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Canon Gives VIXIA Camcorder Line a Freshing Up

VIXIA HF M52

In addition to the new still cameras, Canon’s revamped its camcorder line with six new HD flash-memory camcorder models, three in the M series and and three in the R series. Previously easily thought of as being differentiated by whether there was built-in memory, the two are now separated by sensor size. The M series features a larger 1/3″ CMOS sensor, and the R series a more budget-conscious 1/4.85″ one.

VIXIA HF R32

A big feature for (most) of these new camcorders is social integration. Four of the six models (the HF M52, HF M50, HF R32, and HF R30) have wi-fi and via that can now upload videos directly to popular sites like YouTube or Facebook, or iOS devices with the aid of a free app. They also have DLNA built-in, and as such can share with DLNA-enabled TVs directly (and might also be discoverable by other DLNA devices like Xbox 360s).

Other shared features across the range are 3″ touchpanel controls, 1080p recording, 38 scen settings, smart Auto exposure, new audio setting presets, AVCHD/MP4 formats, and optical image stabilization. After that, models are differentiated based on things like lens, whether they have internal storage or need SDXC/SDHC/SD cards, and whether they have the Wi-Fi/Social options. They break down like this:

Camcorder Zoom Storage Wi-Fi / Social Price (At Launch)
M Series (1/3″ Pro Sensor)
HF M52 10x 32GB Internal Flash Yes $749.99
HF M50 10x 8GB Internal Flash Yes $649.97
HF M500 10x SDXC/SDHC/SD Slot No $549.97
R Series (1/4.85″ Sensor)
HF R32 32x 32GB Internal Flash Yes $549.97
HF R30 32x 8GB Internal Flash Yes $449.97
HF R300 32x SDXC/SDHC/SD No $349.97

Additioally, he M series is now 15% smaller for each model than last year’s, and now boast a minimum illumination of a mere 1.2 lux. The R series is a whopping 21% smaller for each model, but only works to a more conservative 5 lux.

Press release is, as always, after the jump.

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Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD Camcorders In Stock

So, this butterfly-lovin’ bit of tackle here is the Canon VIXIA HF S21 HD camcorder. And, while it’s no show stopper, and there’re no unique, headline grabbing-features to make it jump out in the sea of compact, flip-out touchscreen HD camcorders, we can tell you that it is, in fact, a very solid and worthwhile product.

It’s got the usual suspects in there. 10x optical zoom (with Canon’s Dynamic SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization with Powered IS which does, in fact, make things buttery smooth), a 3.5″ touch LCD with 922,000 dots (that means it is sharp), the ability to grab 8 megapixel stills, and yes, it even records high-def 1080 videos. Go figure.

But, it also has 64GB of built-in memory, for up to 24 hours of HD video, and it slots two additional SD/SDHC cards, and will automatically switch form the internal drive to the next card with space if you fill it up. Which is nice, because you could easily double the capacity with two 32gb SDHC cards. or even just another 12 hours by adding on two not-unreasonably-priced 16Gb Sandisk Extreme III SDHC cards with a max write speed of 30 mb/s.

And, should this piece of hardware be sounding like something you’d want to capture your life with, you’re in luck. We just got a handful in stock. Better hurry before they disappear, though.



Canon Announces VIXIA HF M32

So, while maybe not quite as exciting as Sony’s NEX-VG10 announcement, Canon has also brought us a new camcorder today, the VIXIA HF M32. And, while it may not be as ground-breaking as Sony’s, Canon does bring significantly more toucan to the table. Which is all right by me, I rather like toucans.

An update to its solid VIXIA line, the M32 puts in a 64GB flash drive, straps on a 15x zoom, and has all the other usual things like a touchscreen, HD recording, etc. It is compatible with SDXC, and Eye-Fi, so, you have some card options there.

Price is being quoted at about a grand, also out September(ish). Engadget has the full press release, which is among the shorter I’ve seen lately.



The Voice of Raw Returns, 40% More Rambling Guaranteed

So, the last couple months were a bit rough around here, and I didn’t have time to pull Nick away from his other duties long enough for us to cut our usual Voice of Raw podcasts. But, it’s the post-Christmas lull right now and we’ve missed the sounds of of our voices as we obstensibly tell you what’s up in the camera world.

So, we’re back…TA-DA!

 


CES Update: Canon announces nine new HD camcorders

Canon’s covering their bases in HD camcorders this year. Three each in three ranges: There’s the flagship line of HF S with the HF S21, HF S20, and HF S200, the Compact line of HF M featuring the HF M31, HF M30, and HF M300, and the budget conscious HD user’s line of HF R wherein we find the HF R11, HF R10, and HF R100. The two digit lines (HF S21, HF M30) record to internal memory and external media, and the three digit lines record to removable (SD/SDHC) media only.

All of them record full 1080p HD video, the HF S and HF M series have the touch screen and Touch-Track tech (3.5″ screen on the S series and 2.7″ on the M series)

The HF S series starts with the HF S21, owning a 64gb internal drive with two slots for SD/SDHC cards, the 3.5″ touch screen LCD, an HD to SD downsampling function to ease your uploading (and presumably your use of the EyeFi wireless SD cards). The S21 has a 24p cinema mode, native 24p mode, and a 30p mode. Canon’s also included their Video Snapshot mode, which allows 2, 4, and 8 second clips for the guys and gals who don’t know when to quit taking footage. On top of that it takes 8MP stills. The HF S20 has all the same features but records to a 32GB internal drive -the HF S200 skips the internal drive and goes right to the dual SD slots.

The HF M series top model is the M31 and drops to a 32GB internal drive with one SD slot, 3.3 megapixel stills, a 2.7″ touch LCD, and records 60i with 24p and 30p progressive modes which record at 60i. The M30 has an 8GB internal drive with the same specs as the 31, and the M300 again skips the internal and goes right to the SD slot.

The budget conscious HF R series kicks off with the R11 with an internal 32GB drive, one SD/SDHC slot, a 20x Canon genuine HD video lens, keeps the video snapshot function, but lacks the touch screen of the above models. The R10 has the 8GB internal drive, three color options, and the same digs as the R11 otherwise. The R100, following the trend records directly to SD/SDHC cards.

For the full press release, read here.



The Voice of Raw Episode 5


0:00 – Intro
0:18 – New Canons powerShots
1:03 – PowerShot G11
2:46 – PowerShot S90
3:35 – PowerShot SX Series
5:13 – Canon Vixia HF S11
6:37 – Gitzo 5 Star Summer Tour
7:31 – Website Apologies

 



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