Canon VIXIA camcorder is 'better than average'

• Comes with 32x optical zoom lens, 8GB of memory
• Videos, WiFi capability are lacking
• Starts at $499

The Canon VIXIA HF R30 (MSRP $499) is one of the best budget camcorders we've reviewed this year, and was the runner up for our Best Value Camcorder 2012 Award. It comes with a robust set of controls and features for a budget model, including a good selection of automatic modes, a few basic manual controls, a 32x optical zoom lens, and 8GB of internal flash memory.

In bright light, the Canon handles itself fairly well. The HF R30 fares better in terms of color accuracy than many models in the same price range, and its set of three frame rate options are unique for a camcorder that costs less than $500.

As solid as the HF R30 is for the price, it still has a substantial list of weaknesses, as most cheap models do. The most obvious flaw is its horrid battery life. The battery pack lasted for less than 45 minutes in our test, which means you'll be lucky to make it to halftime at your nephew's football game before needing to recharge. The Canon HF R30 also struggles in less-than-optimal filming conditions, producing bland and noisy output when we shot in low light. Basically, this camcorder is better than average for a budget offering, but its videos don't look nearly as good as what you'd get from a high-end or even mid-range model. And Canon's biggest new feature—built-in WiFi—is a bust. The function is too difficult to set up and its features are too limited, leaving us more frustrated than impressed.

Canon didn't make any truly bad camcorders this year, but its new VIXIA models didn't blow us away, either. The HF R30 should have performed significantly better than last year's HF R20, but it didn't. Don't get us wrong, the HF R30 is a decent camcorder for the price, but we expected more improvement from Canon.

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