Performance

The Canon HG20 follows in the tradition of all recent Canon HD camcorders: really excellent video performance. It features a 1/3.2-inch CMOS sensor with a gross pixel count of the 3,310,000 (and an effective pixel count of 2,070,000). This is identical to the internals of sister model, the Canon HF11. 

At 3000 lux, the Canon Vixia HG20 looks as good as its comrade, the Canon HF11 – that is to say, the video looks great. Canon continues to lead the industry in sharpness and color vivacity. Critics could easily point to the over saturation as an error, but Canon is simple playing to customer expectations, and it's hard to fault them when the picture looks so good.

Only two camcorders we've reviewed have come close to Canon this year. The Sony HDR-SR12 was a fantastic performer in its own right (that performance should extend to the near-identical HDR-SR11, as well). The other competitor is the Samsung SC-HMX20, truly one of the biggest surprises of the year. After a long history of mediocrity in the camcorder market, the SC-HMX20 leaped forward with incredible resolution and great color accuracy. However, the HMX20 is a flash memory camcorder, and for comparative purposes we'll be limiting most of our comparisons in this review to other hard drive camcorders.

The Sony HDR-SR12 did not match the sharpness of the Canon HG20, though the color performance was excellent. The JVC GZ-HD40 has a great looking picture in its own right, but the color pallet does not look as even as Canon's. And while the JVC's fine detail resolution is impressive, it can't match the Canon HG20.

The Panasonic HDC-HS100 produced a bright, vivid image that was very clean, but did not match the sharpness of the Canon HG20. Sharpness goes a long way in home videos.

Oddly, the previous generation Canon HG10 looks cleaner, somehow. It's the lack of noise. The HG20 is definitely sharper, which makes the choice all the more difficult. The colors were slightly less saturated, which is also compelling. However, given the ease of access to saturation control that Canon camcorders offer, this is not much of an issue.

Out of the lab, we shot with the Canon HG20 and the Panasonic HDC-HS100. Shooting the scene below, a complex mix of different exposure levels with lots of fine detail in the shadow, the Canon HG20 definitely came out ahead. Aside from the clear improvement in resolution, you can make out more detail in the leaves. And yet the Canon also seemed to do a marginally better job rendering details in the highlights of the sky, indicating a better dynamic range. There are some obvious color distinctions here, with the Panasonic favoring warmer tones. Both camcorders were in auto mode.

Let's look at color in a little more detail. Below is a shot under fluorescent lighting in auto mode. The Panasonic HDC-HS100 is way too warm, and the Canon HG20 is too cool.

When we adjusted to a manual white balance, they actually both do a pretty good job, with Canon favoring a more vivid red for the table. However, from having spent a lot of time with those freakishly bright tables, we can attest that the Canon is more accurate in this instance.

Now for a widow-maker shot. This is a tree branch swaying in the breeze against an overcast sky, and both camcorders are at full zoom. This puts pretty much every element of a camcorder to the test. Interestingly, the Panasonic pulled ahead in the race. It tinted the sky blue, while the Canon kept it steel grey. Also, the Canon left some purple fringing along the areas of high contrast, something Panasonic managed to avoid.

Finally, we have this wide shot of a scenic square. The detail from both camcorders is good, but the Panasonic HDC-HS100 casts too warm a color balance. Sure, that's easy to change with some adjustments, but face facts: the vast majority of camcorder owners don't even know how to make a manual white balance, let alone correct colors in post-production.

If we look at a close up portion of this shot, we can also see a clearly superior color compression from Canon.

Overall, the Canon HG20 is a very strong performer in most types of light.

Video Resolution* (21.94)*

The video resolution was tested by shooting a DSC Labs video resolution chart at an even, bright light. The footage was then played back on an HD monitor to determine resolution, expressed in line widths per picture height (lw/ph). The Canon HG20 produced a horizontal resolution of 675 lw/ph and a vertical resolution of 650 lw/ph.

Shooting in 1080/30P mode, the camcorder produced a horizontal resolution of 650 lw/ph and a vertical resolution of 650 lw/ph.

In 1080/24P, the HF11 produced a horizontal resolution of 650 lw/ph and a vertical resolution of 650 lw/ph.

It was no surprise that these were the same scores as the Canon HF11. The Sony HDR-SR12 came close, but not quite as good. The Samsung SC-HMX20 was our top resolution performer this year.

Low Light Performance* (13.95)*

The low light performance of the Canon HG20 was tested in three stages. First, we shot the DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde chart at an even 60 lux and 15 lux, then compared the results with our bank of previous camcorders.

