in the USA and other NTSC territories this is 24P). It’s possible to record up to 12 hours of footage to its internal memory or to a 32GB SDHC card.

In its highest quality mode, which sees it writing sequences to and reading from either its internal memory or to a SDHC card, the HF11 is pushing data through the system at an astonishing 24Mbps (megabits per second). This is the highest the AVCHD can cope with under existing specifications, and where users benefit is its ability to crunch a lot more picture and sound information in the same time as lesser-specified systems. What a higher data rate provides is, effectively, better quality recordings. Point the camcorder at a busy scene in which there’s a lot of picture detail, movement of objects and a lot of saturated (but properly exposed) colours and the images speak for themselves. Big close-ups of flowers in a sunny garden or ripples on a lake look superb on a large HD display when connected using HDMI or Component cabling.

That said, comparable images taken with the 17Mbps Panasonic HDC-SD100 look pretty good as well - perhaps due to having three and not one MOS image sensor (even if they’re smaller).

There’s an option to record at 1080p as opposed to 1080i, as explained above; in general, the perceptible difference isn’t that great on most material. However, if you want to shoot activities involving fast movements (football, gymnastics, water-sports, etc) you’ll appreciate the 25P (24P) facility because it gives you improved frame clarity when either in pause or slow motion playback. The downsode is that on some displays the movement can look a bit more flickery. Either way, the pics are superb at the highest quality setting - and if you’re looking for that special “filmic” look, you’ll appreciate the presence of the CINE mode, which is designed to work in combination with the 25P/24P Progressive modes.

Lesser quality settings are there to make better use of storage, such as when you’re away from home for any length of time and you want to cram as many movie clips as you can onto the internal memory. The FXP setting is very satisfactory (it is equivalent to the top setting on some competitors’ models, after all) but when you crank the quality down to SP or LP you really start to see the drop in quality - especially on movement. In this case, moving sequences look blocky and messy. Sticking with the top two settings, however, produces excellent moving pictures that can’t really be faulted.

Other operational features that we found to be really useful when shooting included I.AF (Instant AF) which optimises two different focusing methods to achieve what Canon describes as super fast and accurate auto focus at speed. In practice, it results in a very effective way of working in that you really don’t have to think about what you’re doing. In fully Auto mode, it’s surprising how easily the lens will focus from far to near even as the camera is subjected to shake. Zooming is also very fast and responsive when you need to effect a quick re-framing between shots, and use of the zoom toggle on the top of the camcorder is such that it enables very slow ramping-up and down when you need a soft start/stop, but gives you a quick action through 12:1 magnification when you need it. Image quality from the Canon Video Lens is very good, too, even when shooting at the extremes of the zoom.

Canon’s Super Range OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) is also good. It’s still not quite as good as Panasonic’s Advanced OIS, but more than adequate in all but the most extreme of shooting situations - such as when tracking a moving object at full optical zoom whilst hand-holding.

Importing and Editing clips using Apple Intel Mac OSX computers, Windows/Vista and Canon's DW-100 USB DVD Burner


Canon bundles Pixela Imagemixer 3SE software with each product. This will facilitate import and simple deletion, trimming and re-arranging of clips on a Windows and Vista PC and also export to DVD or web. There was a time when such software had little usefulness, but this latest version offers a much more user-friendly interface which will be attractive to completely new users looking to import, re-organise clips and share movies in various forms. On a Core 2 Duo PC we managed to successfully import test clips and create full-resolution 1920x1080i resolution Windows Media Player desktop movies which looked and sounded excellent.

Having transferred clips from the internal memory to a 16GB SDHC card, we then imported the same clips into Apple iMovie '08 on an Apple 24" iMac running OS10.5 Leopard without any problems at all, and the results were more than impressive (as was the ease of editing of the imported clips).

For easy creation of DVD copies as either HD or SD (standard definition) we should mention Canon's own standalone DVD writer. The DW-100 DVD Burner is designed to connect directly to the HF11 (and other AVCHD camcorders in Canon's range) via USB 2.0 in order to facilitate one-touch DVD disc creation. This can be undertaken either from individual clips, all clips or from user-defined playlists. If there's more content than can be stored on a single disc, the software (driven from the camcorder's menu system) will indicate how many discs are required and prompt the user to load additional discs as required. For many users looking for a quick and pain-free means of making DVD copies of their HF11 movie projects, this will undoubtedly be the preferred option. With the burner remaining connected to the camcorder via USB, and the camcorder connected to a HDTV via either HDMI or Component connectors, playback of HD movies can be achieved using the burner drive itself using the camcorder's wireless remote for control.

Conclusion


It’s very clear that the HF11 is the result of Canon having listened to the needs of many users in order to produce a high definition camcorder that ticks just about all the boxes on the list. We asked for an external microphone and Canon has delivered. We wanted to plug in our headphones in order to monitor recordings and Canon has delivered. The maximum data rate afforded by the AVCHD specification is 24Mbps, so Canon takes it right to the limit. You want even more internal memory? You’ve got the full 32GB. Can it get any better than that?

At a time when Panasonic (and, no doubt, others very soon) are now implanting three MOS image sensors into their latest AVCHD models Canon has stuck with one. However, it’s a bigger sensor than each of Panasonic’s three, and there’s no doubt that when you’re shooting in darker corners the MOS chip still can’t perform as well as 3CCD models can, but Canon’s single CMOS chip isn’t half bad. It’s slightly better than the performance gained from Panasonic’s HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 in identical situations, so maybe Canon’s policy of getting the most out of larger, single MOS chips rather than opting for three smaller sensors is not without reason.

Image of Canon Vixia HF11 and Panasonic HDC-SD100 side-by-side
Side-by-side: The Canon Vixia HF11 and the Panasonic HDC-SD100

So... is the HF11 better than the HDC-SD100? That’s a bit more difficult to assess. They’re both good. Panasonic’s styling and switch positioning is better and more ergonomic - and its manual ring around the lens is a very welcome feature - but Canon’s placement of controls on the LCD frame is very much a plus point in the SimplyDV camp. Being a manufacturer of flash memory, Panasonic is reluctant to commit to the embedding of such memory into their cameras because it could affect sales of SDHC cards, but in all honestly Canon’s 32GB internal flash is such a convenient asset. To have 12 hours of internal storage at 24Mbps is hugely convenient, especially when equivalent capacity SDHC cards are used for backups. So maybe we have to conclude that if it comes down to a shoot-out, the Canon HF11 has the edge over the Panasonic. But only just.

It’s difficult to know where the major camcorder makers go from here. The vast majority of users will find their HF11 to be a fabulous investment simply because it seems to do everything a home movie-making enthusiast will desire - and more. With the superb Canon Vixia HF11, Canon has clearly delivered on its promises. Full marks, Canon.


Reviewed by: Colin Barrett, September 2008. Canon HF11 main product image courtesy of Canon UK. Other images courtesy of Nigel Cooper, http://www.dvuser.co.uk

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