April 22nd, 2008Review Of Canon HG10
There are high definition camcorders. The former thinks it’s done its bit simply by shooting at HD resolution, without charitable the sharpness level and the overall picture excellence that should come with it. The latter, on the other hand, is the real deal – high resolution, high detail… and high definition. The Canon HG10 belongs to the latter group.
Just a seem at the device and it gives you an idea that it’s not aimed at the casual vacationer. It’s a little too big, a little too grave, and a little too serious for that. The on the whole design doesn’t break from the traditional camcorder look, even if it’s a bit on the curvy side. The hard drive is placed on the right, over which you have the hand strap. The zoom toggle is located appropriately on top of the camera, while most other recording-related controls can be accessed from the rear.
The 2.7-inch LCD display is non-touch screen, which is a pity considering the otherwise high specs of the camcorder. Instead it has the playback controls located at the bottom of the display with a jog cum d-pad based menu control system on the left of the screen. This is where Sony camcorders have an benefit. As much as one may crib about touch screen, it’s still the best option to have in camcorders instead of dodgy controls that are questionably receptive.
The HG10 opens up to reveal slots for everything, starting from a flash/accessory shoe on the top to the connectivity options hidden next to the hard drive. It took me a couple of minutes to figure where to find the connectivity and growth options, but bearing in mind how many of these the HG10 supports, they’re absolutely better left hidden.
View Specifications
The biggest draw of the HG10 is its ability to shoot in full HD resolution (1080p), but what I really like about it is the number of class settings it offers you for each resolution. Not everyone has a machine that can support AVC HD video playback in full excellence settings, so you have the option to select the right bitrate (5-15Mbps) that would run well on your system. Of course, you don’t have to bother about that if you’re playing the video directly from the camcorder, but selecting a lower bitrate will help you make the most of the 40GB hard drive.
For connectivity, the HG10 provides you with practically every option you would need. You can output the video using composite, component, as well as direct HDMI. It really features an HDMI slot so you can use a standard cable instead of a custom conversion cable. You can access the files on your computer via USB. There’s no firewire option though.
As far as picture quality goes, the Canon HG10 is quite brilliant. It is well capable of capturing the right amount of detail level even in video mode to qualify as real ‘high definition’. The colors look very natural with the right amount of saturation, without any of the fear density marks that plague lower-end HD camcorders. The HG10 shot without hiccups even under low lighting conditions, but I wouldn’t advise going gung-ho with it at night, as that’s where it tends to take a while to get the right focus. But that’s an intrinsic problem with camcorders anyway.
The on the whole audio clarity was very clear. Even the sound from behind the camera was well recorded. But as always, the camera mics are placed a little too close together to acquire any real channel separation. At Rs 75,000, the HG10 is obviously not meant for the casual user. Enthusiasts and semi-professionals who can truly be pleased about the superiority output could definitely give it a look.
June 7th, 2008 at 7:38 am
it is amazing high definition camcorders.without charitable the sharpness level and the overall picture excellence that should come with it.i like good and great camera for my sites thers now i am buying this cannon camera so hot na i like very much because his photography result are very very best and great.
so very thanks lot!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:04 am
I just bought a conon Eos 500d, great Camera but was looking for tips how to use it best, although your blog is not telling me there were some things that helped me.