At 60 lux (a moderately low light), shooting in the 1080/60i frame rate, the Canon HG20 retained a good amount of color. Once again, Canon appears to be sacrificing color accuracy for saturation that can push its way through the gloom of a darkened room. It's not a bad strategy, losing points on our accuracy tests, but gaining more in visual appeal and sensitivity. The whites remain fairly strong and most of the fine detail is retained. We weren't too pleased with the noise, which has been a problem with most of the Canons this year. However, the tremendous resolution of every Canon HD camcorder more than makes up for any setbacks noise could have posed to fine detail retention.

In the same light level at 1080/30P, the increase in sensitivity and color accuracy is remarkable. It didn't do much to reduce noise, however, which is a shame. It seems like Canon could spare the horses and scale back on signal amplification in 30P in order to decrease the noise.

At 1080/24P, the Canon HG20 picks up a little more color and sensitivity compared to 30P, but not too much more. If you don't like the look of 24P video (which can look jumpy or blurry to some people), the 30P mode has nearly all the same benefits in low light.

Comparatively, the Canon HF11 looked identical, which comes as no surprise, considering they have identical imaging systems. The previous generation Canon HG10 surprised us, showing an image that didn't have the sharpness of the HG20, but did a far better job with noise. The Sony HDR-SR12 looked darker than the Canon HG20, but the colors were very good. The Panasonic HDC-HS100 looks dull and washed out at 60 lux, but scored remarkably well for noise. The JVC GZ-HD40 was decent, not managing to capture as much light but scoring better in color accuracy and noise than the Canon HG20.

At 15 lux in 1080/60i, the noise increase was painful, but the colors were still decent. 

At 15 lux in 1080/30P, there's some improvement over the 1080/60i shooting, but not as much of a difference as we saw in the 60 lux tests.

At 15 lux with the 1080/24P mode engaged, the colors were definitely at their best.

The second test examines the HG20's color accuracy, noise, and saturation under low light conditions. We shoot an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even 60 lux, then export frame grabs to Imatest imaging software to get the numbers. At 1080/60i, according to Imatest, the color error of the Canon HG20 was 12.9. This is pretty much the same score that we saw on the Canon HF11 (no surprise, it uses the same lens/processor system). The noise measured 1.8675%, which is definitely on the high end of the scale. This score was by far the worst of the competition, including the Sony HDR-SR12, the Canon HF11, the Panasonic HDC-HS100, and the JVC GZ-HD40. The saturation measured 66.07%.

Of course, when we tested the camcorder in its other frame rates, the performance improved. In 1080/30P, the color error got much better, clocking in at 9.03. The noise decreased to 1.62%. The saturation improved, rising up to 84.82%.

At 1080/24P, the camcorder's color error was reduced only a little, to 8.27. The noise actually increased to 1.875%. The saturation increased to 88.89%.

Overall, the color accuracy scores could have been better, but Canon is playing to the market expectations and over saturating its colors. However, the next set of tests explains at least one reason why Canon continues to dominate our leader boards.

The third test measures the camcorder's sensitivity. We lower the lights in a slow and steady manner while the camcorder is connected to a waveform monitor. We're looking for the amount of light required for the camcorder to achieve a peak exposure output of 50 IRE (a measurement of exposure). At 1080/60i, the Canon HG20 required 11 lux.

In 1080/30P, the Canon HG20 could produce the same results with only 5 lux of light.

In 1080/20P, the camcorder required 4 lux of light to produce the same exposure. Clearly, shooting in either 30P or 24P is the way to go if you want the best low light performance.

By comparison, the Sony HDR-SR12 required 14 lux of light. Granted, that's a big difference from the Canon's best score, but the SR12 only shoots in 1080i. When you compare the 1080i scores directly, the Canon is only a little more sensitive. Also, the Sony tends to look less noisy. So it stands to reason that if Sony started putting multiple frame rates on its camcorders, they could be cleaning up in low light performance.

Overall, Canon once again produced a brilliant low light performer. Shooting strictly in 1080/60i, the HG20 can hang with the best of them, though the over saturated colors cost it a little. Canon's ace in the hole continues to be its 30P and 24P frame rates, which not only look good, but do wonders for low light sensitivity.

Stabilization* (6.1)*

The stabilization system of the Canon HG20 was tested by shooting a target with the camcorder attached to our specially designed shake device at two speeds. Speed one, approximately matching the shake of an unsteady hand, and speed two, a rather emphatic shaking. When we turned the optical image stabilization system on, the Canon HG20 reduced speed one shake by 70%. At speed two, the camcorder corrected by 30.7%.

This score is just a little bit less than the Canon HF11, but was in a similar range to other Canons. A camcorder's weight, dimensions, and weight distribution all play part in the stabilization performance. On average, this is a decent score.

