Canon Vixia HF200

Bought the HF200 because of Canon's reputation and highly spec'd features. I wanted to capture several upcoming one time events, events that aren't repeatable. Did test recordings to get acquainted with… operation and quality of recordings. Started recording the event. About halfway through, Buffer Overflow message flashed on the display and the camera locked up with the Access light flashing. The HF200 wouldn't respond to any of the buttons including the power off. Access light just kept flashing. The Access light finally stopped flashing when the battery was depleted. (I didn't remove the battery just in case the camera was really writing to the SDHC flash memory.) Everything on the SDHC card was trashed. No recovery possible. With the old tape storage technology, if the camera electronics died, at least you'd have the recordings up to the point of failure. So much for advancing technology. 1 star because I can't give it a 0 star. Without RELIABILITY, sll the functions/features are worthless. My advice... Always carry a backup.

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I'm no videographer by any stretch, just looking for a good quality HD cam for family events. I've no complaints about the usability, menus, battery, file format, or anything else. It's all fine. I just… want the best possible video quality without going broke. Outdoors and under optimal lighting, the footage from the HF200 looks spectacular. Indoors under less than optimal lighting, the quality is just not acceptable. It's inferior to even many SD cameras costing way less. I fear that HD video takes CPU resources to encode/compress the footage, and there's less money left over to put into the optics and sensor. I'm now questioning whether my $500 be better spent on crystal clear SD versus grainy & noisy HD. I absolutely love the outdoor footage I've taken so far. But with so many events indoors (parties, holidays), this camera just won't cut it.

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I purchased this camcorder for my vacation overseas. When I first charged the battery, I received the "Cannot communicate with battery" message. Eventually, the camcorder failed completely. Now being… 5000 miles from home, I am left with a busted $600 camcorder. I contacted Canon both in the US and overseas, they both refused to fix it as it is related to battery They also don't want to fix it due to jurisdiction issue. Anyway they both refused to fix it, so I have no choice but to return it. Thank you Amazon for your return policy!!! I know I won't be buying any Canon SLR in the future.

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The seller of this Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Camcorder was AMAZON, LLC. I placed my order on Amazon.com on November 18, 2009, selecting the 'free Super Saver Shipping'. I received the camcorder on November… 20th (two days!!) and am very pleased with this - considering come reviewers alleging long wait times for delivery. The professionally packaged shipment I received contained: the camcorder (a given), wireless controller, compact power adapter (TO CHARGE THE BATTERY), AC cable, battery pack, component cable, stereo video cable, USB cable, software (CD-ROM), wrist strap (attached), and a fairly large and thorough instruction manual. I received the Kingston 8 GB SDHC Flash Memory Card SD4/8GBET FREE with this camcorder. I also purchased the 3 Year Service Plan for Electronics for an additional $59.99. I was concerned the camera would be too small, but I feel it is a perfect size (in a woman's hands) - even for a larger cowboy's hand. The size will make it easier to take video around the ranch - and on horseback. The quality appears excellent - not at all like the 'cheap, flimsy' appearance of the JVC Everio camcorders. I'm now charging the battery and once I've tried the camcorder, I'll update this review. Thus far, this transaction has been exceptionally excellent. To quote `The Terminator'.... "I'll be back."

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