General Features
Video Camcorder Features
Digital Still Camera Features
Battery Information
Inputs And Outputs
Included Software
General Features
Overview: The Canon VIXIA HF R300 Flash Memory camcorder
shoots high definition video or digital photos that can be stored on optional SD, SDHC, or SDXC Memory Cards.
You can store nearly 3 hours of HD video at the highest resolution on an
inserted 32 GB memory card. SD cards rated at Speed Class 4, 6, or 10 are
recommended.
Image Sensor: The HF R300 features a 1/4.85", Full HD CMOS image sensor
with 3.28 Megapixels for true 1920 x 1080 resolution.
3" Widescreen Touch Panel LCD: The HF R300 features a
3" TFT color widescreen LCD touch screen (230,000
dots) to make it easy to compose and review your shots. The bright screen lets
you see exactly what your camcorder is recording, and what your widescreen TV
will display later. You can rotate the LCD screen 270° allowing the subject to monitor the LCD screen. The
LCD screen also features an adjustable brightness control. The LCD Screen's frame contains zoom, playback and menu controls
for added convenience.
Note: There is no additional viewfinder on
this camcorder.
Recording Formats: The camcorder records movies in AVCHD
(MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) for high-quality viewing on an HDTV or archiving, or in the
MP4 format for easy sharing with mobile devices or cloud applications. Audio is
recorded in Dolby Digital 2-channel,
using the built-in microphone.
Still photos are recorded at a fixed resolution of 1920 x 1080 in JPEG format.
DIGIC DV III: DIGIC DV III, Canon's advanced HD image processor, delivers enhanced image quality, true color production for both video and photos, and a sophisticated noise
reduction system for exceptional low-light performance. Its high-speed engine powers a variety of Canon technologies, such as the Genuine Canon Face Detection and Advanced Auto Exposure system. DIGIC DV III allows continuous shooting of digital photos, faster processing to the memory, as well as lower power consumption for longer battery life.
Genuine Canon Video Lens: The HF R300 comes with a
Genuine Canon 32x HD video lens (35mm equivalent: 38.5 - 1232mm) with a 51x
Advanced zoom and a digital zoom that extends the total zoom to 1020x.
Zoom Speed: The zoom speed can be set to variable or one of
three fixed speeds. In the variable position, the zoom speed depends on how
far you push the lever. The purpose of the three fixed zoom speeds is a
smoother zoom transition, at your choice of speeds.
Optical Image Stabilizer: The HF R300 has an Optical Image
Stabilizer system to compensate for camera shake. The Image
Stabilization system provides continuous adjustment throughout the entire zoom
range, plus extra compensation at wide-angle focal lengths. A Powered IS
function is most effective when you are stationary and zooming in on far
subjects using high zoom ratios. You can select the degree of
compensation:
- Dynamic: Highest degree of compensation; most effective
at wide angle zoom
- Standard: Compensates for a lower degree of camera shake
- Off: No compensation applied. Recommended when camera is on a
tripod.
x.v.Color: The camcorder can be set to x.v.Color to record video that uses a color space with an extended gamut to achieve deeper colors, closer to real life. Video recorded with
x.v.Color can only be played back properly on HDTVs compatible with x.v.Color via an HDMI cable.
Video Snapshot: The camcorder's Video Snapshot mode lets you shoot a series of short video clips, then combines them with a pre-recorded music track or your own favorite
music track, to create an entertaining movie. You can select the length of the
video snapshot scenes: 2 sec, 4 sec or 8 sec.
Face Detection: The camcorder can automatically detect people's faces and use this information to adjust the focus and set the best exposure and color
control settings for beautiful videos and photos. When there are a number of people in the picture, one person will be determined to be the main subject. You can also select the main subject manually.
Exposure Modes: The HF R300 features several exposure modes,
each depending upon how much control you have over recording-related settings:
- Smart Auto: The Smart Auto setting automatically
selects the best settings for the scene you want to shoot. You get
spectacular recordings every time without worrying about the settings.
