Canon HF G10 Comparison September 2012
The Canon HF G10 is over a year and a half old at this point, and it may be finally starting to show its age. The HF G10 was such a strong camcorder in 2011 that its reign of supremacy spilled over into 2012 without much getting in its way. The camcorder still has the best low light performance we’ve seen, and its stellar set of manual controls are unmatched in the consumer market.
However, the HF G10 is missing a key feature that is starting to damage its reputation—1080/60p recording. This is a feature that nearly everyone else (JVC, Sony, and Panasonic) have begun implementing on consumer camcorders. Canon was once known to be the king of camcorder frame rate options, which makes the lack of a progressive 60fps mode on its flagship camcorder (and every camcorder in the Vixia line) all that more disappointing. Sure, the HF G10 still has 24p, 30p, and 60i recording, but in the past couple of years Sony has really stepped up the game to compete. The HDR-PJ710V has 24p, 60i, and 60p options, which should please videographers just as much (if not more) than Canon’s options.
The Canon HF G10 is also still a pricey camcorder, despite the fact that it’s a 2011 model. You can find it online for around $1200, which places it a bit higher than the Sony HDR-PJ710V. Let’s be clear: like most flagship models, the HF G10 is a fantastic camcorder. It won our award for Camcorder of the Year in 2011 and if it came out this year it would certainly compete for that award again. But after a year and a half, the HF G10 is starting to feel a bit stale. It doesn’t have a 60p mode, nor does it have a special new feature like WiFi, GPS, or a built-in projector. Canon is at the point where its flagship Vixia is ready for an upgrade.