Wide Angle* (9.8)*

The Canon HG20 produces a maximum wide angle of 49 degrees. This score is about average for all consumer camcorders, give or take a couple degrees.

Format

Compression* (8.0)*

The HG20 uses AVCHD compression and, like its sister model the Canon HF11, it is capable of recording at 24Mbps – the highest possible bitrate achievable with AVCHD. Pushing the bitrate to 24Mbps definitely sets Canon apart from the competition, but it is merely one of the many aspects that contribute to overall image quality. Looking at the results in the video performance section of our review can give you a better idea of the HG20's actual image quality in comparison to other camcorders.

The Canon HG20 records in five different quality settings. MXP is the best recording at 24Mbps, FXP records at 17Mbps, XP+ records at 12Mbps, SP records at 7Mbps, and LP records at 5Mbps. Refer to the table below for approximate recording times available with each setting.

Media* (7.0)*

The Canon HG20 has two options for media recording. The first is with its internal, non-removable 60GB hard disk drive, up from 40GB on the previous generation HG10. This should be enough space for long vacations or all-day event recordings, but it isn't big enough to store your video files for months on end. Regular backups and archiving of files to a computer or external storage device is something you will quickly need to master upon the purchase of a hard drive camcorder. The 60GB offered with the HG20 is a decent size depending on your recording habits, but there are much larger options available – like the 120GB offered on the JVC Everio GZ-HD40 and the Sony HDR-SR12.

The upgraded version of the HG20, the Canon HG21, features a larger 120GB hard drive.

The HG20 also has the ability to record to removable SD/SDHC cards, giving the option of expanding beyond the 60GB internal hard drive. The camcorder does not come with any SD/SDHC cards, but they are available for purchase in various sizes. Below is a listing of the approximate recording time at different quality settings.

full specs on specific record times are currently unavailable.*
**

Editing* (4.0)*

Editing home movies has become a far more convoluted process as more people begin to trend towards HD video. Varying compressions and codecs have produced a system in which it's difficult to find affordable software that works fluidly with each and every one. The AVCHD videos recorded with the HG20 are compatible with both professional (Final Cut Express) and low-end (Apple iMovie) editing software as well as numerous other programs (Ulead Video Studio 11, etc.). Unfortunately, compatibility isn't the only issue when it comes to editing. Older or weaker computers will most likely run sluggishly or crash frequently when working with AVCHD footage. Without powerful hardware, editing AVCHD can be erratic.

The Canon HG20 comes with a Digital Video Solution Disc that works on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. The disc includes software that helps you manage your videos and pictures, assist with importing clips, and allow for some minor editing. Also bundled with the HG20 is a video editing software called Pixela ImageMixer 3SE. The software is not a fantastic editing application, but it lets you burn DVDs of your recorded video as well as add music, titles, transitions and other features that enable you to spruce up your home movies. The software requires Windows XP or Vista operating system.

 

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control
* Automatic Control (6.75)*

For the simplest experience with the Canon HG20, just push the button marked 'Easy' in the LCD cavity. Any guesses on what it does? That's right! It makes it easy. In fact, Easy mode is so simple it's virtually idiot-proof. You're locked out of all menus and manual controls, only allowed to point, zoom, and record. For those that want a little more control outside of Easy mode, the interface has a bit of a learning curve.

The automatic responses themselves are good. The auto exposure adjustments took about 2-3 seconds. The auto focus system is fairly advanced, offering two separate methods. The first, called Instant AF, uses an external sensor for the gross focusing, and only using the default focusing system for the fine focusing. It doesn't increase accuracy, but it does speed up focus times. The thing to know about Instant AF (for better or for worse) is that it has a 'snapping' effect as it refocuses from one focal plane to the next. If you don't like the look, you can turn the Instant AF off. This reverts the focusing tasks back to the primary system, giving slower but smoother transitions.

Scene modes include Portrait, Sports, Night, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Spotlight, and Fireworks.

*

Overall Manual Control (6.5)*

The Canon HG20 features a new look to the menu, but it has little impact on operations. It does look pretty slick, though. Canon packs in the manual controls. You'll find exposure, focus, white balance, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, zoom sensitivity controls, and mic level control, as well as several one-touch correction tools (described in the previous section). Overall, it's a powerful package and about as comprehensive a set of controls as you can find.

However, it's not perfect. The joystick is the only method of control, and while it's well placed and decently sized, the dial on the Sony HDR-SR12 and the lens ring on the Panasonic HDC-HS100 offer smoother control.

