Canon HG20 camcorder provides stunning price/performance

Canon HG20

I recently taught a class at MassArt, Documentary Video Boot Camp, and one of my students, Adam Weiss, used his new Canon VIXIA HG20 camcorder in the class. As a result of seeing the video Adam shot for his assignments, I think I have to say that the Canon HG20 AVCHD Hard Drive camcorder (street price around $600) has to join my list of favorite video cameras under $10,000, which has at the top of the list the Panasonic HPX170 DVCPRO HD P2 camcorder (street price around $4,930) The HPX170 is similar to the HVX200 which has been a favorite for quite some time since I first used it and wrote the article, “First Look: Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVCPro HD Camcorder back in 2006. This Canon is the first small camcorder that has caught my attention in a serious manner. Last time I was in the market for one was quite some time ago and I ended up buying a Sony HVR-A1 HDV camcorder. The fact that it is tape based has tainted my impression of it, and I’ve often said, “this is the last tape-based camcorder I will ever buy,” but at the time, hard drive recording of HD was a different story than it is today. It has become viable due to the availability of more efficient codecs, the ability to pack more computing power into little cameras, smaller and cheaper hard drives, and SD card prices following suite.

Panasonic HPX170

The interesting thing to note is that the image quality difference between the consumer-priced HG20 and the pro-sumer priced HPX170 cameras is nowhere near in proportion to the cost difference between the two. Much of it has to do with supply and demand. Professionals make up a smaller market segment and thus must pay a premium for professional features. Clearly the overall quality of the image, true 24p, variable frame rates, the many professional features, and the ergonomics of the HPX170 make it a better camera, however, I can think of a lot of situations where multiple HG20 cameras might provide better coverage of an event than a single HPX170. On the other hand, for a formal interview or narrative shooting, the HPX170 wins hands down. But what if your camera budget is in the hundreds, not thousands, of dollars? The HG20 is a compelling option.

The Canon HG20 AVCHD hard disk camcorder is a delightfully small and light camera with stunning image quality considering its size and price. It records video in the AVCHD format to an internal hard drive or SD memory card. It has a 1920 x 1080 1/3.2″ 3.3Mp CMOS chip providing gorgeous high-definition images. You can record quite a lot of video on the internal 60GB hard drive at either high quality (24Mbps) or standard quality (17Mbps). The camera also captures 2.76Mp still to the SD card or from video stored on the hard drive.

Other features include 24p Cinema mode and 30p Progressive mode (both are recorded at 60i). The camera does not sport a viewfinder, so in bright light situations you will need some kind of hood for the LCD display. And unlike many tiny cameras today, the HG20 provides an external microphone input. This is an essential feature for anyone serious about good audio recording. This allows you to use professional audio gear via a BeachTek adapter or use microphones that are designed to be used with 3.5mm minijack inputs. The camera has an odd Mini “S” Accessory Shoe for attaching Canon accessories like microphones or lights, but the standard microphone input is the the way to go for connecting quality microphones. Cameras come and go, but audio gear is a long term investment. A wireless remote to control rounds out the features so you can stop and start the camera from a distance.

Gone are videotapes. And not a moment too soon. No more timecode break headaches. No more capture headaches and dropped frames. But, like any technological improvement, we gain something, and we lose something. You now have to keep a good archive copy of your digital media, for there is no tape on the shelf. This is a huge topic for another blog post.

Canon offers a less expensive model with the same imaging chip called the HF-100 (Street price around $530). The major differences are that the HF-100 does not have an internal hard drive (which makes it a lighter), the menu system is a little different, and it records AVCHD video at the 17Mbps data rate only.

And what about editing? When you capture media from this camcorder to Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro, you will experience large file sizes upon capture (compared to the smaller AVCHD files created by the camera). This is because in the case of Final Cut Express, footage is transcoded to the Apple Intermediate Codec and in the case of Final Cut Pro, you have a choice of transcoding to Apple’s ProRes 422 codec or the Apple Intermediate Codec. Although MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 is a nice compact file format for recording and delivery, it is not good for editing because it requires too much computing horsepower to decode and recode individual frames. Editing will go more smoothy, and image quality preserved, when editing is done using an intermediate codec designed for editing like the Apple Intermediate Codec or Apple’s ProRes 422 codec.

Here are some support documents on Apple’s web site you should consult if you’re editing AVCHD with Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro:

• Final Cut Pro 6.0.1: About transferring AVCHD footage
• Final Cut Express: Ingesting AVCHD clips may not work from the Log and Transfer window
• Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express: Unexpected quit during AVCHD ingest
• See also Working with AVCHD Footage in the Final Cut Express 4 User Manual.

HG20 Specifications

• Power: Proprietary Lithium-ion battery or AC adapter
• Weight: 13.4 oz
• Street price: around $600
• Sensor: 1/3.2″ 1920 x 1080 3.3Mp CMOS
• Video format: AVCHD (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) video at 24Mbps or 17Mbps
• Audio format: Dolby Digital 2 channel (AC-3 2 channel) audio
• Still capture: 2.76 Mp JPEG stills
• Lens: 12x zoom, 4.8mm-57mm, f/1.8-f/3.0
• Optical Image Stabilization
• LCD Display: 2.7″ Widescreen
• Viewfinder: None
• Recording Media: built in 60GB Hard Disk or SDHC Memory Card
• Stereo microphone input (3.5mm stereo minijack)
• Stereo headphone output (menu selectable via 3.5mm A/V minijack)
• Video outputs: HDMI (mini, Type C); Component out; A/V out (3.5mm minijack)
• Data interface: USB 2.0 (mini-B)
• Controls: Auto mode or manual control of White Balance, Focus, Exposure
• Power: Proprietary Lithium-ion battery or AC adapter
• Weight: 13.4 oz
• Street price: around $600

In summary, given the price, the HG20 is a compelling contender if you’re looking for a small HD camcorder under $1,000 and are ready to say goodbye once and for all to ye-olde video tape technology. Curious how my other favorite camcorder, the HPX170, is the successor to the camera that introduced semiconductor memory recording in the under $10,000 camcorder category. From P2 cards to SD cards, the speed and convenience of solid-state or hard-drive storage for recording video is hard to beat.