Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder
-
Discontinued- View a similar item
Availabillty Details
CloseThis item has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is no longer available.
Canon's VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder is the entry-level HD offering from the company for 2009. This lightweight camcorder records up to 6 hours of full 1920 x 1080 HD video exclusively to SDHC cards, freeing you up from carrying around bulky media while providing high definition recording. The camera's 3.89MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC DV III Image Processor work together to provide you with vivid video and still images every time you shoot. In addition, the HD Video Lens with 15x optical zoom, 2.7" widescreen LCD, and SuperRange O.I.S. do their part to ensure a user-friendly recording experience. Other features such as Dual Shot, for simultaneous video and still capture, and 3 second pre-record bring even more options to the plate.
Those recording family events will love the Face Detection feature, which captures up to 35 faces in a single shot with dead on exposure and focusing. Recording 24p and 30p help you to capture a movie-like feel for your shots, while the Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe helps you create professional quality sound and lighting. If you're looking for your first HD camcorder that comes with the little extras that make recording easy and fun, you can't go wrong with the HF200.
- Record HD Footage to SDHC Cards
- Recording to SDHC flash memory cards keeps things simple and frees you up from carrying around bulky media. The HF200 records up to 6 hours of footage to SDHC memory cards 1
- Image Sensor & DIGIC DV III
- Capture vivid color and clean images with the 3.89Mp Full HD CMOS sensor. Along with the DIGIC DV III Image Processor you'll see excellent color reproduction, reduced image noise and great low light recordings
- Canon 15x HD Video Lens
- The 15x HD Video Lens captures landscapes and tight shots easily, while providing 4 fixed zoom speeds for fluid transitions. The super spectra coating keeps flare and ghosting at bay while the lens' aspheric design cuts down on aberration while boosting resolution
- 2.7" Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD
- The multi-angle widescreen LCD gives you a generous display on which to compose and playback your shots, not to mention the ability to shoot from more angles. The hard coat Anti-Reflection surface reproduces color accurately with reduced glare and enhanced contrast
- SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization
- Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer corrects for hand shake, moving subjects and the inevitable slight bump. SuperRange Gyro and image sensors also correct for a wider range of incidents such as body sway and recording in a moving car as well as ensuring no loss in image quality
- Creative Control & Workflow Features
-
- Included remote control
- 3.3MP digital still capture
- 3 Second pre-record feature
- Dual Shot for stills and video at the same time
- Built-in flash for stills indoors or in low light
- HDMI for watching videos on HDTV with just one cable
- Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe for attaching Canon lights and microphones
- 24Mbps recording allows for recording of the highest quality AVCHD video
- Face Detection: sharp focus and accurate exposures of everyone in the scene
- Video Snapshot Mode: Capture a series of 4 second video clips - add music background
- 24p Cinema Mode gives your videos a "film-look" - enhanced when used with the CINE setting
- 30p Progressive Mode great for action or sports footage or video that will be uploaded to the Internet
- Included remote control
| Optics | |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 3.89 Megapixel 1/4" CMOS |
| Lens |
4.1 - 61.5 mm f/1.8 - 3.2 |
| Zoom |
Optical: 15x Digital: 300x |
| Filter Size | 37 mm |
| Recording | |
|---|---|
| System | NTSC |
| Recording Media |
microSD/SDHC Up To 32GB Video/Image
1
Please Note:The HF200 can only record in MXP/FXP modes to Class 4 or Class 6 memory cards. Cards which do not report these card speeds to the camera will not be able to record at the higher quality settings close |
| Recording Time |
SD/SDHC LP: 12 hours, 15 minutes XP+: 5 hours, 45 minutes MXP: 2 hours, 55 minutes (allows 1920 x 1080 HD recording) |
| Video Format |
High Definition MPEG AVC/H.264 1920 x 1080, 1440 x 1080 (30/24/60 fps) |
| Still Image Resolution | JPEG: 3.3 Megapixel |
| Audio Format | 2-ChannelStereo |
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Display Type | LCD |
| Screen Size | 2.7" |
| Touchscreen | No |
| Add-on Lens |
|---|
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | Optical |
| Lux | 0.4 (Night Mode) |
| Built-in Mic | Yes |
| Built-in Speaker | Yes |
| Built-in Light/Flash |
Light - Yes Flash - Yes |
| Accessory Shoe | Mini Hot |
| Tripod Mount | 1/4" |
| Input/Output Connectors | |
|---|---|
| Inputs | 1x 1/8" (3.5mm) Stereo Mini |
| Outputs |
1x USB 2.0 1x Component Video (out) 1x Composite Video (out) 1x Mini HDMI 1x 1/8" (3.5mm) Stereo Mini |
| Microphone Input | Yes |
| Headphone Jack | Yes |
| General | |
|---|---|
| System Requirements |
Windows System
|
| Power Adapter | 100-240VAC, 50/60HZ |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 2.8 x 2.4 x 4.9" / 71.12 x 60.96 x 124.46 mm |
| Weight | 14.1 oz / 399.74 g |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 160 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
99%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Great picture quality (135)
- Comfortable to operate (106)
- Great sound (71)
- Simple controls (69)
- Great features (66)
Cons
- Poor battery life (19)
- Poor in low light (16)
- Poor sound (6)
- Poor still image (4)
- Short battery life (4)
Best Uses
- Home movies (126)
- HD shooting (110)
- Travel (104)
- Movies/short films (53)
- Documentaries (34)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual user (88), Enthusiast (47), Semi-pro (17), Pro videographer (4)
Most Liked Positive Review
Amazing quality! Tough on hardware!
