Long review: 10 min.| I got the HF11 video camera in urgent need for a specific occasion.
br /The 60th fireworks event of Suwako lake / Nagano Prefecture in Japan on 15th August 2008.
br /(official sale start in Japan)
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br /As the overall package Canon with its long term experience in Imaging seemed like "The natural Choice to make".
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br /The video camera integrates a huge amount of intelligent functions that ensure the quality of your video experience.
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br /- image stabilizer,
br /- light sensitivity sensor,
br /- profiles
br /- variable zoom speeds,
br /- remaining battery status info,
br /- alignment markers in the screen
br /- smart replay functions (slow motion, freezing , advancing frame by frame etc.)
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br /On top of that the video cameras body weight with 380gr. and the size of your favourite beverage is well acceptable even for ladies or kids hands.
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br /The HF11 does come with a few usability hitches in terms of inconsistency, bugs etc. (see my how to guide for details), but besides that, the HF11's navigation is intuitive and exactly as the digital camera products. So, that was not a showstopper for us.
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br /Most users are able to use the product within minutes !!
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br /For video editing features you might want to look into additional software editing and codec converter solutions like Divx, Xvid etc. to be able to share the joy with your friends on DVD etc. The package contains all possible cables but NOT the ultra compact HDMI cable connection.
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br /The major salespoints of this video camera are
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br /- Imaging quality (resolution and smoothness of video)
br /- Canons colours
br /- Usability
br /- Usability and
br /- Usability
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br /The Imaging quality is unlike anything I have seen before and easily justifies the product alone.
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br /HF11, HF10 or HF100, which one should I get ?
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br /If you cant compromise video quality for anything get the HF11 with its 24mbps recording mode and be rest assured you have the extra stretch when you need it f.e. in low light scenarios and the best model on the marcet in the personal camcorder class.
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br /Otherwise, if you can life with good quality and the same usability and other features as the big brother than you can make a deal by getting the HF10 or the HF100.
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br /The intelligent functions and the exceptionally good design make the HF100, the HF10 or the HF11 the natural choice for beginners, amateurs and entry professionals.
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br /This is the quality customers are expecting from a long term Imaging company like Canon !!
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br /Additional Notes:
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br /Vibrations:
br /Note that other camcorders with moving parts f.e. HDD's might not be working in extreme situations with strong vibrations f.e in concerts due to bass vibration. The camcorder makers do specifically NOT recommend taking videos in live houses - as they formulate it. So you might find yourself having to record onto the memory card while the HDD is NOT usable.
br /(I mention it because its not so obvious from the product descriptions of camcorders.)
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br /Fortunately with the HF11/HF10/HF100 or any flash memory based camcorder you dont have to worry about this too ;-)
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br /Memory usage:
br /8GB of memory will provide you with 1h of best quality Full HD pleasure. So even if you just use the 32GB internal memory it means that the HF11 has enough storage for 4h of best quality Full HD video.
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br /Thats plenty f.e. for your best friends wedding ceremony, the wedding party afterwards and even your kids school ceremony the next day.
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br /Also memory usage is the same when actually comparing, this video camera has at least 3.5 times more details on the screen than the best digital camera out there with video function.
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br /Please see my How to guide for more details and all PRO's and CON's.

I just finished my vacation where I used the Canon HF11 that I purchased about 6 weeks ago. The HF11 performed flawlessly. I am super pleased with the quality of the video images. I did some editing and created a DVD using iMovie and iDVD. The results are very good. I am pleased with the overall ease of use and quality videos that can be produced by this camcorder.