Canon does offer one big advantage in manual control over the competition: the Image Effects menu. While the actual degree of control is limited, Canon is the only manufacturer to offer such easy adjustments over saturation, sharpness, and contrast. Pundits argue that anyone can do this in the editing phase, but the fact is that the vast majority of home video never sees the editing phase. Better to have it in-camera.

*

Zoom (6.0)*

The Canon HG20's zoom control is located on top, near the back of the camcorder. It's a simple, familiar rocking toggle switch common on most camcorders. The most important thing to note is that the zoom motor is loud – inordinately loud for a modern camcorder, which doesn't help with the reputation Canon is earning for cheap-feeling construction.

When zooming, a small scale appears in the upper left corner of the screen to give you a sense of where you are in the zoom range. Unfortunately, the actual zoom value is not expressed in numbers, which could help if you're trying to replicate settings for a certain type of shot.

Zoom Power Ratio (12.0)

The Canon HG20 has a 12x optical zoom, average for the price range. The digital zoom can be extended to go out to either 40x or all the way to 200x. Our recommendation is to leave it off completely.

Focus (5.0)

The manual focus controls are easy to access. Push in on the joystick to bring up the Joystick Menu, a sort of mini-menu that appears in the lower corner of the LCD screen. Then push down on the joystick to toggle through each setting (Exposure, Focus, and Mic Levels). When you find the setting you want, push up on the joystick to activate it. Then it's simply a matter of pushing left and right on the joystick to adjust the focus.

*The Focus tool in action *

When focusing, you need to rely on the LCD screen, which is never the most accurate method. LCD screens are typically low-resolution. The 211,000-pixel LCD on the Canon HG20 is no exception. In order to combat this, Canon includes a tool called Focus Assist that automatically performs a 2x zoom to help you get a better look at your subject. This zoom is not recorded to the final footage – it's entirely in-camera. And if you don't like the effect, you can turn it off in the menu.

The Focus Assist Canon uses on the HG20 is good, but JVC is still the king in this area. Its camcorders create a false, brightly colored grain on whatever part of the shot is in focus. You don't have to rely on the sharpness of the LCD. Just look for the bright green, red, or blue fuzz.

Exposure & Aperture (7.6)

The Canon HG20 offers both a simple exposure tool and an Aperture Priority mode. The exposure tool is activated very much like the focus control, described above. Select 'Exposure' from the Joystick menu, then toggle the joystick left and right to shift exposure. A scale appears on the top of the screen, ranging from -11 to +11. The value of each increment is never really explained, but the effect is clear and easy to understand. Higher numbers make the image brighter, and smaller numbers make it darker.

The Exposure tool in action

The more advanced control is the Aperture Priority. In this mode, you select the aperture value, and the camcorder counters by automatically selecting the shutter speed. This is a useful tool if you're trying to control your depth of field. You cannot, however, set the aperture and shutter independently – one advantage Panasonic continues to hold over the competition.

The HG20 has a snazzy new look to selecting the aperture setting. When activated, the value appears in the upper-left corner. As you toggle between settings, a little scale appears above the value, almost like a black and white tape measurer. Settings include: f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.7, and f/8.0.

Shutter Speed (6.95)

The shutter speed of the Canon HG20 can be adjusted when the camcorder is in Shutter Priority mode. It works just like Aperture Priority, but in reverse. In this mode, you can set the shutter speed, and the camcorder automatically counters with a matching aperture. When the camcorder is in 1080/60i and 1080/30, the shutter settings include: 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, and 1/2000.

When the camcorder is in 1080/24P, the shutter settings include: 1/6, 1/12, 1/24, 1/48, 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, and 1/2000.

The Canon HG20 has the same great new interface that we saw in the Aperture Priority mode, a scrolling scale above the shutter speed value. It not only looks cool, but also gives you an 'at-a-glance' sense of where in the range you are.

White Balance (7.5)

Canon throws in more white balance presets than any other manufacturer: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, and Fluorescent H. By comparison, Sony only gives you an auto, indoor, and outdoor mode. The options from Canon offer a lot of settings for various lighting situations if you don't have the option to make a manual adjustment. Of course, you can make a manual white balance adjustment if you want. Just select the 'Set' option and push in on the joystick until the icon stops blinking.

The White Balance options

Gain (0.0)

There is no manual gain control on any Canon consumer camcorder. Only Panasonic offers this option. JVC also offers some small fidgeting room here by allowing you to turn the auto gain on and off.

Other Manual Controls (2.0)
Cine Mode - The Cine Mode adjusts the way that the camcorder processes color and exposure. It's meant to emulate what you'd find on a professional camcorder. In this mode, there is more depth to the midtones. As a result, however, the blacks (shadows) and the whites (highlights) get crushed. The general opinion is that if you're shooting with a pro camcorder, you already know how to light a scene properly. That's typically not the case with home movies, hence the danger of leaving the HG20 in Cine mode all the time. You probably need all the help you can get with your poorly lit home interiors.

