Canon Vixia HF200

Pros: Video quality and ease of use with provided software

Cons: Camera itself seems pretty complicated out of the box

Summary: I purchased a Sony Handycam SD camera before this one. I thought the resolution was horrible and was very displeased at the fact that older VHS videos had better quality than the final product of the Sony Handycam. I returned the Handycam and did thorough research prior to buying another camcorder. I was sold on Canon's great reputation and just had to decide on which camcorder was best for my needs.

I recently had a child and wanted a camera which was a versatile as my needs. I decided to go with this camcorder because of the high reviews and the lightweight of the camera. I purchased it in a kit at Costco for $569. Plenty of power and features for me. I love the quality and with a little toying around, the features become easier to use. A few things one should know...

When reading the reviews regarding Pixela (the included software program), I noticed that people had problems with it. I have a Sony Vaio laptop which is about 3 years old. Though a bit slow, it gets the job done. To break it down, this is the process to download load the program and then to websites to share with the world.

1. Download the software to the computer
2. Shoot a test video
3. connect the camera via the USB cord (provided)
4. Once connected to your computer, press the button on the lower right hand side of the LCD screen on the camcorder.
5. Select the option to connect to computer on LCD screen.
6. Once selected, the Pixela program will open and transfer videos from your card to the Pixela library.
7. From the library, you can either burn Blu-Ray copies, edit, or select file and export the videos to a place where you can get to them to upload to the internet. I did this and the video is great for all to see, including my out-of-state family.

This is how far I got and I just received the camcorder yesterday. Once I master the other features, I will update some more. Bottom line, don't be intimidated by the reviews of the software, this is a great camera which will last for years.