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General Features
Video Camcorder Features
Digital Still Camera Features
Battery Information
Inputs And Outputs
Software Requirements
General Features
Overview: The Canon VIXIA HF20 Dual Flash Memory camcorder shoots high definition video or digital photos that can be stored in its Dual Flash Memory. The HF20 has a built-in
32GB internal flash memory for storing up to nearly 3 hours of HD Video at the highest resolution. You can also store HD video or still images in an optional SD or SDHC Memory card (sold separately).
2.7" Widescreen LCD Screen: The HF20 features a 2.7" TFT, color widescreen LCD screen (211,000
pixels) 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 90-degrees downward and
180-degrees toward the lens 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: This camcorder does not feature a separate viewfinder.
Dual Flash Memory: The Canon HF20 camcorder captures video and still-image footage onto its internal 32GB flash memory drive or an optional SD or SDHC media card (sold
separately). Flash memory offers quick response time for recording and playback. By recording onto flash memory, the camcorder's power consumption rate is reduced, allowing the battery to last longer.
In addition, by using flash memory, the camcorder is more shock resistant and is less likely to lose data because there are no moving parts. A Class 2 or higher SD card (64MB-2 GB) or SDHC card (4 GB
to 32 GB) is recommended. Movie recordings require cards with 128 MB of memory or more.
Image Sensor: The HF20 features a 1/4" CMOS image sensor
with approximately 3,890,000 gross pixels for excellent detail and
clarity when recording video and exceptional digital still photography performance. The effective pixel count is as follows:
- Movies: approximately 2,990,000 pixels
- 4:3 Photos (L, M, S): approximately 2,990,000
- 16:9 Photos (LW, MW): approximately 3,310,000 pixels
DIGIC DV III: DIGIC DV III, Canon's most 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 card, as well as lower power consumption for longer battery life.
Genuine Canon Video Lens: The HF20 comes with a
Genuine Canon 15x HD video lens with a 15x Optical
zoom and selectable 60x or 300x total digital zoom. Its Super Spectra Coating technology gives you images with minimal flare and ghosting.
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.
Optional Lens Attachments: The lens has a 37mm diameter thread for attaching optional converters and filters. The optional WD-H37II
wide-converter lens decreases focal length by a factor of 0.7, giving you a wide perspective for indoor shots or panoramic views. The optional TL-H37 tele-converter increases the focal length of the
camcorder by a factor of 1.5.
SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer: Canon's innovative SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization combines gyro- and image-sensors to give image stabilization through a wider range of
camera motions. SuperRange OIS corrects the fast vibration you'd experience from a moving car, the medium-speed motion of hand-held recording, or the slower motion of body sway.
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 4-second video clips, then combines them with a pre-recorded music track or your own favorite
music track, to create an entertaining movie.
Instant Auto Focus (AF): The HF20 offers Instant Auto Focus, which uses an external sensor, in combination with Canon's auto focus system, to help significantly decrease the time
it takes to focus, even in low light situations. The Focus Assist feature provides a 2x magnification of your subject in the LCD monitor before you start recording. When recording begins, the Focus
Assist is canceled.
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.
Auto Exposure: Similar to Canon's EOS DSLR cameras, the HF20 features an Advanced Auto Exposure (AE) System. For those instances when backlit subjects appear too dark or strongly
lit subjects appear too bright, you can adjust the exposure manually, or use automatic backlight correction. Programmed AE modes include:
- Programmed AE: the camcorder automatically adjusts the aperture and shutter speed to obtain the optimal exposure for the subject.
- Shutter-Priority
AE: the camcorder automatically sets the appropriate aperture value
while you set the shutter speed:
- Video Mode: 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000,
and 1/2000
- Photo Mode: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, and
1/500
- Aperture-Priority AE: the camcorder automatically sets the appropriate shutter speed while you set the aperture value. You can choose from the following aperture values: F1.8,
F2.0, F2.4, F2.8, F3.4, F4.0, F4.8, F5.6, F6.7 and F8.0.
Special Scene Recording
Modes: The HF20 features the following Preset Scene Recording Modes to match
special conditions:
- Portrait:
camcorder uses a large aperture, achieving a focus on the subject while
blurring other distracting details
- Sports: use
this mode to record sports scenes or fast moving events
- Night:
use
this mode to record in low-light conditions
- Snow:
use this
mode to record in bright ski resorts, it prevents the subject from being
underexposed
- Beach: use
this mode to record on a sunny beach, it prevent the subject from being
underexposed
- Sunset: use
this mode to record sunsets in vibrant colors
- Spotlight:
use
this mode to record spotlight scenes
- Fireworks: use
this mode to record 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
- Shade: to record in shaded places
- Cloudy: to record on a cloudy day
- Tungsten: to recording under tungsten and
tungsten-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting
- Fluorescent: to record under warm white, cool white, or warm-white (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.