I needed a camera that had decent battery life, could go anywhere and not be disrupted by little bumps or jolts. And I wanted a camera that was capable of shooting in HD.
I needed a camera that had decent battery life, could go anywhere and not be disrupted by little bumps or jolts. And I wanted a camera that was capable of shooting in HD.
In the summer I regularly go above 10,000ft for camping, four wheeling and general mountaineering. I couldn't use a unit with a hard drive as I've read that they're only so good to a certain altitude that I often exceed. I also couldn't use a camcorder that recorded to a disc, as I'd likely get dust in the mechanism or end up butchering the recording with skips from vibration. I agree with the ease and track record of MiniDv, but wanted something easier to work with. SDHC is a great format, and transfer is especially easy with the card reader my computer came equipped with.
The image quality is astounding, and if you've come from electronics that were outdated six years ago like me, you may be in for a little shell shock!
Of course, bright light is the forte of this unit and everything is perfect; contrast, color, white balance, sharpness and the automatic focus are all dead on. Low light is when you'll start pushing it a bit and while still performing well, you loose a lot of the accuracy of a direct sun shot; The focus stumbles a bit, and the white balance can get a little goofy (it helps to set it manually in lower light)
Really the only actual cons to the HF200 are what occur after the video has been shot. AVCHD is not the most processor friendly format to edit in real time. You seriously seem to need at least a quad core CPU to handle editing in this format. You can convert it to something else first, but that just adds another annoying step.
Also, when you shoot at the "MXP" quality level, you can eat up almost five gigabytes in twenty minutes. Crazy. They almost need to come up with another medium to store all of these absolutely massive files with. I bet one could use blu-ray discs but they're still pretty pricey, right?
Overall this is an excellent camera, as expected from Canon, just make sure your hardware can handle the task of editing! I've always brought my Canon electronics to places they were never designed to operate in, and they continue to work, time after time.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Mixed Feelings !!
Being a first time user of a flash memory based HD camera, the HF200 impressed me really !! The stuff is easy to use and is quite intuitive to operate. Few areas where Canon...Read complete review
Being a first time user of a flash memory based HD camera, the HF200 impressed me really !! The stuff is easy to use and is quite intuitive to operate. Few areas where Canon can surely improve -
1. Split the manuals, so we need not carry all various languages at the same time, specially for those of us who prefer to keep the manual handy!
2. The software that comes along with is nightmare and the playback/editing option requires your computer to have the latest high end state of the art configuration... not sure how many will have this !! So before you buy this one, be sure to invest time and money to convert/play the .mts files in your computer. I don;t have a HDTV and still struggling to play the captured movies in my core 2 duo vista with 4GB ram. Plus the software says this is a 32 bit software, no support for 64 bit !!
3. The battery life is really poor.. so of if you plan to capture stuff for a whole day, be prepared with an additional battery !!
The camera is small, easy to handle and the picture quality seems to be good. I have not tried the HD quality, so will comment on it once I do. My 3 star rating is only due to the cons that I have faced... if you have means to overcome these, this is really a 5-star camera.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 160 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
- Great Zoom
Cons
- Poor In Low Light
- Poor Sound
Best Uses
- Home Movies
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
Easy to use and good clarity.
Cons.
1. Need to connect to power outlet when connecting to TV, Computer, DVD burner etc.
2. Poor battery performance, it comes upto only 45 mins or max 60 mins.
3. Spare OEM battery will 25% of the camera price and third party batteries will not work properly.
4. Poor audio(3.1 channel) clarify compared to Sony(5.1 channel).
5. Not an easy task in burning the videos to DVDs.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
- Poor In Low Light
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Indoors/Low Light
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
Purchased this camera for home video use and really like it a lot. It's perfect for personal use due to size and has easy functions that even people who are not up on technology can figure out. LCD screen is great and menu options are easy to understand.
