Canon LEGRIA HF G10 High Definition Camcorder - Black (10x Optical Zoom, 3.5 inch Touchscreen LCD)

I have been using this camera for a week now and I think it is truly amazing for the type of video I shoot.
I like to be creative and use the camera in difficult situations (bad lighting, events and parties, art videos) without a tripod.
And this camera does it all. And there is so much more to discover.
With this compact camera I have total control of depth of field, shutter time, exposure, focussing on difficult subjects, ect
It also gets the whitebalance right without fiddling with it.
Manipulation of the camera is really practical and I think this is the camera I was waiting for to come on the market.
This camera is perfect for the creative filmer.
The image quality cannot get any better, the sound is ok but much better with an external microphone.
The Sennheiser MKE 400 is a small but high quality microphone that fits well with this camera provided you get an adaptor for the shoe it fits in.
At work I use the Sony NEX VG 10 a camera three times the size and weight of the Canon G10 and very impractical to work with. To get decent results with the Sony I have to zoom and focus manually because you cannot rely on it in automatic.
The Canon G10 gives me the same image quality as the Sony, always focusses right and thanks to the touchscreen I can correct within a second.
I think this is a revolutionary camera. Thank you people from Canon.

This is my first digital camcorder, and it does a great job of producing top quality video. I'm no expert, just someone that likes making videos. I have had several tape based cameras but they don't come close to this one. I filmed two shows put on for Christmas locally, the first one, I spent a lot of time reading the manual and trying different settings beforehand, I was very impressed with the results, the second show I left everything on auto and that came out the same quality as the first.
Working in very low light with the only light coming from the stage lighting to work by and some 30 feet from the stage, this camera handled it very well indeed. I use an external xlr microphone connected to a juiced link mic preamp situated underneath the camera on the tripod, this way I get great sound, full bodied without that empty hollow sound from the usual on-board mics, have not used the onboard mic on this camera yet but will do when not under any pressure, the two shows were one night performances only, couldent risk the onboard mics. The touch screen does need a firm touch to change any settings, so I set everything up before shooting, because you will need a very firm tripod to work from if you don't want any jerky movements to come out on the video, I found the custom button and the wheel to be very useful
To make adjustments when filming because you are touching the body of the camera and not the lcd screen. It always makes me smile when manufactures keep advertising that a camera can record video for 12 hours, but supply a battery that last for an hour, I hope the car industry don't catch on and supply a car with a fuel tank that holds 5 litres, unless you will pay ransom prices for something larger.
Overall it is a great camcorder, for me it's the right size and weight with plenty of settings to play with, I bought a battery that lasts over 5 hours for £18.00, shows hours left on the screen as does the one supplied.¬¬¬

Unlike most modern camcorders that promise stunning HD quality videos and only produce dark, grainy pixelated scenes, the Canon LEGRIA HF G10 atually delivers exactly what it promises. Beautiful and eye-wateringly sharp images that look more real and high definition than reality itself.

After a few minutes of filming some of the plants and flowers in the garden, I transferred the videos over to examine and I was absolutely staggered by how sharp and clear the images were. The picture was cinematic razor sharp, vivid colour and thanks to the manual focus (on cinematic setting) I was able to play with the focus on various aspects of plants, able to blur out the elements I wasn't interested in seeing.

A few points worth mentioning:

* Comes with a remote control and a battery; video bloggers will rejoice at this (also handy if you need to use it on a tripod for scenes that can't allow for any movement of the camera, no matter how slight). Also has a stylus as it's a touch screen.

* The flip out touch screen is massive, and gives you an excellent picture of what you're filming without you needing to rely on your viewfinder.

* Does take stills but they're not excellent (not really what it's meant for though anyway).

* The software for transfer is fast and easy to install and you can view your videos in minutes.

* The camera is so easy to use right from the start, I didn't even feel the need to really look at the manual (provided on a disc in the box).

* Has functions that let you edit and add features to your videos without even needing to use editing software. You can add effects to your videos as you're filming (such as stars and sparkles for example).

* Has a mode that lets you start a story; everything you film in this mode will be related to the same event, making it much easier to categorize your films and cause less clutter in your camera's gallery.

* Has three filming modes: Automatic (for those of you who don't want to mess with focus), manual focus, and cinematic.

* Cinematic lets you film videos with built in filters, and there are several to choose from; they include filters that let you add misty looks, black and white, old film effect and my favourite a vivid filter which makes primary colours especially pop and brightens everything spectactularly.

* I've heard other people comment on these cameras that the sound it picks up isn't great but I found that not to be an issue, picked up sound fine with the two build in microphones on the top of the camera. There is a shoe you can attach an extra microphone with.

* If you're filming indoors, like all cameras, if you're filming straight on towards a window, the scene will darken. I haven't looked into whether an attachment for a light can be added but it would be an excellent feature if there was.

* The picture is so incredible it burgeons on the kind of picture you'd expect from a modern television program - absolutely professional looking. You could easily use this camera to film celebrations, weddings or independent documentaries.

* Took it out at night and it filmed lights and surrounding buildings without becoming grainy or dark; showed everything exactly as it looks. I was absolutely astounded.

* Battery life is about 2 hrs maximum, really. You can buy extra batteries and the camera actually has room to accomodate a bigger higher capacity battery.

* Has the hood (as pictured) to prevent lens flare. It can be removed. The lens cap fits regardless if this is on or off.

For the budding filmmaker who is serious, this would be a definite investment to your art. This is a camcorder of professional standard, you get what you pay for, and in my opinion, this is worth every penny.