Jan 05
Canon adds new S, M and R series VIXIA HD camcorders, two regular FS cams for good measure
Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, Today's Chili, video
We know you’ve been coveting that primo Canon VIXIA HF S11 hi-def camcorder we got our hands on a few months back, and now it looks like the company is going wild — debuting two new camcorder lines (and three new S series machines) for your consideration. All nine new Vixia models offer flash or SD-card-based storage — or both. And when both are present, the Relay Recording feature allows the camera to automatically switch between storage devices during recording. If that weren’t enough, all SD-packin’ machines are compatible with the SDXC card format (up to 2TB). S series camcorders feature 1080p AVCHD video at 24Mbps, low-light optimized CMOS sensors, Digic 4 processors, 10x optical zoom lenses, 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD panels, and 8 megapixel still photo capture — with the ability to down-convert to MPEG-2. Prices start at $1,000 — due out in April. The M series models feature smaller touchscreens (2.7-inch) and a smaller CMOS sensor (which only manages 3 megapixel stills) and will be out in March with a starting price of $680. The R series, which is also out in March, brings up the bottom end with a starting price of $500, but still manages 1080p video (at a lower 17Mbps bitrate), while sacrificing the touchscreen and dropping down to 2 megapixel stills from the smaller, sure-to-be-noisy CMOS. If that all weren’t enough, Canon also has two new standard definition cameras in the FS series, with one sporting 16GB of built-in storage and the other doing the removable SD thing, with a starting price of $300. There’s full PR after the break.
Canon adds new S, M and R series VIXIA HD camcorders, two regular FS cams for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kaitlyn Chantry is the editor-in-chief of 
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The Canon Vixia HF20 is all about getting the complete package. It lacks the huge lens and high resolution of its big brothers, but it does have the sexy interface and powerful performance we’ve come to expect from a Canon camcorder. At $800, you’re definitely paying for that clear, sharp video and fantastic design. The HF20 is for people that want to save a little cash, but still want to own the cool toys. [
If you’re spending over a grand on a consumer camcorder, it’s pretty hard to go wrong. But this year’s Panasonics are the crème de la crème. They’ve got great auto features, are stuffed full of manual controls, and are smoking hot performers in low light. The TM300 (Panasonic’s 32GB flash memory model) feels like it was personally sculpted for your hand—and at $1300, it won’t break the bank. [