If there was something I didn't like about it would have to be the software that it comes with. Not every good and I stopped using it after a week. It would not even recognize the fact that I had a DVD burner in my PC!
Other than that, I would recommend the camera itself to anyone!
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
Cons
Best Uses
- Documentaries
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Movies/Short Films
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I use this for recording hi-def instructional videos in my home. Just wanted I needed at the best possible price. Haven't found anything I need it to do that my hf200 can't.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I haven't had a chance to play with all the features of this camcorder yet, but the few test shots I've taken have displayed a great leap in quality over the previous non-HD systems I've used. I have a Canon still camera, so the logic of the controls is similar and were fairly quick to learn.
I'm hoping to take this camcorder out on hikes and catch some movies of flora and fauna. The unit is smaller than I expected, very lightweight, and even connected to an Azden microphone and tripod, very easy to carry.
The only downside is that I didn't have an ideal setup for processing the movies, which resulted in investing in a second 1TB hard drive, new graphics card, and power supply to run them. LOL
I don't use the included software other than to pull the files off the camera. I use Corel Video Studio X2 for editing.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
- Large Clear LCD
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
- No complaints
Best Uses
- Documentaries
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Indoors/Low Light
- Movies/Short Films
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
Portable easy to handle and use- great picture!
This camcorder captures every moment that you're able to see over and over again! Compact for travel to meetings and events.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Zoom
Cons
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Indoors/Low Light
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
This was the only place i think was cheap compared to other sites. I liked the camcorder.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Large Clear LCD
Cons
- Complicated To Operate
- Poor In Low Light
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I bought this camera on sale, and it's my first digital video camera. I was surprised that it came with no flash memory installed at all, meaning that I couldn't use it out of the box, but I quickly remedied that problem. I have been able to use it to take some short clips and have easily uploaded and edited on my Mac using iMovie. In terms of capturing basic footage without knowing a lot about digital video, it's great.
The more complicated controls, and even some basic things that I'd expect to be able to do: overriding the flash, for instance, are a little bit harder to navigate on the menus, but it's a good camera overall.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Large Clear LCD
Cons
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Movies/Short Films
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
Its a great camera, except its very complicated to download into a computer.
Difficult to upload films into a website to share.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
Cons
- Poor In Low Light
- Poor Still Image
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Indoors/Low Light
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
The product is excellent. I did lot of research before buying this. My main comparison was between sony and canon. Although Canon products are little expensive than rest, they do give you value for money.
My wife wanted to create some makeup video's and she loved this camcorder.
OVerall very good purchase.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Good in Low Light
- Great Picture Quality
- Large Clear LCD
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I have used the camera on 3 different occasions and the ease of use and picture quality is outstanding. However, I have spent over 3 hours trying to download the files to my computer without success. Because of the excellent video quality I am not ready to give up just yet. The manual is of little help for downloading. I expect more from Canon.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Good in Low Light
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
- Large Clear LCD
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
Best Uses
- Documentaries
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Indoors/Low Light
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I am using this HF200 extensivly, Its a very nice product from Canon.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Zoom
- Large Clear LCD
Cons
- Battery lfe
- Sound quality past 10ft
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Movies/Short Films
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I shoot outdoor video mostly. The camera works great and the video is awesome. I had some problems editing the video but i just imported to windows movie maker and let it format for me.
The only problems I see with the camera are the battery not lasting long enough, just buy a bigger battery, and it needs a wide angle adapter when your inside or doing close ups.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Zoom
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
- Poor In Low Light
- Poor Sound
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I received my new camera and I love it. Right now I'm using for family videos and pic. It is great and it does everything i need. Very good product.
Pros
- Easy to Use
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Movies
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
This was my first video camera purchase and it is working perfectly for me. I found it very easy to use and I love that I can take photos at the same time as recording!!
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
Cons
Best Uses
- Documentaries
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
This is the least expensive camera I've found that can do all the things this one does. It has a microphone input for improved audio through an external mic. It has a headphone output to monitor audio. It has great picture quality. We've used it to shoot a low budget documentary for local cable and the web, and it has performed great.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
- Large Clear LCD
- Zoom range/performance
Cons
- Poor In Low Light
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Movies/Short Films
- Travel
- Weddings/Events
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
My wife and I are having a baby and wanted a nice HD camera to record the new addition and so far we are really enjoying it. It is great quality and easy to use for uploading movies on the computer. I have a mac and it works great with the camera. The only thing that's not too good is filming in low lighting. Other than that it's amazing!