*Markers -  *The Canon HG20 has four options for drawing lines on the LCD to help you set up your shot. A single horizontal line or a nine-sector grid are available in either white or grey. These lines do not appear in your final footage.

*Image Effects - *The Image Effects are a series of options on the Canon HG20 to control certain aspects of the image. While rudimentary, they were unique to Canon (Panasonic has begun including something similar) and extremely useful if you don't know how to produce the same effects in the editing stage.

There are four simple one-touch preset options: Vivid (boosts saturation), Neutral (decreases saturation), Low-Sharpening (lowers sharpening), and Soft Skin (better skin tones).

The fifth option is the best, giving you the ability to create a Custom setting. The Custom setting is composed of four parameters: Color Depth, Brightness, Contrast, and Sharpness—each can be set to -1, 0, or +1.

The reason we like these features so much is that if you think the camcorder over saturates the colors (which Canon certainly does), there's a very simple way to correct it.

Still Features

Still Features* (9.25)*

The Canon HG20 has a still photo mode completely separate from the video recording mode. To switch between modes, use the mode dial on the back of the camcorder. In still recording mode, you have full access to most of the manual controls, plus a few that don't appear in video recording mode.

Of course, you do have the option of recording still photos while you're in video mode, as well – just hit the shutter button. There are only two sizes in this mode: 1920 x 1080 and 848 x 480.

When you're in the dedicated still recording mode, there many more options. You have four photo sizes to choose from: 1920 x 1080, 2048 x 1536, 1440 x 1080, and 640 x 480.

The auto exposure method can be set to Evaluative, Center-Weighted, and Spot. There are plenty of white balance options, as well as Digital Effects and Image Effects that control saturation and sharpening.

Drive modes include Single shot, Continuous Shooting, Hi-Speed Continuous Shooting, and Auto Exposure Bracketing.

Let's take a look at the various menus and what they offer.

The Joystick Menu contains the following items:

The Joystick Menu

The Photo Function Menu contains the following items:

The Photo Function Menu

The relevant portion of the Administrative menu contains the following options:

The Photo Admin Menu

Overall, the still photo controls on the Canon HG20 are quite good, as they mirror the controls found in the video recording mode. It's hard to make any camcorder a substitute for a dedicated still camera, given limited resolution, the mediocre (at best) performance, and the sheer physical size of the body, but the HG20 is decent as a temporary stand-in.

Still Performance* (6.23)*

The still performance of the Canon HG20 was tested by shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart at an even, bright light, then sending the images over to Imatest imaging software to determine color accuracy, noise, and saturation.

At best, the Canon produced a color error of 9.63. The noise measured 1.4775%, and the saturation measured 108.1%. The color accuracy was about the same as the previous generation Canon HG10, and the noise was even a little worse this year. Comparatively, the Sony HDR-SR12 had much more accurate colors, but even more noise. The JVC GZ-HD40 produced slightly better colors and more noise. The Panasonic HDC-HS100 produced better color and much less noise. However, the Panasonic's resolution is so much lower than the rest of the bunch that it doesn't stack up in the long run.

Out of the lab, the stills from the Canon HG20 showed that, in a pinch, it could stand in for a dedicated still camera. The sharpness was good and colors popped. However, you can definitely spot the areas in which it would fail to compete with a real camera. The oversharpening is clearly evident where the edges of objects appear too contrasty to make them stand out. Also, in anything less than perfect light, the noise is a problem. Overall, however, it's not a bad performance.

Still Resolution* (24.3)*

The still resolution of the Canon HG20 was tested by shooting an Applied Image ISO 12233 resolution chart at an even, bright light. The stills are then sent to Imatest imaging software, which measures resolution in line widths per picture height (lw/ph). At best, the Canon HG20 produced a horizontal resolution of 1350 lw/ph, with clipping of 1.07%. The vertical resolution measured 1523 lw/ph, with a 1.31% clipping.

Comparatively, last year's Canon HG10 produced a higher resolution. The Canon HF11, this year's sister model, produced roughly the same results. The Sony HDR-SR12 produced a higher resolution. The JVC GZ-HD40 and Panasonic HDC-HS100 were much lower.

Handling and Use

Ease of Use* (7.5)*

Consider the two types of users for whom 'Ease of Use' is important. On the one hand, there are strict point-and-shooters. These people don't wish to do more than turn the camcorder on, hit record, and point it in the direction of their child. Canon has those users covered. A clearly marked 'Easy' button in the LCD cavity really does make the camcorder easy. In fact, it's virtually idiot-proof. You can only record and zoom. The menu is inaccessible, and therefore no accidental settings can be implemented. But...