- Programmed AE: The camcorder automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to obtain the optimal exposure for the subject.
- Cinema Mode: The Cinema Mode gives your recordings a
cinematic look. You can select a 24fps progressive frame rate to enhance the
effect.
- Special Scene Recording
Modes: The camcorder features the following Preset Scene Recording Modes to match
special conditions: Portrait, Sports, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Night, Low Light,
Spotlight, and Fireworks.
White Balance: The camcorder's white balance system
helps you accurately reproduce colors under different lighting conditions so that white objects will always look truly white in your recordings. You can choose from the following modes:
- Automatic: the camcorder automatically sets the white balance for natural looking colors
- Daylight: to record outdoors on a bright day
- Tungsten: to recording under tungsten and
tungsten-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.
- Custom WB: use the custom white balance setting to make white subjects appear white under colored lighting.
Cinema-Look Filters: The
HF R300 allows you to record with the following cinema-look filters: Cinema
Standard, Vivid, Cool, Nostalgic, Sepia, Old Movies, and Dramatic
B&W.
Digital Effects: When shooting videos, you can select a fade
or wipe to begin and end a scene. The fader can be activated only one time, or
every time you start/stop recording.
Self-Timer: This feature allows the camcorder to start
recording after a 10-second countdown. When using the wireless remote
control, the delay is two seconds.
Video Camcorder Features
Recording Modes: The camcorder offers five video recording modes
for AVCHD (MXP, FXP, XP+, SP and LP), and two for MP4 movies (9 Mbps and 4 Mbps).
You can capture the
following video recording times using these modes:
| Memory Card Size |
AVCHD Recording Mode |
| 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
1440 x 1080 (4:3) |
MXP
24 Mbps |
FXP
17 Mbps |
XP+
12 Mbps |
SP
7 Mbps |
LP
5 Mbps |
| 4 GB |
20 min |
30 min |
40 min |
1 hr 10 min |
1 hr 30 min |
| 8 GB |
40 min |
1 hr |
1 hr 25 min |
2 hrs 20 min |
3 hrs |
| 16 GB |
1 hr 25 min |
2 hrs 5 min |
2 hrs 50 min |
4 hrs 45 min |
6 hrs 5 min |
| 32 GB |
2 hrs 55 min |
4 hrs 10 min |
5 hrs 45 min |
9 hrs 35 min |
12 hrs 15 min |
| Memory Card Size |
MP4 Recording Mode
1280 x 720 |
| 9 Mbps |
4 Mbps |
| 4 GB |
55 min |
2 hr 5 min |
| 8 GB |
1 hr 50 min |
4 hrs 10 min |
| 16 GB |
3 hrs 50 min |
8 hrs 25 min |
| 32 GB |
7 hrs 40 min |
16 hrs 55 min |
Pre-Recording: When Pre-Recording is activated, the camcorder starts recording video continuously into a temporary 3-second memory. When you press the Start/Stop button, the scene
recorded will have started 3 seconds before you started shooting. This is especially useful when it is difficult to predict when to start recording.
Wind Screen: The
camcorder automatically reduces the background sound of wind when recording
outdoors when Wind Screen is turned to "Automatic."
Microphone: The HF R300 has a built-in stereo electret
condenser microphone. In addition, there is a 3.5mm stereo minijack for adding
an optional microphone.
Built-in Speaker: The camcorder has a built-in speaker so
you can review the soundtrack as well as the picture when you're using the LCD
screen to playback a recording. The built-in speaker is monaural.
Playback Functions: The camera uses the following
special playback modes: Fast Playback (5x, 15x, or 60x) in either direction, Slow Playback
(1/8x or 1/4x) in either direction, and Frame-by-Frame Playback.
During these playback modes there is no sound.
Video Snapshots/Photos From Recorded Movies: You can record
video snapshot scenes and still photos from a recorded movie. The size of the captured photos will be
1920 x 1080.