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Movies
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
I use this camcorder to record videos of my little one. It's super easy to use and is compact enough that I can carry it around in the diaper bag.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Zoom
- Large Clear LCD
Cons
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
This is just what I wanted in my first HD camera. The small lightweight design is easy to carry and I didn't even have to read the manual to get up and running with my first video - very intuitive! My only problem was importing and converting the files once I transferred them to my mac. I might need to use an external mic though for better sound quality when there is background noise...but I don't think that is specific to this model.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Image Stabilization
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Sound
- Great Zoom
Cons
Best Uses
- Documentaries
- Film course for kids
- HD Shooting
- Movies/Short Films
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
this is a great camera which has the professional qualities I was looking for such as a headphone jack and mic input, white balance, manual focus, etc. the picture quality is great. Not compatible with my Adobe Premiere editing software but am upgrading to Final Cut Pro on a Mac anyway. Using camera to teach filmmaking to youth and has just what I need for the course. Awesome Camera.
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Great Picture Quality
- Great Zoom
Cons
Best Uses
- HD Shooting
- Home Movies
- Travel
Comments about Canon VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder:
My old mini DV camera was starting to act up and I knew I needed a camera so I wouldn't miss any of the kids activities. I also knew I wanted an HD camera this time. After extensive research, I purchased the HF200 and I am very happy with it. I love the light weight and compact size. I am also very happy with how it works with iMovie 09 on the Mac. My 11 year old daughter has no idea what HD is, but when she saw me play the video for the first time, her first comment was how clear everything was.
I am not a professional photographer by any stretch, but consider myself to be pretty picky about the quality of photo and video and I am very happy with this camera. I think it is a good value all things considered.
So far I have video taped a fishing trip, soccer games, around the house and a trip to DC. I am really impressed with how little space the compressed video takes and how easy it is for me to back up the SD cards to my Mac. Taking the advice from another Mac user, I have been saving the SD card as an image using the Disk Utility. This makes it easy to backup and store your unedited footage.
I have not tried using it in low light yet, but avoid that anyway as the quality is generally poor.
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
- Instruction Manual (PDF 3.7mb)
Media
Recording media is not included, be prepared - always carry extra media.
- Price: $13.95
Batteries & Power
Don't get caught without power, always have a spare battery.
- Price: $39.00
The Pearstone battery cannot be charged on the camcorder, the charger plugs directly into the battery.
Bags & Cases
Carry, store, and protect all your equipment with a bag or case.
- Price: $15.49
Filters
Protect your lens or produce a desired visual effect by adding a filter.
- Price: $8.90
Lenses & Adaptors
Capture the right view with a conversion lens.
- Price: $69.95
External Microphones
Enhance the quality of your audio recording with an external microphone.
- Price: $64.95
Requires the BEVB50 Universal Shoe Mount Adapter, sold separately.
On-Camera Lights
Adjust the lighting for virtually any indoor and many outdoor applications.
- Price: $114.00
Tripods & Support
Stabilize your video with the support you need.
- Price: $149.95
Cables & Adaptors
Connect the proper cable to enjoy the full quality of your footage.
- Reg. Price: $44.90
- Discount: -$0.21
- Discount price: $44.69
- Limited supply at this price
LCD Hoods & Coverings
Shield your camcorder from unwanted glare and wet/extreme conditions.
- Price: $19.99
What's in the Box
- VIXIA HF200 Camcorder
- BP-809 Battery Pack
- Compact Power Adapter CA-570
- Wireless Controller WL-D88
- Component Cable CTC-100/S
- Stereo Video Cable STV-250N
- USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
- Wrist Strap
- Digital Video Solution Disk
- Pixela ImageMixer 3SE Video Editing Software
- Music CD
- 1-Year Parts & Labor Warranty
Why Shop at B&H
Make your online shopping trip personal with our online Live Chat representatives. You can easily reach an in-house expert while browsing our site for your shopping needs. We have the most highly-trained staff in the industry who are pros in their fields, and their professional expertise will help you get the most from your purchase.
Place your domestic order with us for shipment via UPS, FedEx Economy, or FedEx Priority by 4 PM ET Monday through Thursday or 11 AM ET Friday and your order will be shipped that day. Visit our Shipping Delivery Times page for further details. Delivery times are subject to payment verification.
We appreciate your purchase from us, and we understand that sometimes the products you buy don’t turn out to be the right choice for you. We guarantee your peace of mind with our 30-day return policy. With no standard restocking fee and few restrictions, you’ll enjoy a return process as easy as shopping with us. Please visit our Return Policy page for further details.
We’ve made iPhone and Android mobile apps available for your service and shopping convenience. Use filtered search to find and purchase almost any item we sell and ship worldwide. Download product manuals and guides for many popular items. See high-resolution product images in close-up detail. Manage wishlists and view order history. Visit our Mobile Apps page to download.
See sample Newsletter
Help
Company Information
B&H Resources
