The Canon VIXIA HF S21 is one of the latest camcorder in the HF S series from Canon that includes the HF S20 and the HF S200.  The HF S21 is an upgrade to the HF S11 and leads the Canon’s flash camcorder series.  It features an improved touch screen LCD, 64 GB of internal flash memory and two SD/SDHC memory slots.

This High Definition (HD) camcorder features an excellent sharpness performance and a native 24p mode for video versatility.  You can customize color settings.  It also features manual controls for the audio levels.  It has a good set of manual controls and options to cater to intermediate prosumers and its 64 GB internal flash drive and 2 SD/SDHC memory slots assures continuous recording time.

The camcorder’s 64GB internal flash drive can record 6 hrs of video in the highest quality and about 25 hrs at the lowest.  The additional two SD/SDHC cards will enable users to pack the camcorder with sufficient memory for a whole day activity.

This camcorder runs on a 1/2.6-inch CMOS sensor identical to that of the HF S11.  The sensor has a resolution of 8.59 megapixels.  Effective resolution in video mode is 6.01 megapixels and in still photo mode is 8.02 megapixels.  The camcorder uses AVCHD compression with five quality settings in recording HD videos.  Quality settings include MXP (1920 x 1080, 24 Mbps), FXP (1920 x 1080, 17 Mbps), XP+ (1440 x 1080, 12 Mbps), SP (1440 x 1080, 7 Mbps) and LP (1440 x 1080, 5 Mbps).

Color accuracy for this camcorder is average.  It can produce vivid and crisp images but there may be accuracy problems with the blue and red tones.  There are several color modes available.  There is Auto, Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening and Soft Skin Detail mode.  You can customize each mode in terms of their level in color depth, brightness, contrast and sharpness.  The customization, however, is limited to only minus one, zero and plus one settings.  The Canon can capture excellent images in bright light environments; the Vivid mode shows the least error among the tones.  There is, however, noise evident in videos taken in dark or low light environments.

One of its best features is in the camcorder’s frame rate settings.  Frame rate selections for this camcorder includes 60i, PF30, PF24 and a native 24p.  The Canon HF S21 is the first non-tape camcorder to include a native 24p recording frame rate.  This is an excellent feature for video enthusiasts as it provides versatility when you need to edit video.  The camcorder’s excellent video capture provides a smooth recording with no motion problems and no trailing.  The camcorder’s sharpness is also better than most camcorders in its category and better than its predecessor the Canon HF S11 is.

The lens with a 10 x optical zoom capability mostly occupies the front of the camcorder.  The lens also features an automatic lens cover for convenience.  Its filter diameter is 58mm with a focal range of 6.4 to 64mm.  Aperture range is from f/1.8 to f/3.  Below the lens, you have the auto focus sensor.  At the lower right of the lens is a control dial that has a custom button at the center to select manual controls for the adjustments.  The dial provides precise adjustments for the camcorder’s settings.  Holding down the button and rotating the dial will navigate you thru the controls, which means less hassle than going thru the camcorder’s lengthy menu system thru the LCD.

The right side of the camcorder has the built-in speakers at the front part.  The speakers are in Dolby Digital two-channel audio output.  At the rear top, you will have access to the slide switch for the Auto/Manual mode selection.  The adjustable hand strap also sits at the right side of the camcorder.  Canon’s wrist strap design is one of the best among the camcorders in the market.

The back of the camcorder houses the electronic viewfinder and the camcorder’s battery.  The electronic viewfinder has a resolution of 0.123 megapixels, can extend out and has a diopter adjustment at the bottom – the slider at the bottom of the viewfinder.  At the left of the viewfinder, underneath the cover that has a DC IN label is the DC in port.  At the right of the viewfinder is the start/stop record button.  Below the viewfinder is the battery compartment.  The open compartment design gives versatility for battery upgrades.  The camcorder comes with a Canon BP-808 battery pack.

The left side of the camcorder houses the new 3.5-inch touch screen LCD panel.  The bigger touch screen size gives it ease in navigation thru the menu and selection of settings.  Inside the LCD compartment, you will have access to the Video Snap, Display/Battery Info and Playback mode buttons.  At the bottom part of the LCD compartment there is a latch that houses the camcorder’s Component out, AV out and LANC terminals.  You will also have access to the two SD/SDHC card slots inside the LCD compartment.  The SD/SDHC card slot also supports SDXC cards.

The top of the device looks simple and organized.  At the front part, below the HD CMOS logo is the built-in flash – pop up design.  The flash also serves as a video light for night video recording.  At the middle part is a sliding panel that houses the proprietary accessory shoe.  At the rear, you have the Photo Shutter and the Power button as well as the zoom toggle.

The camcorder package comes with an AC adapter connection, a wireless remote control, USB cable, component cable, Composite cables, a software CD and the user’s manual.  This camcorder also features a Dual Shot mode that works like the auto mode of most camcorders.  In this mode, there is limited access to the manual settings and the camcorder automatically picks the best settings for the subject and the shooting environment.

One of its main competitors in its category is the Panasonic HDC-TM300.  The Panasonic camcorder performs better in low light conditions and costs about $150 less than the Canon camcorder.  The Canon camcorder however, dominates most of the categories with more frame rates to choose from, bigger internal flash drive (Panasonic only has a 32 GB internal flash drive), a bigger LCD screen (Panasonic has a 2.7-inch LCD screen) and a better stabilization system with its Optical stabilization with Dynamic and Powered IS setting.

Another camcorder in this category is the Sony HDR-CX500V.  Video quality performance is similar between the two camcorders.  The Sony camcorder may hold a slight edge with less noticeable noise in videos taken in lowlight conditions.  The Canon camcorder however, renders sharper images and stronger motion performance.  The Canon camcorder is a better choice between the two camcorders with its larger internal flash drive, more frame rate options and a larger LCD screen size.  The Sony camcorder only has a 32 GB internal flash drive, 60i frame rate and a 3.0-inch LCD screen.

The Canon VIXIA HF S21 is an impressive camcorder with features and performance to meet most prosumer needs.  Its manual options and versatility in video recording will suit most intermediate videographer’s needs.  Its auto mode provides excellent video quality and its large internal flash drive with two SD/SDHC card slots will provide continuous video recording that will surely provide convenience for the avid videographer.

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