Canon VIXIA HF M52 High Definition 32GB Internal Flash Memory Camcorder with 2.37 Megapixels, 1/3" HD CMOS PRO Image Sensor, USB

"GREAT Camera!! Great for low light. Being I live in Washington state, it always seem dark, and the camera makes it look great out! The zoom location with the mic is placed funny. Your fingers end up cover the mic at some point or another. But as long as you are aware of it. Otherwise I am extremely happy with the camera! There are alot of functions, so if you enjoy playing around with your camera, you will love it too! This camera is not for a casual user. You need to read the manual to really get the true use of the camera."

"Purchased this camera after having my Canon T2i (which I love for interviews and short videos), but I needed something that could record for longer shots, like meetings and seminars. I like that this has both a built in flash memory (which will pretty much never wear out because there's no spinning hard drive and really no moving parts) and as an alternative I can pop in my 32G Class 10 SD card from my T2i for even more space or for added ease in transporting the footage. Total I can record somewhere between 9-16 hours of footage depending on settings and codec!



Don't get frustrated, but understand it takes some careful reading and trial and error to send MP4 video from the camera, through the wifi to an ipad/iphone (very cool feature and ideal for a YouTube junky). Call Canon support if you need to--I did and they walked me through the whole process; super friendly and they were located in the US! note: if you own a Mac, don't use the provided cd's; the software is really designed for a PC.



I LOVE:

1) The wifi feature is way ahead of its time; no telling how this will be used in the future, but very helpful with uploading short videos to YouTube.

2) Dual codec is something I have only seen on very, very expensive cameras; AVCHD for DVD use and then being able to record in MP4 when recording a 6 hour long conference is very simple and takes up hardly any memory on the camera.

3) Touch screen on the camera is nice and LCD is so clear (thank you Canon)!



I DON'T LOVE:

1) That I can't send the footage straight to my MacBook Pro (at least I haven't figured it out yet although there is a way I'm sure.

2) The wifi setup is a less than intuitive.

3) the battery life isn't great--so plug that in!

4) when you upload from the camera to YouTube, it only displays in 360p, which is good enough, but not amazing (Looks amazing on an iphone though...)"

"Just got it , did my kids play at high school and it came out beautiful, excellent zoom, auto mode could use a tweak on lighting because faces get too bright. If you record anything at length a good steadyrest is essential because it is small and light. Picture feature works but it should have a separate button, touching the screen makes the camera move and the picture is not as clear.My biggest gripe is with the software, you MUST set up a password protected profile which is a waste of time, the wireless feature works, but is finicky and so slow that you would be better off without it, and direct to tv wireless is a format problem that you have to research to get it to work(what your TV accepts vs what format you record in)" if " it can be compatable. The battery is only good for 70 minutes according to B&H, but it is actually 120 -130 minutes on the camcorder. I miss a full manual, if they want to save paper then don't give me a startup manual in 8 languages, which makes me throw out most of it.Definitely expensive and expected better for the price."

"I purchased this camera as an upgrade for work at a manufacturing facility to document machines we build once they are up and running. Image looks great using the existing lighting on our shop floor. Camera is a good size/weight. I do find using the face detection a little difficult for my application as we film moving equipment parts and it seems to have a hard time keeping focus, that is if I can get the face detection to work in the first place. I think it would work perfectly fine for filming people...



My only real complaint is that since it is HD, it obviously takes up a lot of computer memory and editing takes a lot longer. I knew this would happen before I purchased - just realize this before making your decision on HD. I still love the outcome - and that's all that matters!



Nice camera, great image."

"Went on a week long youth conference and used the camcorder several times a day. Never ran out of power but I always had the 2nd battery ready to go. The images are so clear and bright.It picks up sound near by very well but not from a distance. I haven't had time yet to learn everything that it's capable of doing. I got the date set wrong right off the bat and haven't figured out how to correct it. I would buy this camcorder again."

"This is my first camcorder and what an experience it is! Menu and controls are very responsive and intuitive. Useful for beginners and experts. Easy to transfer files and play them on your TV via HDMI. Made very clear videos of my wedding ceremony and reception. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a high performance, top-of-the-line camcorder!"

"The touch screen interface and menus for this camera are the least intuitive I've ever seen in my life. There seems to be no logic or sequence thinking. Just a lot of icons. Most of the time you can't hit a "Back" button to return to a screen. It's like wandering through a labyrinth.

Canon needs to take a hint from Apple and discover the concept of being "User-Friendly".



This is a camera that shoots beautiful video, but is so difficult to navigate I can't really use it for what I need.



I specifically needed to use an external mic with the unit. When trying to follow the steps in the User Manual, I found you could not do the steps as written. Some don't exist. Some searching through the icon jungle gave me hope when I found another Mic input button, but it was grayed out on the touch screen and unusable.



Support pages online were no help. Neither the printed manual nor the PDF version were of any help.



I can use it in Auto mode, but not with the audio input I need. Get a clue Canon. We're not all ubergeeks. Many of us need more clarity and ease of use. Why make a product that shoots such great video but is so hard to use?"

"I haven't had the camera long, but my immediate impression is that it is great. I mostly use it for recording live music in low light settings, and under those conditions it is outstanding in both performance and value. Video stays crisp even when zoomed way in, and audio can be adjusted so it doesn't blow out in a loud room. Of course most venues don't allow video recording, but when they do, this is the camera for the job."

"I was looking for a camera with decent lens, audio mic input jack and headphone jack. Camera meets all of this and I didn't realize it, till I got it, there is a WiFi feature too. Camera very easy to use almost intuitive. I was afraid of Cannon's software taking over my computer like it did my neighbors. But it hasn't yet. Really haven't used the software quite yet."

"great picture quality and an amazingly light body makes this well worth the price. the wireless abilities are a bit confusing and difficult. especially if you'e not tech savy. can't complain about the awesome features this cam has in addition to its low light abilities and on board RAM."