- Fluorescent H: to record under daylight or daylight-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.
- Custom WB: use the custom white balance setting to make white subjects appear white under colored lighting.
Image Effects: The
HF20 allows you to record with the following saturation and contrast color
effects:
- Vivid: emphasizes the contrast and color saturation to record in crisp colors
- Neutral: tones
down the contrast and color saturation to record in neutral hues
- Low Sharpening: records subjects with softened outlines
- Soft Skin Detail: softens the details in the skin tone area for a more complimentary
appearance
- Custom Effect: allows you to adjust the color depth, brightness, contrast, and sharpness of the image
- Image Effect Off: records with no image enhancing
effects
Mini Video Light: You can
turn on the camcorder's built-in mini video light to shoot video or take photos
in dark places.
Self-Timer: This feature allows the camcorder to start recording after a
10-second countdown. When using the supplied remote control, the self timer is 2 seconds.
Video Camcorder Features
Compatible Media: The HF20 captures high-definition AVCHD video with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression, and 2-channel Dolby Digital audio onto the built-in 32GB flash memory or an SD
or SDHC memory card. The camcorder supports SD cards up to 2GB
and SDHC memory cards up to 32GB. A 128MB or larger SD card is required for
recording video content.
Recording Modes: The camcorder offers five video recording modes: MXP, FXP, XP+, SP and LP.
You can capture the
following video recording times using these modes:
| Memory |
Recording Mode |
| 1920 x 1080 (16:9) |
1440 x 1080 (4:3) |
MXP
24 Mbps |
FXP
17Mbps |
XP+
12 Mbps |
SP
7 Mbps |
LP
5 Mbps |
32GB Built-in Memory
or 32GB Memory Card |
2 hrs 55 min |
4 hrs 10 min |
5 hrs 45 min |
9 hrs 35 min |
12 hrs 15 min |
| 16 GB Memory Card |
1 hr 25 min |
2 hrs 5 min |
2 hrs 50 min |
4 hrs 45 min |
6 hrs 5 min |
| 8 GB Memory Card |
40 min |
1 hr |
1 hr 25 min |
2 hrs 20 min |
3 hrs |
| 4 GB Memory Card |
20 min |
30 min |
40 min |
1 hr 10 min |
1 hr 30 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.
Cinema Mode: You can set the camcorder
to record video with a 24 fps progressive frame rate to give your recordings a cinematic look.
Copy Scenes: You can copy
movies, scenes and playlists from the camcorder's built-in memory to the
camcorder's inserted memory card.
Faders: You can
select one of the following faders:
- Fade Trigger: When you
start recording, the scene gradually fades in from a black screen. When you
stop recording, it gradually fades out.
- Wipe: When you start
recording, the picture begins as a thin vertical line in the center of the
screen which gradually expands sideways until it fills the whole of the
screen. When you end a scene, the image is wiped from both sides of the
screen.
Wind Screen: The
camcorder automatically reduces the background sound of wind when recording
outdoors when Wind Screen is turned "On". When an external microphone is connected, the Wind Screen feature is automatically turned off.
Built-in Speaker: The camcorder has a built-in speaker so
you can review the soundtrack alongside 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, 1/4x) in either direction, and Frame-by-Frame Playback (approx 0.5 sec).
During these playback modes there is no sound.
Playlists: You can create a playlist to play back only the scenes you
prefer and in the order of your choice. Moving or deleting scenes in the
playlist will not affect the original recordings.
Digital Still Camera Features
Still Image Recording:
The flash memory camcorder is also a high
performance digital camera capable of capturing stunning photos onto the built-in 32GB memory or an SD/SDHC Memory Card (sold separately). You can record in the following still image sizes: Large Wide
(LW 16:9) 2304 x 1296, Large (L) 2100 x 1575, Medium Wide (MW 16:9) 1920 x 1080, Medium (M) 1600 x 1200, Small Wide (SW 16:9) 848 x 480, or Small (S) 640 x 480. There are three Photo Quality (compression) settings for each image size: Super Fine, Fine, and Normal. The number of
still images that can be recorded on a memory card are as follows:
| Photo Size |
Memory Card Size/Compression |
| 128 MB |
512 MB |
1 GB |
| SFine |
Fine |
Norm |
SFine |
Fine |
Norm |
SFine |
Fine |
Norm |
Large Wide
2304 x 1296 |
35 |
50 |
105 |
220 |
330 |
655 |
465 |
700 |
1390 |
Large
2100 x 1575 |
30 |
45 |
95 |
195 |
295 |
595 |
420 |
630 |
1265 |
Medium Wide*
1920 x 1080 |
50 |
75 |
150 |
315 |
470 |
925 |
670 |
1000 |
1970 |
Medium
1600 x 1200 |
55 |
80 |
160 |
340 |
505 |
995 |
720 |
1075 |
2115 |
Small Wide**
848 x 480 |
260 |
370 |
740 |
1585 |
2245 |
4490 |
3360 |
4760 |
9525 |
Small
640 x 480 |
340 |
490 |
890 |
2070 |
2995 |
5390 |
4395 |
6350 |
11430 |
* Medium Wide (1920 x 1080) photos are only available for capturing photos from a playback scene.