I am all about my kids playing sports and being able to record the games. I was reluctant in purchasing an AVCHD camcorder with the fear that the motion would not be sharp. This camcorder is of excellent quality. I am using the camcorder with its default settings and have recorded my son's soccer games, my other son's indoor basketball games, birthday parties and am very please with the camcorder. There is a setting to record at 30P which is designed for fast action, but the default 60i is perfect. I will play with 30P soon and can only imagine that it would be even better.
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br /I also have used the ImageMixer software that comes with the HF11. The software easily allows you to copy your recordings to the computer. The player is of high quality and is my preferred software for watching the videos on the computer. With this software, I burned a copy of one of my sons basketball games to DVD and when viewed using a DVD player on my TV, the quality of the video went down. I then used CorelVideo Studio 12 (VideoStudio Pro x2) (downloaded free trial version) and burned the basketball game in AVCHD mode onto a DVD. I then watched the AVCHD (DVD) on my PS3 and the quality was excellent. The DVD burn took about 30 minutes for a 6 minute video on a Dell Intel Core2 Duo desktop computer with 2 gigs of memory.
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br /I also purchased the cheaper extended battery BP-819 and this gives me hours of recording time. There is a slot for a memory card, but I find the 32 gigs internal memory to be plenty.
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br /If you want a quality camcorder, this is the one.
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I bought this camera in October 2008 for a trip to South America. I did extensive research on compact high quality camcorders and the Canon Vixia HF11 look like the best bet. I was not wrong. I really like this camera.
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br /The Vixia HF11 is compact, very light but feels super sturdy, the reach of the 12X zoom lens is excellent and the built-in optical stabilizer is superb!!! The quality of the recording is great for such small camera and its price point. The HF11 pretty much fits in your palm which is great when you want to use it, not be noticed, and have full control with a single hand.
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br /The 32GB built-in memory is more than enough for most vacation trips. I was afraid to run out of memory in the middle of my vacation and decided to buy an extra 32GB of flash storage. I have been recording and recording and recording at the max resolution of 24mbs and I am still not using the extra memory I bought. I guess I may have gone overboard with it.
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br /On the other hand, I would strongly recommend buying the bigger battery. The one that comes with the camera it's not even enough for 3 hours of usage (whether you record or not). The bigger battery can last up to two days of heavy recording and 1 full heavy day if you like to review your video constantly.
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br /Another great purchase is the Canon set of lens filters which include a polarizer and a clear filter. I use the clear filter to protect the original Canon lens from dust, water and finger prints. I have to say that a lens protector is a MUST if you want to protect your investment. And don't forget to get a camera case to carry it around (Canon does not provide one in the box). I bought mine at Best Buy because I wanted to make sure it had a tight fit, be small and padded enough for all situations.
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br /The camera includes a USB cable to do transfers to a PC or Mac for video editing and a HD component cable to view the video directly from the camera to any TV. Even with the component HD video out the quality of your video will look amazing on any TV set specially if the TV is HD. I am sure an HDMI cable will increase the viewing quality but I have not bought one yet.
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br /So far I have not transfer the video to my Mac but once both my flash storage cards are full my plan is to convert all the video to H.264 files and upload them to an HD Apple TV or make a Blu-Ray dvd to watch my recordings in full HD. Or, you can just buy more flash memory cards and store your video for later viewing from your HF11 through an HDMI cable.
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br /Overall, I can't be happier with this camera. Canon has definitely surpass my expectations withe Vixia HF11. This is not a really cheap camera but it's not an expensive one either. The Amazon price is right on the money for this high quality camcorder. I strongly recommend it.

If you have searched for a quality camcorder the Canon Vixia HF 11 is it. It features an easy one button solution for quick nearly automatic film making. It also gives you many options found on expensive production video equipment. A real asset is the 32 GB flash memory since this assures that you will have plenty of on board storage and no tape or hard drive to break. Simply take your time in turning it off and your data will be saved properly. Color is excellent and the stabilation works very well. The supplied software is another bonus if you do not have your own prefered program.

Great device. Shocking how small it is for the punch it packs. Be sure you have a late model very capable computer if you wish to edit the files. They are large. Get an extra battery and the wall charger to make life less hassle.
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br /You can burn about 35 minutes of high res video to a standard DVD. The is about all of your vacation that was great anyway. Get one and have fun making and recording memories.

Overall, this is an excellent 5 star camera. I bought it with the intent of recording in-car HD video at track events. Unfortunately, the OIS on this and other HD canon cameras interfere with the stability. After careful research on various forums, I found that any camera with optical image stabalization will have this problem. (please note that it is not a "you need to turn on/off image stabilization" problem) I am still searching for an HD in-car camera, but in the meantime, I'm using the Canon SD750 (Canon PowerShot SD750)--one of the latest non-OIS PowerShot cameras that record up to an hour of video. (grab one while you can-Cannon just depricated the 750.)