What of those users who are a little unsure of their camcorder prowess, but know that they need/want to tweak the exposure or activate an AE mode? That's where it gets complicated. The Canon HG20's manual controls are spread out across three separate menus. The navigation is confusing and imposing for beginners. Once you learn the lay of the land, it's not too bad, but we don't envy those starting the uphill hike on the learning curve.

By comparison, Panasonic has done a great job improving ease of use little by little over the last few generations of camcorders. Its camcorders now include a little scrolling text at the bottom of the screen that explains each menu item. Brilliant! Sony and JVC suffer from the same problem as Canon – lots of options, but no intuitive means of organizing them.

Handling* (6.5)*

The Canon HG20 feels good in the hand; don't underestimate the importance of that element. You'll probably spend more time simply holding a camcorder than you'll ever spend actively recording video. The right side of the body provides a solid grip for normal to larger hands. Smaller hands beware... you may prefer something a bit smaller. Most users can agree that the hand strap is well-designed, featuring a lot of padding and anchored in way that helps the camcorder find its center of balance.

The Canon HG20 in hand

Most of the interface with the menus is done via the joystick. Right off the bat, we can see that Canon got this right, while Panasonic failed. Canon's joysticks are located on the edge of the LCD panel, facing the user in a location that their hand is naturally going to find. Panasonic, conversely, placed its joysticks in the LCD cavity and made them flush with the surrounding surface. Granted, Panasonic redeemed itself with the latest generation of HD camcorders – the HDC-HS100 and HDC-SD100 – by adding a ring control around the lens.

Canon's sole reliance on the joystick should definitely cost them some support amongst power users. Panasonic's ring controls and the Cam Control dial on the Sony HDR-SR12 / SR11 are far superior for controls like focusing, where a slow, controlled movement is vital to a good shot. The jerky, clicking sounds of Canon's joystick are annoying.

Overall, the Canon HG20 is comfortable, and the manual controls are accessible, but the implementation of the interface is losing ground to better design from Sony and Panasonic.

Menu* (6.5)*

The menu on the Canon HG20 received a modest redesign, limited to the 'administrative' portion of the menu, which we'll discuss in a moment. Overall, the menu remains well-implemented for the regular user but too confusing for beginners.

There are three separate menus, which is perhaps the most confusing part. If you tap the button labeled 'Function' on the LCD panel, the Function menu appears. This is where you'll find most of the manual controls that immediately pertain to image quality (i.e. white balance, etc.).

The Function menu contains the following options:

The Function Menu

'But wait!' you ask. 'Where are exposure and focus, surely two of the most important controls?' Why, those are located in an entirely different location, of course! You'll need to exit the Function menu, then press the joystick to activate the Joystick Menu.

The Joystick Menu

Finally, there's the administrative menu, which contains all the elements that you don't need at your fingertips while shooting, but should be easy to access. This menu is accessed by first opening the Function menu, then scrolling down to the bottom of the list to the item marked 'Menu.' This is the portion of the menu that has been redesigned in the HG20. It's more a cosmetic upgrade than functional. It looks very nice, and it gives you about the same ease of access as before.

The Admin menu contains the following options:

The Admin Menu

Portability* (7.0)*

The Canon HG20 is not the smallest camcorder in Canon's line-up. Hard disk drive models tend to need more room for the disk drive itself, as well as cooling fans and all the other innards of a camcorder. The HG20 measures  80 x 77 x 138mm (3.1 x 3.0 x 5.4 inches). By comparison, the Canon HF11, a sister model that records to solid state media, measures about 30% smaller.

The Canon HG20 won't fit in your pocket, not by a long stretch. However, a small camera bag or medium-sized purse would suffice. One of the benefits of a hard drive camcorder is the lack of extra media to tote around – 60GB built in. If you want to expand beyond that, SDHC memory cards don't take up nearly as much space as a tape or DVD.

LCD and Viewfinder* (5.75)*

The Canon HG20 features a 2.7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 211,000 pixels. This is standard for the price range. Sony distinguishes itself in a big way from the pack with a 3.2-inch LCD sporting a whopping 921,6000-pixel resolution. Not only does the picture on that particular Sony look very good, it also makes manual focus easier.

The 2.7-inch LCD has a 211,000-pixel resolution

The Canon HG20 does not have a viewfinder, falling short of the competing Panasonic HDC-HS100 and Sony HDR-SR11 and HDR-SR12, both of which do have one. It's clear that viewfinders have fallen of the list of 'necessaries' for most consumer camcorder owners, but they're certainly useful. Using a viewfinder is more battery efficient. Also, making adjustments via the LCD screen can be very difficult on sunny days.