** Small Wide (848 x 480) is only available for recording in the Movie mode, or during simultaneous recording.
Automatic Focus Priority: When the focus priority is
activated, the camcorder records a still image only after the focus has been
adjusted automatically. You select from the following Auto-Focus Priority modes.
- AiAF: depending on the shooting conditions, one or more
AF frames out of the nine frames available are automatically selected and
the focus is fixed on them
- Center: a single focusing frame appears in the center
of the screen and the focus is automatically fixed on it; this is convenient
for making sure the focus is exactly where you want it
- Off: select this option if you wish to record a still
image as soon as you press Record without Auto-Focus
Digital Effects: You can select from
the following digital effects:
- Black and White: makes the
image black and white
- Sepia: makes a monochrome
image with a brownish tint
- Art: select this effect to add "flavor" to your recordings
Histogram
Display: The HF20 comes with a Histogram Display. The display allows you to
see the brightness information of your still images, so you can adjust your
exposures as you shoot.
Review: You can select the time to display a still
image after it has been recorded to Off, 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 6 seconds, 8
seconds or 10 seconds.
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 six images (or
15 images) at once.
Magnify Playback: During playback
still images can be magnified up to 5 times. You can also select the area of the
screen to be magnified.
Print and Share Button: Print & Share allows you to simply connect your camcorder
directly to select Canon printers or any PictBridge-compatible printer with the
supplied USB cable. Then, with a simple touch of the Print & Share button, print
directly from your HF20 without going through a computer. Print & Share also makes it easy to transfer your
still images to your computer. Simply connect your HF20 and your computer, press
the Print & Share button and your photos are downloaded to your computer.
PictBridge Printing
Capability: PictBridge is a standard that allows you to connect a PictBridge compliant
camera directly to a PictBridge compliant printer and make prints, regardless of
brand.
Exif Print (Exif 2.2): The Canon
HF20 conforms to "Exif Print",
a worldwide standard. Vital camera settings (such as: exposure mode, white
balance, exposure time) and scene data are recorded to the image file when it is
captured. Printers compatible with "Exif Print" are able to use this information
to produce high quality photographs, exactly the way they were intended at the
time of capture. This intelligent communication process also allows the printer
to correct for poor lighting or mistakes, resulting in photos which can be even
better than the originals.
DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)
Settings: On the memory card, you can select which image or images you want
to print and how many copies you want. This is convenient for printing images
all at once on a Canon Direct Print function compliant printer or printing at
participating photo labs. You can set print orders for up to 998 still images.
Battery Information
Li-ion Battery Pack: The Canon HF20 comes supplied
with a rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Pack (BP-809). Optional batteries are available, such as the BP-808, BP-819, or BP-827. The camcorder also comes
supplied with an AC power adapter and charger (CA-570 S). The battery recording and playback times are as follows:
| Battery Pack |
Usage Time |
Recording Mode |
| MXP |
FXP |
XP+ |
SP |
LP |
BP-809/BP-808
890 mAh |
Maximum Rec |
95 min |
95 min |
100 min |
100 min |
100 min |
| Typical Rec |
60 min |
60 min |
65 min |
65 min |
65 min |
| Playback |
155 min |
155 min |
160 min |
160 min |
160 min |
BP-819
1780 mAh |
Maximum Rec |
195 min |
195 min |
200 min |
205 min |
205 min |
| Typical Rec |
125 min |
130 min |
130 min |
130 min |
130 min |
| Playback |
305 min |
310 min |
320 min |
320 min |
320 min |
BP-817
2670 mAh |
Maximum Rec |
295 min |
295 min |
305 min |
305 min |
305 min |
| Typical Rec |
190 min |
195 min |
200 min |
200 min |
200 min |
| Playback |
475 min |
480 min |
495 min |
495 min |
495 min |
Note: The above usage times are while using the built-in internal memory. Times vary slightly when an optional memory card is used.
