Canon VIXIA HF R42 Full HD Camcorder, 3.28 Megapixel, 32GB Internal Flash Memory , 53x Advanced Zoom, Optical Image Stabilization, WiFi

2015-08-12T20:00:00

The picture is great and the camera functions are good. Loading it on the mac or PC is a different matter. Software crashes. You can tell the manual was written by geeks who don't know how to dumb it down or simplify if you will getting the videos on your computer. Other than that, quality is good.

Sid97x

Originally posted at

2015-03-19T20:00:00

Great camera, very happy! Great quality, great for recording sports event and promotional uses.

Mickey

Originally posted at

2015-03-06T19:00:00

Love this camera. The CD that was to come with the camera was not in the box so I contacted Canon and had the disk within a couple of days. The only complaint I have is with the manual not the camera. The manual is difficult to follow. To much jumping from section to section. Need to completely redo the manual to make this a 5 Star product. But if you are looking for an awesome camera this is definitely a great one.

mcmm

Originally posted at

2014-07-06T20:00:00

Wifi app not compatible with certain phones. A big disappointment to me, as this was the main feature that attracted me to this camera.

Joe

Originally posted at

2014-03-03T19:00:00

First off, I used to have the Canon Vixia HF M30 which was a very good camcorder till I made the mistake of leaving it in my luggage on the plane where it was stolen. After that depressing episode, I decided to purchase a new Canon camcorder which I definitely figure would be an upgrade but what a shock I was in for. 1 Canon! no dedicated photo button? You have to take the photo from the touch screen, which is very awkward. 2) No external light for the camcorder? I can guarantee that night shots will not be good. This camcorder is only meant for daytime use or bright internal lighting and no flash when taking photos. 3) You have to manually open the lens cover on this now, not like my HF M30 which was automatic when powering up. 4) Extremely cheap quality, very easy to break it. 5) Not very good camera shots. I have to rate this below my iPhone 4 so don't buy for photo taking. surprisingly grainy photos and out of focus shots in decent lighting One positive! Video does look and the 32 GB internal hard drive is a nice feature. Well that said and done, I am very happy mine came with a bad battery or connection when I purchased so I am pleased that I am returning for a refund. I did manage to use the plug in adaptor to power it and give this review. Canon used to mean high quality so I have no idea what has happened. Canon made a big gamble by saving money to make there products and all it is doing is hurting there reputation. On a final note, I loved my old Vixia HF M30 so much, I am now looking to buy a used one. I do not recommend this camcorder

smitz327

Originally posted at

2013-11-13T19:00:00

Even in a brightly lit room, the video is so grainy it is almost useless. I cannot recommend for any kind of indoor use. Luckily, I have studio quality lighting (will cost many hundreds of $$) and I can make do with it in a fixed location. Outdoors with good daylight, it is fine as well. Your indoor lighting could be bright to your eyes, but if it is anything less than cool-white, the video is very grainy. Most of have around 3000K (incandescent). What it needs is something more than 5000K and LOTS of it. The WiFi remote functionality has so many issues, I don't even know where to begin. First, it is disabled not just for certain frame-rates (like the product description says) but in many other conditions that are not mentioned and other than spending hours in the manual there is no help from the camera as to why it is disabled. All I am looking for is simple remote functionality (zoom in/out, pause/record). The entire WiFi functionality is disabled the minute you use an external mic or the HDMI out for monitoring. I own many Canon products (70D was my other recent purchase and I love it) but people should run from this R40/R42 models. They are neither good for consumer use or for prosumer use.

hdm

Originally posted at

2013-07-15T21:00:00

Use to videotape worship service in relatively low-light sanctuary. Mic input permits feeding sound system directly into camcorder, providing great sound. Low-light video, not great, but certainly adequate considering the price. Very easy to use.

jmacx2

2013-04-18T20:00:00

First... The camera is very cool. This review is just to let potential buyers know that it uses USB 2, not 3, so downloads of large video isn't a fast as it could be. Secondly, you can't use the WiFi Camera Access app with Android 4.1 or later. It only works with 4.0.

Mr R.

Originally posted at

2013-04-10T20:00:00

Great features! I had the following requirements & it met them all: External microphone option, ability to turn off Auto-focus & do it manually, save to various quality levels of MP4 format, large enough internal storage (add-on cards never perform like on-board storage), ability to record while plugged in.

GregBrady

Originally posted at

2013-03-28T20:00:00

The Canon VIXIA HF R42 is the cat's meow. This camera allows you to add live edits! You can actually add rising bubbles, or draw free hand, or stamp stars, hearts and even change the colors of those objects. I was amazed to see that image overlays were also possible and stunning; frame your video with a nice looking photo album in the background with the video within a picture frame. Date and time can also be placed. I use mac computers. When connected with usb cable, the camera is smart to use Canon Software when mp4's are being transferred and disk mode (for imovie etc when AVCHD are viewed. You have the ability on the camera to view internal memory or the SD card and then you can also choose if you want to view AVCHD or mp4 files. Then you connect the camera. I was surprised that I liked the Canon software (ImageBrowser EX) used to bring in the mp4's and photos. The software was easy to use and can be configured for uploads to youtube, facebook, etc. And you can even remove files from the camcorder using the ImageBrowser EX software. The low light capability was very impressive. Colors indoors at night with low room lighting (I use LED room lights) were true colors. In a very dark room focus was still sharp. The camcorder surprised me when I zoomed in on some small object from four feet away with decent room lighting: the VIXIA HF R42 went into telefocus macro mode. I was very impressed with the macro telefocus on a paper clip from four feet away. And the touch focus is a useful tool; focus can fix on a point as you move the camera, way cool! Connecting to an iPad and iPhone is way, way fly! Control the camera's zoom and then record to iPad or to camera. Wow! I live in a brick house with thick, thick plaster walls. I could record and control the camera from within 50 feet or so through two walls. But it couldn’t go through three walls. Connection was easy on the camcorder side. Simply choose wireless icon and then an ssid and password appear on the display. The smartphone sees this new wireless connection and with password, smartphone is connected. The smartphone/tablet immediately sees a beautiful live image with sound. I am waiting for Canon to make this compatible with Android 4.1 and better, then I will really use this feature. It appears only 4.0 is the highest as of this review time (March, 2013.) Oddly, when the camera is closed, there is a rattle sound inside the camera. When the display is open, the rattle disappears. The rattle is not the display, which appears firmly affixed on its hinge; but the rattle is within the camera itself. The CMOS is impressive for low light and vivid colors. I also do a lot of work with up-close macro shots; the image is the best I've seen, EVER! And something I really like is simple, yet profound for me. My last camcorder (Not Canon, but the S company) had ports here, and there, and around here, I was so confused and I had to take the camera off the tripod just to get to the SD card slot (which was needed since computer connectivity was impossible.) But the Canon VIXIA HF R42 was designed with simplicity in mind. Open the display and there are all the ports, save one - the power port is on the opposite side (where it should be.) You have MIC, AV Out (headphone), HDMI, USB, and the SD card slot all nicely hiding behind the display. I am very pleased with this camcorder and look forward to years of memories and projects being creatively captured with HD video. Again, I hope to use this camera soon with wireless to Android 4.1 and higher.

Goofy G.

Originally posted at