Used Canon VIXIA HF R400 Full HD Camcorder, 3.28 Megapixel, 32x Optical Zoom, 3" Touch Screen, Smart AUTO

2018-03-10T19:00:00

I purchased this camera to cover events, paired with a Rode mic and a tripod this little guy has been our mini work horse for the past 5 years. We are stepping up to a G21 now, but this little camera has been a solid overall. Pros: - Light and compact - Ease of operation - mic and headphone jack - Plenty of manual options for the cost - Decent IS and Zoom Cons: - Plastic tripod threads, strips over time - No hot shoe or cold shoe - Low light grain and noise - No 4k or highspeed 120 ect I can't really complain, this little camera has been reliable and has done well for what it is. Don't expect the best low light, don't expect to be blown away by the image quality, but for what this cam can do for the price is excellent and for those on a budget looking for solid 1080 footage this is a good little 1080 cam. Other canon products we use currently: We use a 5dM2 and a 50d with various Canon lens for stills and short videos

AnimeRoot

Originally posted at

2018-02-11T19:00:00

I can't understand the problems some reviewers are having with this camera: 1. I download and transfer files all the time. True, I'm using a windows 10 PC, but even when I had a Windows 7, it worked FINE. I take the SD card out of the camera, put it in the computer, drag and drop the media files into folders that I've labeled. I then name each file according to a system I've set up so that I can easily organize them and find them later. 2. The build quality is great. The tripod mount is quite stout. I have a nicer (not quite pro Ravelli tripod and the two join together quite nicely. I've had this for 5 years now and it's been a reliable little tool for making movies I like. Even after all this time--in our 4K world--I can coax some great footage using the 60fps mode. I also like the flexibility; it's portable and light, yet it still lets me do things like add an external mic. If I use an inexpensive lav, but run it through a good field recorder first, I can get GREAT sound right on the video sound track, which doesn't need processing later. If I have to synch, the on-board audio still makes a very reliable scratch/dubbing track. This was such a GREAT bargain, I actually bought TWO HF 600s as well. I LOVE Canon.

Sickphil71

Originally posted at

2016-01-09T19:00:00

I'll admit to being a bit skeptical of a camcorder with such a low price. But this little honey blew me away! The picture quality is stunning. The footage shot in full 60fps 1080p mode is crisp and beautiful. It has good -- but not extremely wide dynamic range (but most consumer camcorders have very limited dynamic range. The picture quality is as good as it gets for HD video... Easily as good as any broadcast TV camera, we compared the 400's video performance side-by-side with several HD news cameras used by a local TV station, and this little baby out-shinned them all. Although the 400 is not a "professional" camcorder, it is full of highly professional features. It has a mic. input, a headphone jack, manual mode for nearly all settings (including focus, iris, shutter speed, white balance and more). All settings can be set to automatic as well. The viewfinder provides focus-assist (rare on consumer cameras and vital on pro cameras). The image stabilization is like nothing I've seen before! It's astonishing! Walking shots look like a Steadycam! I rarely need a tripod, and I have very shaky hands! The onboard stereo microphones are amazing too. Low noise and great dynamic range - even at a distance. The AGC (automatic gain control) tends to over-react to sudden sound level changes, but you can turn it off and set the level manually (with onscreen VU meters). The 3-second pre-roll feature has saved me many times when I didn't react to the action quick enough. The included software doesn't do very much, but you don't need it at all (just plug-in the USB cable and copy the footage to your computer). The SD card is formatted in standard Blu-ray movie format, so you can simply copy its contents to a disk (DVD or Blu-ray) and throw it in any Blu-ray player. I am a retired filmmaker who has used a lot of different professional cameras - from Betacam to 35mm film, and I absolutely love this camera. In fact, I think I'll buy another one. Maybe two at this price.

shyfilmmaker

Originally posted at

2015-08-22T20:00:00

I bought this camera two years ago to make HD viideos and to take pictures. For all intensive purposes, this is the perfect camera for both, in most cases. I have enjoyed this camera for its crisp, full HD video capture (1080 x 1920). Every video I have shot has looked perfect. I think that there is hardly a reason to get any other (more expensive) camera. The features are the same, but add useless WiFi capabilities and expensive internal storage (SD cards are cheaper, do the math).

YoYoYoNick

Originally posted at

2015-04-29T20:00:00

Suddenly my Mac Book Pro running Yosemite will not download from my Vixia HF R400 camera. Anyone else having this problem?