Charging Times: The BP-809/808 battery charges in 155 minutes when charging through the camcorder with the supplied AC adapter. The charging time for the optional BP-819 is 275
minutes, while the BP-827 charges is 395 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.
Quick Start: When you press the Quick Start button on the
side of the camcorder, the camcorder powers up and gets ready to record within
approximately 1 second. The Quick Start function helps prevent you from missing
out on fleeting opportunities to take a video or picture.
Inputs And Outputs
HDMI Output: The HF20 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.
Component Output: The camcorder has a proprietary terminal for plugging in the supplied component video cable. Since the component video cable outputs video only, the supplied AV
cable should also be used for the audio output.
AV Output: The camcorder features an AV
output to playback audio and video on your television using the supplied
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. 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.
SD-Card Slot: The HF20 records still images and
video onto SD and SDHC memory cards.
Mini Advanced Shoe: The camcorder features a mini advanced shoe for attaching a range of optional accessories, such as the DM-100 Directional Stereo
Microphone, the VL-5 Video Light, or VFL-2 Video Flash light.
Microphone Input: In addition to the camcorder's built-in
microphone, the HF20 features a 3.5mm microphone input for connecting an
external microphone (sold separately).
Software Requirements
Included Software: The Canon HF20
camcorder comes supplied with four CD-ROM application discs: Digital Video
Solution Disk Ver.32.0, PIXELA Application Discs 1 and 2, and the Music Data disc.
Digital Video Solution Disk Ver. 32.0:
- Zoom Browser EX 6.2 (Windows) and ImageBrowser 6.2 (Macintosh): Allow you to:
- View and organize downloaded still images
- Edit downloaded still images: Red-eye correction, color &
brightness, sharpness, trimming and inserting texts on images
- Print still images and contact sheets
- Add sound to still images
PIXELA Application Disc Ver.1 (2 Discs):
- Disc One:
- ImageMixer 3 SE Ver.4 Transfer Utility: Software for saving and transferring movies
- Music Transfer Utility Ver.1: Software for transferring music for Video Snapshot playback to the camcorder
- Disc Two:
- Video Tools: Software for saving, managing, editing, and playing back movies
Music Data Disc: This CD-ROM contains the music data for Video Snapshot and Slideshow playback.
Computer Configurations: The supplied Pixela ImageMixer 3SE software allows you to set up your computer for a basic configuration or an enhanced configuration.
With the basic configuration, you can save movies to the computer and transfer video and music files to the camcorder. With the enhanced configuration, you can also organize and playback movies on the
computer, edit movies and create discs. The System Requirements (see chart below) vary according to the configuration you choose. The ImageMixer 3SE software is for Windows OS only.
Windows System Requirements: Requirements for the basic configuration are in regular text. Requirements for the enhanced configuration are in italics.
| Operating System |
Windows XP SP2
(Home Edition or Professional) |
Windows Vista
(Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise edition, 32-bit) |
| CPU |
Basic: Intel Pentium 4, 1.49 GHz
Intel Celeron, 1.7 GHz |
Basic: Intel Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz
Intel Celeron D, 3.0 GHz |
Enhanced: Intel Pentium D 3.0 GHz, Intel Core2 Duo, 2.13 GHz
Intel Core2 Duo, 2.33 GHz (for MXP mode) |
| RAM |
Basic: 512 MB |
| Enhanced: 1 GB |
Enhanced: 2 GB |
| Available Hard Disc Space |
Basic:
Installation: 30 MB Saving movies on computer: At least the same available space on the destination drive as the size of the
movie files to be transferred Transferring Music: At least the same available space on the C: drive as the size of the music files to be transferred.
|
Enhanced:
Installation: 200 MB Saving movies on computer: At least the same available space on the destination drive as the size of the movie files to be transferred -
Transferring Music: At least the same available space on the C: drive as the size of the music files to be transferred.
Disc
Authoring: the available space required depends upon the type of disc you want to create.
|
| Display |
Basic: 1024 x 768 resolution, 16-bit color (High color)
Enhanced: 1280 x 1024 resolution (32-bit color)
Intel G965 Express Chipset on-board |
| Sound |
Sound card compatible with DirectSound |
| Others |
Basic: Pre-installed USB 2.0 (Hi-speed USB) port
Enhanced:
Pre-installed DVD drive (Blu-ray Disc Drive if creating Blu-ray discs) with writing capabilities Pre-installed USB 2.0 (Hi-speed USB) port System that can run DirectX 9.0c Internet connection (during installation)
|
