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"HF R10 hard drive noise is deal breaker for picky users"
1.5 starson by snphotogPros: Excellent picture quality. Tiny but highly functional joystick makes changing settings a breeze.
Cons: Recorded sound of the camera's hard drive can be heard in quiet scenes. Playback and editing of HD video is very jerky on anything less that a PC with 4gb processor. Small size takes some getting used to for large handed people.
Summary: Initially, the HF R10 did not disappoint. The images were sharp and natural. The little button Canon calls a joy stick made changing settings a snap. Then, while playing back a video I made in a quiet location, I heard something very bothersome; a low whirring sound?almost like the sound of an old 8mm projector running in the distance. I started doing some experimentation, and in every case, when the video had a minimum of ambient sound, you could hear that annoying whirr. I played with the camera a bit more, and discovered that you could actually hear the whirring sound by simply placing the unit to your ear. I returned the HF R10 to the store, and, thankfully, the camcorder whirred noticeably for their customer service rep. They pulled out a new unit and plugged it in, and it immediately began to make the same infuriating sound. Canon says the sound I heard was not a defect, but the normal sound of the camera?s hard drive at work. I replied by asking if it was Canon?s contention that it is normal for a video of a quietly sleeping baby taken with the HF R10 to include the sound of the camcorder's hard drive as noticeable background noise. Bottom line. The HF R10 has a noisy hard drive that can be heard in the background of any video you make with this camera that has minimal ambient sound. Will everyone notice it? No. Will everyone who notices it be so bothered by it that they will complain or return the camera? Unlikely. But, despite what Canon says, I believe it is a design flaw. And for people like me who wanted the best camcorder I could get for the money, it?s a deal breaker.
There has been some discussion about my use of the term hard drive, which was obviously incorrect. I simply passed on what the Canon rep said. Here is a direct quote from his email: "We have not found any issues with the HF R10. The camcorder will make some noise while recording. The sound that you heard was the hard drive. I don't know if the level of noise you experienced was normal, but it is normal for the drive to make noise. Troubleshooting noises via email is extremely difficult."
Updated on Sep 19, 2010
- 8 replies to this review
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I can verify that my new HF R10 makes this noise. I was guessing that it was the image stabilization, it's not unlike the whirring on my Canon IS lenses for my DSLR. This wouldn't be the first time a rep told a customer something inaccurate just to make him/her go away. If I can find a decent option at this price point from a different manufacturer, this will be getting returned. Disappointing because, for the money, I'm pretty happy with everything else about this camera.
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I just purchased a Canon Legria HFR106 which has no hard drive either and experienced the exact same problem. When you are shooting you can hear a faint whirring noise within the camera that the microphone picks up in low-noise environments and results in a very audible projector-type sound in playback. Upon Googling it I found others having the same problem within the HFR range and they believe the noise is either the auto-focus or image stabilizer working continuously, which would explain why it occurs in cameras that don't have a hard drive. I'm planning to take mine back this week and test some other manufacturers in-store.
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Here is the direct quote from Canon's email reply: "We have not found any issues with the HF R10. The camcorder will make some noise while recording. The sound that you heard was the hard drive. I don't know if the level of noise you experienced was normal, but it is normal for the drive to make noise. Troubleshooting noises via email is extremely difficult." Although I saw nothing about a hard drive in the specs, I assumed they knew what they were talking about.
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Huh, what hard drive? Certainly a Canon rep would know if your camera has a HD or Flash memory. You must have a different model camera or mis-heard the explanation of the noise source.
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I just bought the Canon HF R11 and it had the same problem. I am not sure if the noise comes from the hard drive or not, but the noise is certainly there. I returned my original camera and got a replacement and that also had the whirring noise. I would say away from the Canon Vixia if you want to shoot footage in quiet places.
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There is NO HD in this unit. It is all flash memory. I have no noise on mine. Is it possible this review is for another camera?
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It is flash memory, but do not get caught up in a discussion of terms and discount the flaw. It makes noise like an old 8mm. It is very distinctly heard on quiet video and can also be heard when you put your ear up to the unit. Maybe the shutter? Whatever the cause is not my concern, hearing the sound is distracting and that is my concern. I am taking mine back. I bought it less than an hour ago.
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There is NO Hard Drive.... It is a Flash Memory based storage. Review above doesn't make sense.
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