Just got the Canon Vixia HF200. Very dissapointed

[Ronald Lee]

When I say default sharpness, I mean straight MTS files right off the camera put on my hard drive. I play using the Pixela player. It looks like loss in color and sharpness.

And after I export/render into anything,...whew!! Terrible results.

I found that when I used Cineform Neo Scene, it made a major improvement.

I'll try some more shooting with the sharpness raised and report back here after a few days.

[Ronald Lee]

Ok, after having it for about two weeks, here is what I have to say about the Canon Vixia HF200.

It's a great small camera, light, sexy.

The image is outstanding, when it's lit well enough.

That being said, it's hard to figure out what the image truly looks like as the LCD screen is at least 3 'stop's too bright for what the video looks when transferred off the camera onto my computer. This is a serious flaw. I have to guestimate the look by slightly overexposing the image in the LCD screen.

What I see in the LCD screen is vibrant, rich, great image and colors.

What I see in the computer is dull, neutral images.

That's the main complaint, but when I adapt for it, it looks ok.

[David Merrill]

doesn't the LCD screen have an adjustment for brightness? My HF-S100 does.

[Chris Hurd]

I thought we already pointed this out, but you'll need to adjust the camcorder's LCD brightness to match your HDTV in your living room. And please understand that computer monitors treat color and brightness (gamma) differently than camcorders and television sets. Review your recorded video on an HDTV to see what it really looks like.

[Bill Koehler]

I'll periodically setup my camera and using a video switch connect it to my TV and DVD Player/external monitor. Using the TV as the end-of-production reference, I will adjust the settings on the camcorder screen and external monitor to get them to look the same, or as close as they can get.

[Bruce Foreman]

This is essentially what I suggested he do, calibrate camera LCD to a reference TV or as you more accurately put it, "end of production reference".

Ronald: Computer monitors while often looking "good" to the eye, may not be that good to "judge" anything by until "calibrated".

Matching your camera LCD to the "end of production reference" or the TV typical of what folks will view your video on and doing that match FIRST puts your acquisition device (camcorder) on the same standard as your final product (program on TV).

Then see if you can bring your computer display into line with the camera and TV. There should be an Nvidia display management. Right click on your desktop and look for NVIDIA Control Panel. Be very careful what you change, you should be able to do what you need with just the brightness adj and possibly gamma. Make careful note (write it down) of where the settings are before trying any change.

With your laptop you'll likely want to look at Adobe Premiere Elements at the low price end or the latest version of Sony Vegas at the higher price point. These two should work with AVCHD on your laptop. Pinnacle Studio and PowerDirector both will require a quad core with the former demanding a FAST quad core processor.

Sharpness: Blame your computer. The camera is sharp, image shown on TV is sharp, computer monitors may not always be as sharp as we want. The onboard graphics on your laptap may also be the culprit.

But for now, calibrate your cam LCD to that reference TV, then get out and start using the cam.

[Ronald Lee]

I see, thanks all.

Now, to calibrate, can I do it off a composite connection or must it be on an HDMI on a HDTV? I'm really doing it for luminosity and color sake.

Can can I do it by putting back the the MTS files from the camera onto the camera again? It should be the same thing, right?

[Guy McLoughlin]

Originally Posted by Ronald Ng

What I see in the LCD screen is vibrant, rich, great image and colors.What I see in the computer is dull, neutral images.

Ronald,

You are complaining about something that is NOT a problem. As a professional, I want a camera that produces normal-low contrast neutral images, which captures the greatest dynamic range, and can be manipulated in any direction you like in post.

Pretty much every camera under $6000 is going to have a LCD screen that is quite bad a reproducing the visual quality of what you are shooting. ( the only way to get around this is to buy and calibrate a professional external LCD monitor )

Here's a great post from the Pro Lost blog that covers this topic: ProLost - ProLost Blog - Flatten Your5D

[Bruce Foreman]

Originally Posted by Ronald Ng

Now, to calibrate, can I do it off a composite connection or must it be on an HDMI on a HDTV? I'm really doing it for luminosity and color sake.

Either one should do. Just so long as the TV comes somewhat close to what the finished video is going to be watched on.

Originally Posted by Ronald Ng

Can can I do it by putting back the the MTS files from the camera onto the camera again? It should be the same thing, right?

If you still have the original files on the SDHC card put that card back in the camera (its complex to try and copy all the files back to the card if you've erased it, the camera looks for a very specific file and folder structure). If not shoot some outdoor stuff and some indoor stuff and leave the card in the camera. Make it long enough sequences so you have time to look at the LCD, look at the TV, and repeat as you adjust the LCD brightness. Don't expect to get a perfect match, reasonably close is the best most of us can get.

One other thing...DO NOT erase files or reformat in the computer. Do this in the camera only or you risk having an SDHC card the camera won't recognize. If you ever experience this, the only cure is to attempt to "initialize" the card in the camera.

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

You need some sort of reference point, otherwise there are too many variables.
I invariably put colour bars at the top of my videos. I can then set up the tv as well as the PC monitor. It's even better if there are PLUGE bars to get the correct contrast as well.