TREBREH

Originally posted at

2015-02-05T19:00:00

We purchased this camera for four reasons Headphone Jack Mic input HD Video Ghost Hunting The price was the most important factor when purchasing this camera, and for around 200 bucks it is a great video camera. The only downside is we need to shoot in infrared light. We compromised and purchased green ghost lights and it does the job. Great picture, great smooth image stabilization and with the addition of the Rode Microphone the shows we produce are professional in look sound and feel. We would have given this camera 5 stars, what the heck FIVE STARS!!!! If anyone knows how to convert this camera to IR capability!! We are READY!!! Thanks Bad Max

Bad M.

Originally posted at

2015-01-07T19:00:00

I had a simple job for this camera. Copy home movies off a screen and transfer to my computer. Simple? Try getting the video fill from the memory card to the hard drive. There is a selection of proprietary software that works with the camera. Only one of which works with the MP4 format that I work with. ImageBrowser EX with worthless for simple transfers of files. It is not intuitive, it is not flexible - it is not useful for anything I can think of. Can you designate a folder for download? No it chooses and names. After the long importing process, you have a partial file that most likely cannot be opened (the manual says that you might not be able to open video on some systems - so just view them on the camera). I have spent all day trying to get this software and camera working (I am not a novice). What were they thinking?!?

Kit500

Originally posted at

2015-01-05T19:00:00

So far, I find this to be an excellent camera with good resolution and capture. It does feel very plastic-y but I handle all my equipment with meticulous care so it shouldn't be a problem. If are the "bang-it-around" type of user, I think I would choose a more durable feeling camera. But so far I am very happy.

Capture M.

2014-11-15T19:00:00

I am a ski instructor. For filming skiing, it has all what's needed, except one feature (viewfinder, which the lack of I substituted with a gadget from a dollar store): below 32 degrees F rating, excellent 53 stabilized hand-held-able zoom, excellent picture quality, true slow motion - instant on the hill playback (60pps), output connectable to old video and HDMI of unbelievable quality - on a big HDTV screen you feel you are part of the motion, it fits into the inside pocket of the ski jacket, and the price is right for my possible falls on the hill. The only feature lacking for recording skiing is no viewfinder, which in this desired price range is simply not available. Without a viewfinder any recording device is really useless for precision recording of skiing. I did and do recommend this camcorder (with a dollar store gadget to substitute for a viewfinder) and would buy this same model should it not survive my possible fall.

Julio

Originally posted at

2014-10-26T20:00:00

This unit serves only in well lit situations and will fit in a pocket, as long as it is large and deep enough, making it convenient in certain situations. In low or moderate light levels this unit functions very poorly, with output largely unacceptable for the viewer. The stabilizer included works very poorly. Needless to say, do not purchase this unit for indoor usage without additional lighting.

R400 O.

Originally posted at

2014-09-01T20:00:00

From using the 300 two things that were great get redone and are not so great. #1) AUDIO: On the 300 there is one setting and that worked superb. It was an automatic limiter for quiet to very loud with no noticeable. The 400 series has gone and mess things up where the audio settings are 5 different ones that are for music to children, but none work the best for any loud sounds/music/bands. The sound if it's too loud kicks back and then comes back. All 5 settings do this no matter what. Use the music setting for anything you want without too much distortion. #2) Card Door/Slot On the 300 the door would not open very easily so no matter what, you could film and not loose anything important. On the 400 & 500 the card door can be easily opened by a finger brushing by it and the camera automatically stops all recording till it is closed. I found putting a small piece of duct tape on bottom corner of card slot and camera will easily fix. (shouldn't have to, but designers messed up on this) GOOD POINTS: #1 Battery Life !!! the 300 battery is good for 20-30 mins of filming. The new 400 & 500 battery is 60-80 mins of filming. #2 MP4 film mode. On the 300 you could only film up to 30 mins. on the 400 you can film as much memory that you have. And this mode save you lot's of space as full HD can use a lot of space.

BigBubba

Originally posted at

2014-08-27T20:00:00

I enjoy using this camcorder it's the perfect size and finding a case was pretty easy, considering buying more for a project I am doing.

T

Originally posted at

2014-02-24T19:00:00

I experimented with it for now, as I intend to use it when we go overseas to record our travels and experiences.

I n.

2013-07-22T21:00:00

Works great with my Mac. I put it in MP4 mode just for ease of use. Video quality looks nice for home movies. Can't believe how lightweight it is. I upgraded to this from a Sony Digital 8, so I feel like I leapt forward in time with how easy it is to operate and get clips over to my Mac.

BRYAN M.

2013-07-16T21:00:00

Great product and easy to use!

Mr C.