The upgrade to the HG20, the Canon HG21, features an upgraded LCD that has a wider angle of view. It also includes a 0.27-inch, 123,000-pixel viewfinder that the HG20 lacks.

**

Battery Life*** (9.6)*

The Canon HG20 ships with a BP-807 rechargeable battery pack. The battery fits snugly into the battery port, running flush against the back of the camcorder. We tested that battery for its life capacity by shooting continuously with the LCD open. No manual controls were engaged during the test. In total, the battery lasted 95 minutes and 40 seconds (1 hour, 35 minutes, and 40 seconds).

The solid state-recording Canon HF11 sister model lasted only a few minutes longer. The Panasonic HDC-HS100 lasted 111 minutes, and the Sony HDR-SR12 lasted 92 minutes. In short, all the battery lives on these camcorders are roughly the same.

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio* (9.0)*

The audio features on the Canon HG20 are rather good. Towards the front on the right side are a mic jack and headphone jack. On the top, you'll find an accessory shoe, which is unfortunately of a proprietary fit. Whether you use the built-in stereo mic (located in the front under the lens) or an external mic, the Joystick Menu gives easy access to the microphone levels control. When engaged, a small meter appears in the lower left corner of the screen. Use the joystick to push the maximum volume limiter up and down.

If you always want to have sense of volume input, you can have the volume meter permanently displayed in the corner of the screen. If not, you can get rid of it via an option in the Admin menu. Also in the menu, you'll find two other audio options. A Windscreen feature creates a low pass filter that should reduce the high pitched noise of wind rushing over the mic. The Microphone Attenuator reduces the audio signal without the loss of sensitivity that you'd experience by simply lowering the volume.

Playback* (6.0)
*The Canon HG20 has separate settings on the Mode dial for both video and photo playback. Flipping the Mode dial to video playback displays a screen with four tabs at the top – HDD playback, Memory Card Playback, HDD Playlist, and Memory Card Playlist. When a specific tab is selected, thumbnails of recorded video clips appear below. To play a specific clip, use the Joystick to select a thumbnail and push the center of the Joystick to begin playback.

The basic VCR playback controls - Play/Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop - are located at the bottom of the LCD panel. During playback, pushing in the Joystick brings up volume controls and the ability to jump to the next or previous clip on the drive. Pushing stop brings you back to the set of thumbnails displaying your clips. Pushing the zoom toggle in and out will change the amount of thumbnails visible on the screen. The Joystick and playback button combination makes video playback on the Canon HG20 very accessible and easy to use. Pushing the Display button on the inside of the LCD cavity during playback changes the amount of information displayed on the screen – a good feature to have when you just want to look at your image without being distracted by battery information, date and time, record settings, etc.

Just as in Video mode, there is a Function menu accessed by pressing the Function button located next to the VCR playback controls on the LCD panel. Pressing the function button brings up the following options: Select, Copy, Add to Playlist, Divide, Delete, Scene Search and Menu. The last option brings up the Playback Admin Menu which is very similar to the Admin Menu accessed while in Video Mode.*
*

The Playback Admin Menu contains the following options:

The Video Playback Admin Menu

Photo Playback mode is very similar to Video Playback, but there is no screen of thumbnails when you first switch the Mode dial to Photo Playback. Your most recent still photo is initially displayed on the screen accompanied by details about the photo which can be changed by pressing the Display button inside the LCD cavity. Pressing play on the VCR control panel begins an automatic slide show of your stills and pressing the Joystick button allows you to jump between photos as well as delete them. Pressing either the Fast Forward button or the Zoom Toggle magnifies the selected photo and you can use the Joystick to move around the zoomed-in image. Pressing stop brings you to the thumbnail view of your collected photos. Again, at the top of the screen are tabs, but this time just two of them – HDD Playback and Memory Card Playback (Only Video Playback supports the Playlist feature).

Accessing photos via the camcorders internal hard drive was relatively quick and smooth with images usually loading in less than 2 seconds. This is only slightly slower than the time it takes for the camera to load video files for playback.

Pressing the Function button again brings up a set of options: Select, Copy, Protect, Print Orders, Transfer Orders, Delete and Menu. The Menu option brings up the Photo Playback Admin Menu, which is almost identical to its Video Playback counterpart, but with a few less options:

Connectivity* (10.0)*

The Canon HG20 has a number of ports. On the right side, you'll find a mini (1/8-inch) microphone jack, a component-out jack, and a double-duty headphone-out/AV-out jack. All of these are well-protected behind a hard plastic port cover with an adequately long tether. Towards the back of the right side is another hard plastic port cover for the mini-HDMI.