Story Creator: Story Creator is a helpful function
that offers suggestions for typical scenes in a number of situations. With Story
Creator, creating interesting video stories is as easy as selecting one of the
story themes, such as Travel, Party, or Kids & Pets, and following the suggested
categories to record video. During playback, you can select your story from the
gallery to play back the scenes you recorded as a single, compelling video
story.
Digital Still Camera Features
Still Image Recording:
The HF R300 flash memory camcorder is also a high performance digital camera
capable of capturing stunning photos onto an optional SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card.
Photos are recorded at 1920 x 1080 only. The number of
still images that can be recorded on a 1 GB SD memory card is approximately 670.
Viewing Still Images: There are 3 ways to view still images: Single image, Slide show (one after the other automatically in order of recording), or Index screen showing
6 images or
15 images at once.
Battery Information
Lithium-Ion Battery Pack: The Canon HF R300 comes supplied
with a rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Pack (BP-709). Optional batteries are available, such as the BP-718
or BP-727. The camcorder also comes
supplied with an AC power adapter and charger (CA-110). The battery recording and playback times are as follows:
| Battery Pack |
Function |
Performance |
| BP-709 |
Maximum Rec |
50-55 min |
| Typical Rec |
25 min |
| Playback |
75-80 min |
| BP-718 |
Maximum Rec |
115-120 min |
| Typical Rec |
65 min |
| Playback |
170-180 min |
| BP-727 |
Maximum Rec |
170-185 min |
| Typical Rec |
95-100 min |
| Playback |
255-275 min |
Note: The times above vary depending
upon the recording mode.
Charging Times: The BP-709 battery charges in 170 minutes when charging through the camcorder with the supplied AC adapter. The charging time for the optional BP-718 is
310
minutes, while the BP-727 charges is 450 minutes.
Auto Power Off: After 5 minutes without any operation when
powered by the battery, the camcorder automatically powers off. Approximately 30
seconds before the camcorder automatically turns itself off, a warning message
appears in the display.
Inputs And Outputs
HDMI Output: The HF R300 features a mini-HDMI (Type C) terminal that offers a high-quality digital connection that combines audio and video in a single convenient cable. The HDMI
port is compatible with HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), allowing you in many cases to control the camcorder with the remote control of the connected TV.
It is also compatible with x.v.color. A 59" HDMI cable is included.
AV Output: The camcorder features an AV
output to playback audio and video on your television using the supplied
STV-250N composite video/stereo audio RCA cable. You can select between a 4:3 aspect ratio
or a 16:9 aspect ratio for the video out based on your television's aspect
ratio. The AV Output also doubles as a headphone output (selectable in the menu). The built-in speaker will be muted when headphones or the AV cable are plugged in.
USB 2.0 Connection: The camcorder features a USB 2.0 High Speed terminal for fast transfer of
photos and videos.
Microphone Input: In addition to the camcorder's built-in
microphone, the HF R300 features a 3.5mm microphone input for connecting an
external microphone, such as the Canon
WM-V1 Wireless Microphone.
Included Software
Included Software: The Canon HF R300
camcorder comes supplied with two CD-ROM application discs: PIXELA Transfer
Utility Ver.2.0, and the VIXIA Disc with ImageBrowser EX, Music Data,
and Image Mix Data programs:
- Transfer Utility: Transfer Utility offers basic options
for saving AVCHD movies on the computer, uploading movies to the web, transferring
previously saved movies back to the camcorder's memory card, and
transferring music files to a memory card. Transfer Utility is only
compatible with Windows Operating Systems.
- ImageBrowser EX: ImageBrowser EX lets you save MP4
movies and photos to your computer and easily organize them. Compatible with
Windows 7 (SP1), Vista (SP2), and XP (SP3), as well as Mac OS X v10.6.
- Music Data: Music files that can be used as background
music during playback.
- Image Mix Data: Image files that can be used with the
image mix function.