Comments about Canon Canon VIXIA HF20 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom, 300x Digital Zoom, 2.7" Color LCD Display:

picture quality is great. light weight. easy to use. sound better than the hf10 i previously had.
still would recommed an external microphone if subject is going to be more then 20 feet away and talking softly, otherwise the microphone picks up decently.

Comments about Canon Canon VIXIA HF20 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom, 300x Digital Zoom, 2.7" Color LCD Display:

First impressions: the device is amazing. Quality of vid is excellent. The camera is easy to start using. However, the included ImageMixer 3SE "Editor" software doesn't let you save the video (transcode) to any other format besides H.264 m2ts. Now I have to spend more money on software just to get basic AVI, Quicktime, WMV files. Given that m2ts/H.264 is not a common desktop video format, Canon's included SW should provide "save as something useful" ability along with a codec for normal media players like Windows Media Player and Quicktime -- better yet, they should bundle it with a useful video editor program.For [$] (street price), I expect the HDMI cable to be included. I paid $60 for the Canon part that should have been included 'cause it's a non-standard mini HDMI connector. The kit includes the component video cable but not the HDMI mini.The filter threads are plastic which is pretty scary given that you need a conversion lens for reasonable field of view indoors. (read below).The field of view (FOV) is about 45 degrees with the zoom lens fully wide. This is inadequate for shooting indoors or up close to people which is mostly what I do -- I bought the WD-H37II wide-converter lens which makes the thing useful indoors with about a 60 deg FOV. The conversion lens is a lovely piece of glass, however, the lens is huge as compared to the front of the camera's lens. The converter lens obscures the microphone, light and flash and this heavy lens is now attached via plastic threads -- this is not confidence inspiring. My pocket digicam can zoom wide enough so why can't an [$] camcorder basic lens.As for confusing screen messages: When you connect the USB cable to your computer, it tells "connect the compact power adaptor". When you do, you get a "PC Connection" message that says "Do not disconnect the USB cable or the power source while the camcorder is connected to a computer. Cannot turn off the camcorder or change the operating mode." That's not a typo - it's what it says. However, none of the controls work and you're left to guess that you should just unplug the USB cable and the sky will not fall down. Later, I discovered it behaves differently depending on the mode selected (dual, photo or video). It will connect without the power cord if you have photo mode select but not video -- a little odd.The AWB auto white balance is horrible if you are taking still photos using the flash indoors - a heavy orange cast results -- like a nightmare at the tanning salon but not a big deal as the snapshot feature is a bonus, IMO.In a nutshell, the video quality is amazing but impossible to work with effectively until you buy some more after-market software. The ergonomics are very good (even for a switch-hitting lefty). I would like to see shorter focal length zoom (who cares about long telephoto zoom? -- wider is much more useful, IMO) and metal filter threads holding stuff onto the face of the unit. My recommendation is really "Yes" with caveats above, and is based on video quality and ergonomics. Not having a wide enough zoom is my biggest gripe.