On the rear is a flip-down port cover for the DC-power. The battery is located here, but fortunately, Canon decided not to hide any ports behind the battery. We only wish Panasonic had been so thoughtful.

The LCD cavity has two ports, an SDHC card slot with a flip-down port cover and an uncovered mini-USB 2.0 port.

The top of the camcorder has a proprietary-fit accessory shoe, meaning only Canon brand accessories will fit. It's a crappy thing to do to your customers, especially old Canon loyalists who already own third party accessories. Sony adopted the same concept several years ago. We're just waiting for the adapters to hit the market, unless they already have.

Other Features

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What’s in the Box?**

The Canon HG20 ships with the following items:

• BP-809 Battery Pack (with Terminal Cover)

• CA-570 Compact Power Adapter

• STV-250N Stereo Video Cable

• WL-D88 Wireless Controller

• IFC-400PCU USB Cable

• CTC-100/S Component Cable

• Digital Video Solution Disc for Windows and Macintosh

• Pixela ImageMixer 3SE Disc

The big omission from this bundle is a mini-HDMI cable for the best connection to your TV. But with the 60GB if internal memory built right in, nothing should prevent you from beginning your video adventure right out of the box.

Other Features* (5.0)**

Digital Effects - *Bad digital effects have been around forever (it seems), and they're still here. On the Canon HG20, they include Fade and Wipe transitions, and Black & White, Sepia, and Art filters.

Battery Info - In the LCD cavity, you'll find a Battery/Display button. When you push and hold for several seconds, the remaining battery life appears in the corner of the screen. There's more detailed information in the Admin menu (located under Tab 6). 

Quick Start - When activated, the Canon HG20 can be put into a 'sleep' mode rather than powering down completely when you close the LCD panel. This allows the camcorder to start back up in less than a second. You can choose the duration of the sleep mode – 10, 20, or 30 minutes – until the camcorder really does shut down completely.

Conclusion & Comparisons

Conclusion

The Canon Vixia HG20 ($949 MSRP) is a very good camcorder, of that there's little doubt. Since last year's highly-rated HG10, the hard drive was expanded from 40GB to 60GB, the maximum bit rate increased from 15Mbps all the way up to 24Mbps, which is the fastest that AVCHD allows for. However, we couldn't see discernible increase in video quality with the bitrate bump, so that should not be a major factor in your purchasing decision.

Once again, we have to complain about how cheap the Canons feel in-hand compared to Sony. The plastic has a discomforting hollow echo to it, and the zoom motor is awfully loud by modern standards. Conversely, readers have reported instances of Sony camcorders taking a fair amount of abuse without complaint.

The HG20's performance is what brings us around again to a favorable opinion. The video is so sharp, and the colors so vivid that nothing has beat Canon in side-by-side comparisons for nearly two years. We'll readily admit that the Sony HDR-SR12 is a close competitor, and that some may prefer Sony's color reproduction and handling. However, Canon allows you to dial the saturation and sharpness up or down, making it more flexible (though Panasonic has just added this as well on the HDC-HS100 and HDC-SD100). Also, the 60i/30P/24P frame rate options greatly expand the aesthetic options. The menu navigation will likely confuse new shooters, but an Easy mode makes point-and-shoot operations a snap. Heavy manual controls users may balk at the joystick as the sole means of access, but the control options are excellent. Overall, the HG20 is a very strong camcorder.

We should also mention Canon's upgraded version of the HG20, the HG21. It features an LCD with a wider viewing angle, a viewfinder, and most importantly, a 120GB hard drive. Priced at $1299, a full $350 more than the HG20, it would have to come with a personal shooting instructor to make the upgrade worthwhile.

Comparisons

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters

The Canon HG20's easy mode is a godsend for consumers who have no aspirations beyond strict point-and-shoot operation, as it makes the camcorder virtually idiot-proof. The complex menu structure, however, proves challenging for point-and-shooters looking to wet their feet in manual controls.

Budget Consumers

There are cheaper camcorders to be found, certainly. But for an HD camcorder, the $949 MSRP is not bad.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid

The stills from the Canon HG20 are pretty good, and the manual controls are excellent.

Gadget Freaks

There's not much new here.

Manual Control Freaks

The Canon HG20 has a lot of manual controls. The color saturation and contrast, in particular, are better than anything else out there. Panasonic counters with independent shutter and aperture, while the Canons have Priorities modes instead.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists

Pros might like this as an inexpensive b-camera, considering the 30P and 24P frame rates that significantly broaden its aesthetic range.

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