Being a video motion graphics artist first and a video editor second, it's fair to say that my role in the film world as a "shooter" is somewhat limited. However, there are times when I need to pick up a camera to get a project moving, or sometimes just to finish something up. These days, most of what I do is on the documentary side, so a "small size"-to-"big quality" ratio is really what I am in the market for.
Recently, I discovered quite a gem in the Flip Mino HD; a tiny, cellphone-sized camera the size of a cellphone that's easy to turn on, get in peoples’ faces, and start rolling. The result: halfway decent HD video that shakes like hell when blown up to full size. The convenience is worth the shake/nausea but leaves a lot to be desired. Enter Canon Vixia. A sizeable upgrade to the Flip Mino (in price tag, and physical size), but with features it delivers in volume.
Once again, the Vixia's legendary beer-can rivaling size. Now we have a kickass touchscreen.
To put it bluntly, the Vixia HF S20 is the video camera equivalent of David Blaine, performing a series of mind-blowing audio-visual magic tricks and leaving me to question everything I have learned about cameras up to this point.
Touch screen rack focus? Huh!??
3-second pre-record? WHa?
Intelligent digital stabilization? Za?!
Win. Win. and more WIN. On top of that, I learned how to use all these features quite simply and without the help of a manual.
Some of you may be familiar with the Vixia line, so I don't have to mention its beautiful design that one can hold snug like a beer can. It's quite a marvel to hold in your hands and it really makes me wonder why it took so long for camcorders to get this cozy. Alongside its slick design, is the sheer volume of options that are jam-packed into this tiny camera. None of this has degraded in the newest interation, and in fact Canon has really just added a lot of usability to make its great features much more accessible.Tom Stern's review of the Vixia HF10 model points out alot of what is great about the Vixia line. Instead of retracing these steps, I'd like to talk about what I marveled over as a new Vixia user, and what some of the exciting new features particular to this model are.
I spend many days trying to fake out the auto face detect/track feature. Still can't do it.
Ease of Use
As usual, my first test for any new gear is to turn it on and see how long it takes for me to figure out how the features work. My first impression: everything is so STILL. The built in digital stabilizer works wonders for creating a great faux-steadicam effect. And the big news: NO MORE MICROSHAKE!!! or shake of any kind for that matter. Of course getting used to a lens that affixes itself on what it decides to focus on can take some practice. That being said, getting used to the digital stabilizer was spectacularly intuitive.
Being a video motion graphics artist first and a video editor second, it's fair to say that my role in the film world as a "shooter" is somewhat limited. However, there are times when I need to pick up a camera to get a project moving, or sometimes just to finish something up. These days, most of what I do is on the documentary side, so a "small size"-to-"big quality" ratio is really what I am in the market for.
