It's really hard for me to see how they can pack more value into a camera this small. The Vixia offers real world usability, and, for home users, a plethora of in-camera editing and sharing options that as a filmmaker I'm not going to use. On the filmmaker side, this camera offers REAL CAMERA versatility. Manual aperture, white balance, focus, and quality customization make this camera ideal for narrative shoots; terrific as an A-camera for documentary shooting; or perfect as a B-camera on larger shoots.
The Canon Vixia HF S20 holds versatility at a premium. It's simple and comfortable enough for a Soccer Dad to shoot his kid's games without even thinking of buying a tripod, yet it's sophisticated enough to compose high-quality film shots that rival some of the best cameras on the market. Its ideal use lies somewhere in between: as a fantastic b-camera to take along on major shoots. The Vixia's portability lends itself to capturing truly unique moments, while its scalable video quality (all the way up to full-res 1920x1080!) will leave nothing to be desired in terms of depth of color and gorgeous detail.
